La Arancada – Flying, a dream almost come true

Flying… You don’t have to live the beginnings of humanity to know that in the depths of the first beings who inhabited the earth there has always been a constant desire to perpetuate themselves in those who live today to spread their wings like birds and reach the clouds.

Humanity and its efforts to achieve all that it set out to do, advancing centuries after centuries, years after years and day after day, resulted in 1903 in a wooden feat that today shines in steel and clings closely to the human reality of what it is to fly.

Made of fir and ash with muslin wings, the plane was first piloted over 100 years ago in Ohio, USA, by the Wright brothers, yet the Dominican Republic didn’t take long to do so. This achievement sparked the interest of a young civil engineer specializing in mechanics.

The historical data is not very accurate, but the details are clear when determining why Zoilo Hermógenes is considered the pioneer of Dominican aviation.

first steps The archives remember Zoilo as a young man of the world, with multiple trips that allowed him to know, before the creation of the first flying ship, how everything was outside the country’s border areas, and they planted in him dreams that came true long after..

Around 1909, Mogito, as his relatives knew him, inspired by the model of the two American brothers, began to form his own air enterprise called the Polyplain whose only primary objective was more than improvement in the flaws that were in the early projects were flight.

The incomplete historical documentation does not reflect when the pioneer finished molding his model aircraft, but it appears that by 1911, the artifact had already been built and displayed at the New York Air Show.

Did it fly or did it not fly? It is a question that remains unanswered even today regarding Poliplano, what is the fact that it was a success that was destined to participate in the New York Air Show, which did not happen for reasons of time, so experts assume that the first bird made by human hands for their own use, which flew over the Dominican Republic, was Zoilo.

The birth of military aviation
Several sources record that our nation has become an “important destination for pilots and pilots to demonstrate their aerial skills” and that this has kept the population mobilized alongside the need to satiate the growing interest in the practice, in a state of suspense. Therefore, the Listin newspaper said Diario has organized a “flying party” to be held in Santo Domingo by Curtiss Airplane with a subscription of S$1,143.

One of the first flights over Dominican territory was made by the pilot known by the press as Schueppaus on July 1, 1912.

At about that time, in the areas around San Pedro de Macorís, the first runway was built, where American Airlines first began to operate. In addition, the first seaplanes and amphibious aircraft that crossed the Dominican sky began to land on the Higuamo River.

Among the historical milestones and applause for the year after year successes of Dominican civil aviation, such as the birth of the West Indian Aerial Express in Barahona, the first airline to be considered Dominican; In 1930, the government, during the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, took the first steps to organize the Dominican Air Force, sending a group of officers and soldiers to train as pilots and flight mechanics at the Columbia Flying School in La Havana, Cuba; Created in 1932 under the name “Aviation Corps” attached to the National Army.

Pan American trip
November 12, 1937 is one of the most symbolic dates in the history of world flights, when the “Pan American Flight” began.

The four participating aircraft’s turbines, three of which were Cuban and named after Christopher Columbus’ Caravelle (La Nina, La Pinta, and La Santa Maria), and another Dominican named “Colon”, were operated at the then Miraflores Airport driven by personnel from both armies who were deployed in an air show. over America’s sky.

The tour began through Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, the Netherlands, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and finally Colombia, which was the leading country in the fatal outcome of the three plane crashes. Cuba ships, returning only to Colon on display today at San Isidro Air Force Base.

Even today
As of 2006, the Dominican Republic has achieved significant advantages in air matters such as chairing the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (CLAC), during 2010-2012 and attaining a position as a member of the ICAO Council, in 2013.

In addition, in the same year Law No. 67-13 was enacted, amending Law No. 491-06, and showing greater commitment to the goals of the Dominican State.

In 2014, the “Regulations for the issuance of consignee licenses on aircraft of a foreign air operator for non-scheduled flights or charter flights” and the issuance of the “Ground Handling Agent Certificate” were established.