On the sesquicentenary of the birth of Captain Ricardo João Kirk, Patron of Army Aviation, it is memorable to describe his history and legacy to our Land Force.
Seven years before his birthday, the Brazilian Army, in the constant search for the evolution of defense equipment, in favor of operational advantages on the battlefield, was already pioneering the use of the air vector in combat in Latin America. This historic event for military aviation took place during the War of the Triple Alliance, known as the Paraguayan War, when Caxias, Patron of the Brazilian Army, used a captive balloon to observe enemy troops on Paraguayan soil.
The birth of the intrepid and fearless Patron of Army Aviation, on March 23, 1874, in the city of Campos dos Goytacazes (RJ), marks the continuity, evolution and consolidation of the initial steps in the use of the “Wings of the Land Force”.
Ricardo João Kirk, the only son of the Irishman Richard Joseph Kirk and Rita Fructuosa, at the age of 17, observing his vocation for the army, voluntarily joined the 10th Infantry Battalion, and from July 25, 1891 he was at the disposal of the Praia Vermelha Military School, where, in March of the following year, he was enrolled as a Pre-Service Student for the Preparatory Course, the initial stage of officer training at that time.
In 1893, when he was in the second year of the Preparatory Course, the Revolt of the Navy broke out. Ricardo Kirk was an effective participant in this event and, between September 1893 and March 1894, he served alongside the government forces, assisting in the defense of the São Bento Fort.
In recognition of his bravery and good service during this event, although he was still in the 2nd year of the Preparatory Course, he was promoted to the rank of Ensign for the Cavalry Weapon on November 3, 1894, for services rendered to the Republic.
Undeterred, he attended the Preparatory and Tactical School in Rio Pardo (RS) and also the Artillery and Engineering School (RJ), where he completed the General Course and the Special Course, thus completing his education and obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physical Sciences.
Ricardo Kirk’s awakening to aerial activity came on May 20, 1908, when, as a spectator, he followed the first, but fateful, demonstration on the use of balloons, carried out by Lieutenant Juventino da Fonseca, considered to be Brazil’s first military aeronaut.
In August of the same year, he was transferred to work as an assistant to the person in charge of the Aerostatic Park in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), where he had more continuous contact with the use of balloons.
In March 1911, he was promoted to the rank of 1st lieutenant. That same year, precisely on October 14, with the creation of the Aeroclube Brasileiro (AeCB) in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Kirk became one of its first members and a member of the committee responsible for choosing the land that would receive an airfield, in the Campo dos Afonsos region.
In 1912, he took part in Aviation Week in the Federal Capital and had the opportunity to fly aboard the plane piloted by the famous aviator Roland Garros. After this event, 1st Lieutenant Ricardo Kirk began to take flying instructions from the Italian pilot Ernesto Darioli, with whom he became an inseparable friend.
On July 27 of the same year, Kirk left for France in order to take a pilot’s course and begin negotiations for the AeCB’s affiliation with the International Aeronautical Federation, so that the air club could be certified to grant brevets. On October 22, at the end of the course, Kirk became the first aviator pilot in the Brazilian Army, earning international certificate No. 1089, issued by the École d’Aviation d’Etampes, in France.
In April 1913, our pioneering pilot returned to Brazil and from then on held the position of Director of the Aeroclub’s Aviation School.
At the time, the world was on the eve of the outbreak of World War I and it was imperative that a military aviation service be set up in Brazil. So the Minister of War decided to subsidize a school to train military aviators and, at the same time, took steps to create an Aviation Service, in which Lieutenant Ricardo Kirk would be one of the key players. As a result, in June 1914, the Army provisionally transformed the 2nd Company of the 1st Engineering Battalion from a Railway Company into an Aviation Company. Kirk was appointed instructor in the Aviation Service area of the new Aviation Company.
Unfortunately, this pioneering idea in Brazilian military aeronautics involving Lieutenant Ricardo Kirk, the only pilot in the Brazilian Army and a national reference in aviation matters, had to be postponed due to the instability that our country was experiencing in the region between the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, known as Contestado.
In September 1914, General Setembrino took command of the troops operating in the Contestado region and had no doubts about the possibilities of using airplanes, asking the Minister of War for the support of Lieutenant Ricardo Kirk for air operations. At that very moment, Kirk, Commander of the Aviation Detachment, began work on transporting the planes and all the material needed for the mission. Under his command, airstrips and hangars were built for the protection and maintenance of aircraft on campaign, something unprecedented in South America.
On January 4, 1915, the first experimental flight took place in the region of the conflict. Kirk and his friend Ernesto Darioli, in the 80 and 50 HP Morane-Saulnier aircraft respectively, carried out this feat, departing from União da Vitória (PR) and returning to the same place. Fifteen days later, our intrepid pilot and his friend Darioli officially flew the first historic combat flight in Brazil aboard the Morane-Saulnier L “Parasol” biplane, nicknamed “General Setembrino”, with the mission of detailed reconnaissance of the conflict zone.
After several flights and reconnaissance of air routes in the combat zone, the date for an important air mission arrived. On March 1, 1915, Lieutenant Ricardo Kirk was to carry out reconnaissance bombing in the region of the Santa Maria redoubt. Unfortunately, during the flight, under severe weather conditions and low visibility, our fearless pilot ran into a pine tree typical of the region, causing the plane to crash and the death of our hero of the “Wings of the Land Force”.
