Alberto Santos-Dumont

“ By means of the airplane, we are today able to travel at speeds exceeding 130 miles per hour. For commercial purposes and international communications, both railroads and automobiles have reached a point where their usefulness is at an end. Mountains, forests, rivers and seas hinder their progress. But the air provides a free and swift path for the airplane; for it there are no obstacles. The atmosphere is our ocean and we have ports everywhere!...
I, who am something of a dreamer, never imagined what I had the occasion to observe when I visited a huge factory in the United States. ”

“ Who knows when a European power will threaten an American state? Who can say if in the present war we won't see a European power come to take over a South American territory? Is war between the United States and a European country impossible? ”

“ I began by becoming a good free balloon pilot, and only later did I tackle the problem of its steerability. I became a good aeronaut in the management of my airships; for many years, I studied in depth the petroleum engine and only when I verified that its state of perfection was enough to make it fly, I attacked the problem of the heavier than air. The question of the airplane had been on the agenda for some years, but I never took part in the discussions, because I always believed that the inventor should work in silence; strange opinions never produce anything good. ”

“ I saw thousands of skilled mechanics engaged in the construction of airplanes, produced daily in numbers of 12 to 18.
Improved by the needs and demands of war, the airplane — diverted from its destructive purposes — will prove its incalculable value as an instrument of the useful objectives of the human race. At the present time it is quite possible that any of the present great machines could make trips from New York to Valparaizo, or from Washington to Rio de Janeiro. A fueling point could easily be installed every 600 miles of the route. ”

“ It was on this day that my great popularity in Paris began; therefore, I also take the occasion to pay tribute to the people of Paris.
It was thanks to the constant applause and encouragement that my colleagues and I received that we found the strength, in the face of so many failures and dangers, to continue the fight. It is therefore to the farsightedness of the people of the City of Light that the world owes air travel.
Not only the people encouraged me in my experiments, but also society, the high authorities and all the writers. ”

“ All the European countries are old enemies and here in the New World we should all be friends. We must be able to intimidate any European power that intends to go to war against one of us, not by the cannons, of which we have such a small number, but by the strength of our union. In the case of a war against a European power, neither the United States, nor any of the major South American countries, under the present conditions, could conveniently protect their extensive coasts. ”

“ I don't think the time is far off when airplane service will be established between the cities of the United States and the South American capitals. With a postal service in an airplane communication between the two continents will be reduced from twenty to two or three days. The transportation of passengers between New York and the farthest points in South America is not impossible. I believe, gentlemen, that the airplane, with minor improvements, will solve the problem for which we have fought so hard. ”

“ I remember perfectly that at the end of that century and in the first years of this one, in the Aero Club of France, which was, one could say, "The nest of aeronautics" and which was the meeting place for all the inventors who were concerned with this science, little was said about war; we predicted that aeronauts could perhaps, in the future, serve as enlighteners for the major states of armies, but it never came to our minds that they could play destructive roles in combat. ”

“ In France, a field is said to be so many tens of square kilometers; in England and the United States, they speak of square miles; in Chile and Argentina, they speak of square leagues; here, in this immense and privileged Brazil, they speak of "square meters". We must consider, first of all, that even in the hypothesis of a million square meters, this would only be one square kilometer, only 1/36 of a square leagues! A modern airplane, flying at 200 kilometers per hour from the center of such a large field, would be outside the perimeter of the airfield in less than 9 seconds! ”

“ I think that from all points of view it is preferable to bring teachers from Europe or the United States, rather than sending students there.
I'm sure that the Brazilian boys who would go abroad to learn the art of aviation would become splendid and courageous aviators. However, let's not forget that not every aviator is a good teacher. To teach an art is not enough to know the technique, but it is also necessary to know how to teach it. ”

“ Today, there are devices that can carry 30 passengers, capable of flying in the air for hours, of covering about a thousand miles without touching the ground, powered by engines totaling more than of a thousand horsepower. One airplane has already reached a height of 26,200 feet, and has already remained in the air for 24 hours and 12 minutes, and between sunrise and sunset, 2,100 kilometers have been flown in an airplane. We no longer fear winds or storms; the modern flying machine dares in any sky and passes through storms of any speed, and can even soar above stormy regions. ”

“ A beginner, who familiarizes himself with one of these aircrafts, will need few lessons to fly. In the United States the aviation schools are very far from the capital; they are wherever there are good fields.
As for the Naval School, I believe that it is not bad on Enchadas Island.
My opinion is, therefore: for the Army, the choice of a vast field in the South of Brazil, or even the field of Santa Cruz. For the Navy, I believe a base should be chosen for its hydroplanes, as close as possible to the city of Rio, where the officers and students live. ”

“ At one of the Aero Club's assemblies, a gentleman appeared, unknown to all of us, very shy, very sympathetic, who offered, he, Deutsch de la Meurthe, a prize of one hundred thousand francs to the first pilot who, within the next five years, starting from St. Cloud, which was where the Club's park was then, circumnavigated the Eiffel Tower and returned to the starting point, all in less than 30 minutes. He added that at the end of each year, if the prize was not won, the interest on the money would be distributed among the best competitors. ”

