More than eight decades after the creation of SATA, we recall some events regarding the respective operation in Santana (SMG/LPML):

Flights were conditioned to sunrise and sunset; 

During night landings, in urgent circumstances, goosenecks powered by oil were employed to demarcate (illuminate) the edges of the service runway.

In wet runway conditions, the braking coefficient was calculated using a vehicle at the service of the aerodrome to assess the adherence of the respective surface on macadam.

As part of the check-in procedures, passengers were weighed to ensure that the mass and centering of the small “Dove” planes were carried out within established limits;

Radio aids were limited to an NDB (non-directional radio beacon) perpendicular to the runways (BB7 at the time of the military and SML after passing the civil infrastructure), and the MAP (Missed Approach Point) was calculated using a stopwatch attached to the stick );

Before planes were delivered to the line, the so-called “fixed point” was carried out by the maintenance team (testing the engines and checking the radio equipment).

The final procedure involved accelerating the engines to their maximum speed, inspecting the magnets, determining the oil pressures, and establishing communication with the tower via a call on the Rabo de Peixe frequency: 118.1 and 30.23.

Runways in use were 31-13 and 06-24. There were no landings with passengers on runway 24 due to the proximity of the respective threshold to an elevation to the terrain.

Normally, passengers traveling in the “Dove” boarded the plane at a consolidated apron next to the hangar, but those in the “Dakota”, introduced later, had to cross the road that separated the terminal from the improvised ramp that was reserved for them, as they were larger ones (they carried 28 passengers and the “Dove” nine, at most).

The number of canceled flights in Santana was very high in the winter due to the very frequent flooded runway conditions, poor visibility, and crosswinds above the operating minima.

This situation greatly affected emigrants, who often missed their connecting flights in Santa Maria, sometimes facing dramatic situations in relation to keeping their jobs.

However, more than sixty years have passed, and much has changed in terms of accessibility, comfort, and safety on board aircraft.

Ermelindo Peixoto (PhD) – Author of the book commemorating SATA’s 65th anniversary