Original Carnauba Expedition in 1935

The 1935 Expedition

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Equipment:
Along with personal baggage, hunting, fishing and camping equipment were part of the load, since the plan was to land the amphibian on rivers and inland lakes where there were no accommodations for shelter or food. Field laboratory equipment, specimen cases and general scientific equipment had been sent to Brazil ahead of the expedition. There were 322 items listed on the customs list, including 144 knives for trading purposes.

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Distance:
Overall, the flight covered 15,550 miles over Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Virgin Islands, Antigua, St. Lucia, Trinidad, British Guiana, and Para, Maranhaa, Amarracao, Camocin and finally Fortaleza in Brazil. Total air time was 168 hours, and the plane traveled at an average speed of 96 miles per hour.

Route:
Originally, the group planned to stop at 10 ports in the West Indies, Central and South America, before reaching the base at Para, Brazil. However, weather and technical difficulties resulted in the plane making almost double that many stops. Gasoline caches had been arranged in remote areas of Brazil, because no airfileds were available. The gasoline was to be available in 5-gallon drums so it could be easily hoisted to the gas tanks. At one spot, however, they found 50-gallon containers, making refueling most difficult, to say the least.

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