“ I knew enough of all those dreamers, hundreds of whom gave their lives for our idea, to be able to affirm now that it never crossed our minds that, in the future, our successors could be "sent" to attack defenseless cities, full of children, women and old people and, what's more, to attack Hospitals where the abnegation and humanitarianism of the rivals gathered, under the same roof and with the same affection, the wounded and the dying of both camps. ”

“ To sum up, I think that we won't have real aviation until we have a large field, of square leagues, or even a small one, of a few kilometers, surrounded, however, by large plains that, although they don't belong to the school, offer good ground for the descent of the aircraft in case of need. We also need teachers experienced in the art of teaching aviation and that live, with the students, near the school. ”

“ Back home, he called me to the office and told me: "I have already given you today freedom; here is more of this capital", and handed me bonds worth many hundreds of contos. "I still have a few years to live; I want to see how you conduct yourself: go to Paris, the most dangerous place for a boy. Let's see if you become a man; I prefer that you don't become a doctor: in Paris, with the help of our cousins, you will look for a specialist in Physics, Chemistry, Mechanics, Electricity, etc., study these subjects and don't forget that the future of the world is in Mechanics. ”

“ The airplane is of greater value in defending the coasts than cruisers.
Aviation has proven to be the most effective weapon of war in both offensive and defensive warfare. Since the beginning of the war, improvements in the airplane have been marvelous. ”

“ The sun is now out and a breeze is beginning to blow, a light one it is true, but enough at this time to almost stop the aircraft in motion. For many minutes, my engine struggles against the breeze, which is already turning into wind. ”

“ The main difficulty for air navigation is in the precarious progress of the engines. Frankly, the current engine has not yet reached what it should be. The airplane itself has developed faster than the engine.
I think, however, that soon the airplane engine will be so perfected that it will have no more imperfections than those of the best and most perfect automobiles made today.
Nowadays, an airplane engine needs to be relatively light and, at the same time, withstand a lot of continuous work. ”

“ Santos-Dumont, without ceasing his work on the "lighter than air" also makes very important studies on the "heavier than air", and it is him who managed to "fly" in this memorable day, in front of a numerous public.
... it remains a fact that it has risen in space, without balloon, and it is an "important" victory for the supporters of the "heavier than air".
It is now (October 23) the complete victory of the "heavier than air: Santos-Dumont has demonstrated in an indisputable way that it is possible to rise from the ground by its own means and to maintain itself in the air." ”

“ He who had given me such good advice and the means to realize my dream, was no longer in this world to see that I "had become a man".
It is an oriental custom to blame all the merit, all the glory that a man conquers in life, on his father. ”

“ The exiled cities of South America will come into direct contact with today's world. Distant countries will meet, despite the barriers of mountains, rivers and forests. The United States and the South American countries will know each other as well as England and France know each other. ”

“ It was necessary to disassemble everything, with great care, so that it would not be damaged, because I intended to repair my craft to compete again for the Deutsch prize.
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That day I had woken up at three o'clock in the morning to personally check the state of my apparatus and accompany the hydrogen production, because from one day to another, the balloon lost about twenty cubic meters. I always followed the motto: "Those who want to, go. Those who don't want to, are in charge"... The day was ending and I wouldn't leave my balloon for a single instant, despite the terrible hunger. ”

“ I feel at ease because it is inspired by my patriotism, never doubted, and never by my interest. I have never been seduced by an official or paid position, because I want to lead the life I have led until now, dedicating my time to my inventions. ”

“ It's possible that, among 4 or 6 boys who will study in Europe, one will find a good teacher; this, however, is only a probability. More correct and safer, therefore, would be to choose, right away, some good teachers, among the many that there are in Europe and the United States, and hire them to teach aviation here, in our territory. ”

“ There were hundreds of victims of this noble audacity, who fought with a thousand difficulties, always received as "crazy", and who could not see the triumph of their Dreams, but for the realization of which they collaborated with their sacrifice, with their lives. ”

“ Well, dear friend; you already feel tired to make long walks on foot or on horseback; I, who am your age, with the difference I've led the most agitated life a man can lead, risked it hundreds of times, and seen death up close on several occasions ”

“ Today, so that the memory of the value of this audacious man would not die in the memory of mankind, the British, in a significant tribute, have kept his name in the Company that currently owns that land. ”

“ The title of aviator that they keep giving me, without me deserving it, for 10 years now — the last time I flew an airplane was in 1908 — also has, for me, another unpleasant side, and that is to disappoint friends and admirers in the cities I pass through. ”

“ I intended to go around the Eiffel Tower; they wanted to dissuade me from that, because the Aero Club Committee was not present. I could not contain myself; sport attracted me; I left. Everything went well until the heights of the Trocadero, when I felt that the balloon no longer obeyed me. The cable connecting the steering wheel to the rudder of the aircraft had broken. I completely slowed down the engine and maneuvered to touch down. ”

“ Already steel has been improved and made stronger by special processes; no one knows how far we could go in improving it still further. If inventors like Edison, Tesla, Henry Wise Wood, Spery, and Curtis, etc., devoted their energy to this subject, I am convinced that in a short time we would have a perfectly satisfactory motor. ”