Gago Coutinho was an early Portuguese aviation pioneer who is commemorated in Lisbon by a monument of his biplane, the Santa Cruz. Gago Coutinho along with Sacadura Cabral were the first pilots to fly across the South Atlantic Ocean. Their flight of 8,400km departed from Lisbon on the 24 March 1922 and arrived in Rio de Janeiro 79 days later on the 6th June 1922.
The seaplane monument in Belem recalls this perilous voyage and is an exact replica of their Fairey seaplane. The monument of the Santa Cruz biplane is located in the Belem district, close to the Torre Belem, as it was from this parkland the plane took off from. | picture Ruud Boots