Talk:Nieuport IV
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First intercontinental flight
editTwo officers of the former Spanish Air Force, Emilio Herrera and José Ortiz Echagüe, Captains of the Corps of Engineers, on February 14th, 1914, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar during the Rif War in a Nieuport IV-M, being the first intercontinental flight of the aviation history.
That day, Captains Herrera and Ortiz Echagüe took off from Tetouan, then the capital of the Spanish Protectorate in Morocco, at 1:30 p.m. and landed at Tablada Aerodrome (Seville) shortly after 6 p.m., thus taking almost 5 hours to cover the 208 kilometers in a straight line that separate the two cities. For the first time in history, an aeroplane crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, and for the first time an intercontinental flight was also made. They were pioneers twice over, and it would not be the first time, since throughout their lives, Herrera and Ortiz Echagüe continued to be pioneers both in the world of aviation, the former in the world of engineering, and the latter in photography.
Despite not being a very long flight, they had to face numerous difficulties. The worst thing for those brave men was the strong winds blowing in the Strait of Gibraltar, taking into account the limitations of their Nieuport IV-M (80-horsepower Gnome engine). The Rif War that was taking place that year was another element of danger. And even the British government added more setbacks by prohibiting the two pilots from flying over Gibraltar.
The aviators, on leaving Tetouan, had to fly along the Martín River to its mouth, flying at a height of only 200 metres. Then they skirted the African coast until they reached Ceuta, where they raised the aircraft to almost 2,000 metres. At this height they crossed the strait whipped by a strong easterly wind. After entering the peninsula and rising a little higher to clear the mountains, they sighted Jerez, and from there headed for Seville, where they entered following the line of the Guadalquivir.
At the Tablada Aerodrome His Majesty King Alfonso XIII was waiting for them, to whom they delivered a message from the High Commissioner of Spain in Morocco. It was one of the first milestones of Spanish aviation, which in the following decade would experience its golden age with the great air raids. 83.50.39.99 (talk) 20:17, 27 September 2024 (UTC)