As published in the Official Gazette of March 25, 1915, Lieutenant Ricardo Kirk was promoted to the rank of Captain (post mortem), for acts of bravery practiced in Federal Force operations in the state of Santa Catarina. The unexpected loss of the future “Patron of Army Aviation” dealt a severe blow to the development of the Aviation Service and the establishment of the Aviation Park. Despite the trauma, his example of courage, determination and innovation were fundamental for the next steps, which were definitive for the implementation of the air vector in the Land Force.
In 1917, the Minister of War appointed a commission, which included three lieutenants who had already been brevetted, to study and improve their skills at military aviation schools in France. This commission took steps in favor of a military aviation mission, resulting in the hiring of the French Military Aviation Mission.
On January 29, 1919, the Army Aviation Service and the respective Military Aviation School were created at Campo dos Afonsos in Rio de Janeiro. The Military Aviation of the Brazilian Army was definitively born, with its pilots, aerial observers, mechanics, specialists and the entire structure necessary for the operation, maintenance and evolution of aerial resources within the Land Force.
In 1927, the Aviation Service became an Aviation Weapon. The Military Air Mail was set up with a strategic vision and pioneered the creation of routes to the interior of Brazil, new operational air units were set up in several of the nation’s capitals, modern aircraft were acquired for the time and the Brazilian Army became internationally respected for its operational capacity in the use of aircraft.
In the mid-1930s, the tactical vision of the experienced members of Military Aviation became strategic and the concept of a new armed force was born, focused specifically on the use of aerial means in combat. In 1941, the Army’s Military Aviation handed over its entire structure (personnel, material and facilities) for the creation of the Brazilian Air Force, thus ending the initial cycle of aviation in the Army.
After decades without the use of the Land Force’s organic air vector, but always following, analyzing and studying the evolution of the aviation of the various armies and its use in post-World War II conflicts, our Army decided to create a new Aviation, as of September 3, 1986, with modern rotary-wing aircraft and a new doctrine based on aeromobility for combat missions, combat support and logistical support.
Always concerned with evolution and operationality for the benefit of the Ground Force, Army Aviation continues to follow in the footsteps of its Patron, Captain Ricardo Kirk. Almost thirty-eight years have passed since its rebirth, and the Wings of the Land Force continue to look to the future. New aircraft, new weapons, new systems, now unmanned, and the continuous improvement of the doctrine of use and teachings for current and future combatants in the third dimension of the battlefield.
Long live the sesquicentenary of the birth of Captain Ricardo João Kirk, Patron of Army Aviation! Long live Army Aviation Day! Today is a historic and important date on which we pay homage to our heroes of the “Wings of the Ground Force” of the past, present and future.
Aviation! Brazil!
Army Aviation celebrates 150 years of patron Ricardo Kirk
Taubaté (SP) – Army Aviation Day is celebrated in honor of Captain Ricardo Kirk, Patron of Army Aviation, born on March 23, 1874. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of its patron’s birth, Army Aviation held a series of activities between March 19 and 22.
The week began with a history day with doctors in military history and guests, who recalled important facts and the history of Captain Ricardo Kirk and military aviation in Brazil. A stamp and seal commemorating the sesquicentenary were also launched in partnership with the Post Office. The Army Symphonic Band also gave a special performance open to guests in the city’s municipal auditorium.
On Friday 22, a graduation ceremony brought together civil and military authorities in the hangar of the Army Aviation Instruction Center. In his remarks, the Head of the Army’s Science and Technology Department, General Achilles Furlan Neto, extolled the figure of Captain Kirk. “From time to time, a society produces brilliant minds and some people who have had the courage to dare. Ricardo Kirk was one of those people who went against the impossible. And he won; he made it possible to bring Military Aviation to Brazil.”
Patron
Ricardo João Kirk was born on March 23, 1874, in the city of Campos dos Goitacazes (RJ). He began his military career in July 1891, at the age of 17, as a volunteer soldier in the 10th Infantry Battalion. Thanks to his efforts and dedication, he entered the Praia Vermelha Military School and pursued a military career.
In 1912, First Lieutenant Ricardo Kirk obtained his pilot-aviator’s license in France, becoming the first member of the Brazilian Army with the qualification. On his return to Brazil, he took part in the founding of the Aeroclube do Brasil, where he served as Technical Director. “Celebrating our Patron’s 150th birthday is something very special for us aviators. He is someone who did a fantastic job for our Military Aviation. We’re here to pay tribute to him on this day,” explained the Northern Military Commander, General Guilherme.
With the outbreak of the Contestado War, on the border between the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, aircraft were made available to conduct air operations in support of federal troops, basically carrying out reconnaissance missions. The then Lieutenant Kirk went there to carry out aerial missions in the Contestado region.
In 1915, Ricardo Kirk died in the Contestado Campaign on March 1, 1915, on an aerial reconnaissance mission in what is now the municipality of General Carneiro (PR).
In recognition of his pioneering spirit and numerous achievements, Lieutenant Kirk was promoted post-mortem to the rank of Captain.
*** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***