GREAT FLIGHTS

From 20th century the 20s and the 30s were a period of an enormous development in the air force, where long distance flights and prodigious air adventures took place. It was a period of wars and an important development in aircrafts design was made, as well as earth infrastructures to facilitate flights, new airports, international communication codes, etc. Aviation was a point of reference those days, the golden years of air force. 

Therefore the Los Alcázares airbase was, from the very beginning, a place of reference for these great flights, not only national but also international flights. The strategic settlement, the huge infrastructures (field of flight of 1000x600 metres, huge hangars, workshops, radiotelegraphic station…) and the extraordinary base of seaplanes, famous all over Europe. Thus, they were included in a big amount of air force expeditions route books: 

27th May 1916 – Cuatro Vientos Flight (Madrid) – Los Alcázares. 

Four aircrafts took over from Cuatro Vientos to fly in squad to Los Alcázares air base. However, only the Barrón Flecha with Mercedes engine of 100 horsepower belonging Don Alfonso de Orleans achieved to do the direct flight on a speed of 123 km/h. 

May 1928 – Crociera del Mediterraneo Occidentale. 

Nationality: Italian. 

Planned route: Orbetello (Italy) – Los Alcázares – Orbetello. 

Distance: 2800 kms. 

Aircrafts: more than 60 seaplanes Savoia Marchetti S.55, S.59 and S.62. Head officers: General De Pinedo e Italo Balbo, vicesecreatry of the Ministerio dell´Aeronautica 

21st-29th June 1929 – La hazaña del Dornier 15/16. 

Nationality: Spanish. 

Planned route: Los Alcázares – The Azores – Halifax or Terranova (Canada) – The Azores – Galicia. 

Distance: around 12.000 kms. 

Aircraft: seaplane Dornier Do J Wal (M-MWAP). 

Crew: commanding officer Ramón Franco, captains Eduardo González Gallarza and Julio Ruiz de Alda and sergeant Modesto Madariaga. 

Target: breaking world records of length and distance in seaplane. 

17th December 1930/15th January 1931 – Primera Crociera Aerea Atlantica. 

Nationality: Italian. 

Planned route: Orbetello (Italy) – Los Alcázares (Spain) – Kenitra (Morocco) – Villa Cisneros (West Sahara) – Bolama (Guinea – Bissau) – Porto Natal (Brazil) – Bahía (Brazil) – Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). 

Distance: 10.350 kms. 

Aircraft: Seaplanes Savoia Marchetti S.55A. 

Crew: Italo Balbo, Minister dell´Aeronautica, Giusseppe Valle, head of Staff and Lieutenant-Colonel Umberto Maddalena. 

Target: first ocean flight. 

8th November/18th December 1933 – The Black Squad. 

Nationality: French. 

Planned route: Istres (France) – Perpognan – Los Alcazares – rabat – Adrar – gao – Bamako – Dakar – Bangui (Central African Republic) – Istres. 

Distance: around 25.000 kms. 

Aircraft: Potez 25 T.O.E. 

Crew: General Vuillemin, head of aviation of Morocco, lieutenant colonels Bouscat, Rignot and Girier and major Pelletier d´Oisy. 

Also, the Los Alcazares air base facilities were used by the aircrafts of the Night Flight to Spain (September 1927), the National Event (June – July 1930) and the Flight to Spain for military aircrafts (1932, 1933, 1934, 1935) and the Flight to Spain in a seaplane (June 1934), etc. 

Occasionally, the Los Alcázares air base was opened to civilian flights: it was used as a technical stopover between Genoa and Gibraltar established in 1930 by the Societá Anonima di Navegazione Aerea (S.A.N.A.) to be the link with transatlantic ships of Lloyd Sabaudo. It was also used as an emergency sea stopover in the routes Latécoère Oran – Alicante - Oran and Arfel – Alicante - Argel.