Air Force Agency – Cap Emília Maria
Thirty years ago, on May 1, 1994, Brazil said goodbye to one of its greatest idols: Ayrton Senna da Silva. But even today, his legacy is present in the daily lives of those who work with determination and selflessness. The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) is full of members who base their actions on these aspects.
The institution’s relationship with Senna, however, was even more direct and yielded important partnerships. Today, we look back at some moments that have gone down in history.
A hero in our wings
It was a Wednesday, March 29, 1989. It was dawn inside the premises of the Jaguar Fleet (1st GDA), located at Anápolis Air Base (BAAN). But it wasn’t just a normal day. Two Mirage IIIs from the Fleet took off with the aim of intercepting and guiding the PT-ASN aircraft, whose registration referred to Ayrton Senna’s initials, to a safe landing at BAAN. On board was the then Formula 1 world champion. That day, the pilot visited the unit’s facilities and boarded the Mirage III, where he flew a supersonic flight, inspiring Brazilians on a date that is still fondly remembered today.
Ayrton Senna had won the world championship for the first time in 1988. He was at the start of the 1989 Formula 1 season, which saw him duel with Alain Prost on and off the track. Until the early end of his career in the category, he would go on to win two more world titles (1990 and 1991) and achieve impressive numbers that make many experts consider him, to this day, the best driver to have ever passed through the category.
Back then, every time the driver flew the green-yellow flag on the top step of the podium, thousands of Brazilians were moved by their idol and were proud of their country, just as he was keen to show.
Colonel Alberto de Paiva Côrtes, now a retired military officer, recalls details of the flight he took with Senna in 1989. “I want to feel the speed,” he said of his racing idol’s request before the flight.
In 1987, Ayrton Senna had already flown on FAB wings. That time, in an F-5 fighter from the First Fighter Aviation Group (1st GAVCA), he flew over the now-defunct Jacarepaguá Circuit.
Honors
In 1991, after winning the Formula 1 World Championship for the third time at the Suzuka Grand Prix in Japan, the aircraft he was in was intercepted by the FAB and he received a warm welcome. This video shows excerpts of the radio conversation between then Major Aviator Antonio Carlos Moretti Bermudez and Ayrton Senna.
On May 3, 2019, the memory of the Brazilian hero was present at the Anápolis Air Base (BAAN) as it had been 30 years earlier. The Jaguar Fleet, the same squadron that flew with Ayrton, received a visit from the three-time champion’s brother, Leonardo Senna, to commemorate the unforgettable flight in the skies of Anápolis (GO). After the adrenaline rush of the flight, another emotion took over the BAAN operational area. In celebration of the national idol’s flight and the 40th anniversary of the Jaguar Fleet, the Mirage FAB4940 aircraft was painted with the driver’s traditional helmet.
For those who want to get a closer look at the aircraft in which Ayrton Senna flew in 1989, Mirage III registration FAB 4904 is on display at the Aerospace Museum (MUSAL), located in Campo dos Afonsos, Rio de Janeiro (RJ). The supersonic plane’s fuselage bears the names of the crew and the date of the flight, March 29, 1989.
Ayrton Senna was also decorated by the Brazilian Air Force with the Santos Dumont Merit Medal in 1987 and with the Order of Aeronautical Merit Medal, Knight Grade, in 1993.
The Santos Dumont Merit Medal is intended for military personnel and civilians, Brazilian or foreign, who have rendered or are rendering outstanding services to the FAB, and to distinguish those who, for their qualities or value in relation to Aeronautics, are judged worthy of this decoration.
The Order of Aeronautical Merit is designed to reward members of the Brazilian Air Force who have rendered notable services to the country or have distinguished themselves in the exercise of their profession, as well as to recognize outstanding services rendered to the Air Force by civilian and military personalities, Brazilian or foreign, and also by Military Organizations and Civilian Institutions, national or foreign.
Images: Archive/FAB *** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***