aviation - the past, present and future of flight

A

t the end of World War Two, huge

numbers of USAAF Douglas C-47

Skytrains and other former military

aircraft were surplus to requirements

and were being sold off cheaply or scrapped.

The availability of so many bargain-priced

machines meant it was relatively easy and

inexpensive to start an airline. Such an idea

occurred to Humberto Delgado, who was a

director of the Civil Aviation Office in Portugal.

He founded Transportes Aéreos

Portugueses (TAP) on March 14, 1945. The

 rst  ight took place on September 19, 1946,

using a C-47 to operate across the Iberian

Peninsula from Lisbon to Madrid. The aircraft

was con gured for 22 passengers.

Just a few months later, TAP retraced

the steps of the early Portuguese explorers

by opening a far- ung route across Africa,

when a Skytrain  ew from Lisbon to the

Portuguese colonies of Luanda (Angola)

and Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) the

capital of Mozambique, to begin a regular

service on the route. Known as Linha Aérea

Imperial (Imperial Air Route), the round-

trip required a total of 12 stops and was a

remarkable undertaking at the time, covering

more than 15,200 miles (24,462km) and

taking 15 days. At the end of the outward

sector there was a two-day stopover. In

its day, it was the longest air service to be

operated with twin-engined airliners. It is

worth remembering that neither the C-47 nor

the Douglas DC-4 Skymaster, which was

used later, were pressurised.

Two years later, services started between

Lisbon and Oporto and London. TAP

had acquired three DC-4s and, despite

competing with the more popular Vickers

Viscount on the London route, they

remained in service until 1960.

TAP wanted to extend its route network,

particularly to its former colony of Brazil

and a decision was taken to order three

Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellations

for delivery in 1955. At that time, Portugal

still had several possessions dotted

around the world, notably in Africa but

also Goa (India) and Macau, on mainland

China and close to Hong Kong. Brazil had

long been independent of Portugal, but in

1961 TAP began its  rst services, known

as Voos da Amizade ( ight of friendship)

to Brazil, speci cally to Rio de Janeiro,

using Doulas DC-7Cs leased from Panair

do Brasil to operate the service, until the

arrival of the Constellations.

TAP AIR

PORTUGAL

TRIUMPH OVER ADVERSITY

Portuguese carrier TAP has triumphed over adversity to become

one of Europe’s leading airlines, as Barry Lloyd details.

32 Aviation News incorporating Jets September 2018