David H. McCullough (original) (raw)

VEJA Online THE FLIGHT OF THE PRESIDENTS June 12, 2003 Reprinted by Permission

"In the online magazine report "O poder da faixa" (12 of June), VEJA wrote that Washington Luis (1926-1930) was the first president to fly. From Brasilia, the minister of the Superior Military Court, Flavio Flores da Cunha Bierrenbach, wrote: "the first president of the Republic to fly was not Washington Luis, (Washington Luis Pereira de Sousa), but Wenceslau Braz (1914-1918), ten years before. On April 2, 1917, he took off from the wharf on the Ilha das Enxadas, in a hydroplane of the Naval Aviation piloted by Lieutenant Antonio Augusto Schorcht , flew over the Bay of Guanabara and continued on to Niter�i . The reader Antonino Da Silva, of Mococa, S�o Paulo, also remembered the feat of Wenceslau Braz? the first head of State to fly in a Brazilian military airplane over the domestic territory. But it seems that VEJA, the minister and the reader had forgotten somebody. One who remembers the incident in detail is reader Graco Magalh�es Alves, of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte: "Hermes da Fonseca(1910-1914) flew in a Farman military airplane piloted by Lieutenant Albert Fequant, in Mourmelon, France, in day 8 of July of 1910. On April 15, 1913, in a Curtiss airplane piloted by the American David H. McCullough, Marshal Hermes da Fonseca flew over the Bay of Guanabara, (the first flight of a Brazilian president in skies of Brazil)". (VEJA, june 26, 2002)Editor's Note: In case you read Portuguese, here is the original article from VEJA which was sent to me through the courtesy of Julio Cesar de Barros, Secret�rio de Reda��o, Revista VEJA. I am eternally grateful to him for his kindness on behalf of the magazine.

O V�O DOS PRESIDENTES Na reportagem "O poder da faixa"

(12 de junho), VEJA informou que Washington Lu�s (1926-1930) foi o primeiro presidente a voar. De Bras�lia, o ministro do Superior Tribunal Militar Flavio Flores da Cunha Bierrenbach escreveu: "O primeiro presidente da Rep�blica a voar n�o foi Washington Lu�s, mas Wenceslau Braz (1914-1918), dez anos antes. No dia 2 de abril de 1917, decolou do cais da Ilha das Enxadas, em hidroavi�o da Avia��o Naval pilotado pelo tenente Schorcht, sobrevoou a Ba�a de Guanabara e foi at� Niter�i". O leitor Antonino da Silva, de Mococa, S�o Paulo, tamb�m se lembrou do feito de Wenceslau Braz � o primeiro chefe de Estado a voar em avi�o militar brasileiro sobre o territ�rio nacional. Mas parece que VEJA, o ministro e o leitor se esqueceram de mais algu�m. Quem lembra com detalhes � o leitor Graco Magalh�es Alves, de Natal, Rio Grande do Norte: "O marechal Hermes da Fonseca (1910-1914) voou no avi�o militar Farman pilotado pelo tenente Albert Fequant, em Mourmelon, Fran�a, no dia 8 de julho de 1910. Em 15 de abril de 1913, no avi�o Curtiss pilotado pelo americano David H. McCulloug, o marechal Hermes voou sobre a Ba�a de Guanabara (o primeiro v�o de um presidente brasileiro nos c�us do Brasil)". (VEJA, june 26, 2002)

ONLINE RESOURCES

If you search the net for "David H. McCullough +aviation" using Google, you will find about four links, the one cited below being of special relevance and interest.