The Rampa Foundation in Europe

The Rampa Foundation and its European Contributors

The Rampa Foundation is a Cultural Institution dedicated to the research, preservation and difusion of Natal's rich Aviation past. That story can't be told without the Europeans, because they played a major role in Natal's rich Aviation past, since 1927 to 1941. Italians, French and Germans were key players in developing Natal as an obligatory point to flyers who wanted to link the World by air.

Today we have in Europe several contributors that send us pictures, books, plastic model kits, articles and provide us with a connection to Germany, Italy and France's Archives and Historical Societies, home of a lot of information about Natal.

Natal was home of the German Lufthansa and its Brazilian subsidiary Syndicato Condor, French Compagnie Generale Aeropostale and Air France, Italian LATI - Linee Aeree Transcontinentali Italiane. Also, European individuals passed through Natal in several ocasions with their planes linking the New World with the Old World.

Dornier Wals, Zeppelin airships, Savoia-Marchettis, Latecoeres, Breguets were the most recognizable European aircraft among many.

The Italians came in several occasions, 1927 with De Pinedo, 1928 with Ferrarin and Del Prete, 1931 with Italo Balbo, 1938 with Stoppani and 1939 with Bruno Mussolini in three SM-79, when they established here LATI company, before leaving in 1941 due to WW2.

The French were the first to establish here, in 1927 with Paul Vachet of Compagnie Generale Aeropostale, CGA, later (1933) Air France. Mermoz made the first Air Mail Transatlantic flight from Africa to Brazil in May 1930 and was a commom sight here. They run a Mail Service from France to Chile, with boats crossing the Atlantic, when in 1935 they had a new plane to cross the Ocean so making the entire way by air. They left in June 1940 due to WW2.

The Germans arrived in 1930 establishing it's subsidiary Syndicato Condor. After 1933 Lufthansa made trials to establish the World's first Air Mail Route in the World linking Germany to The Americas, which began to work regularly from February 1934 flying Dornier Wals. It worked up to Germany entrance in WW2, in September 1939. Condor continued to fly as a German subsidiary up to 1941 when it was partially nationalized and in 1943 it was totally nationalized and had its name changed to Cruzeiro do Sul. We can't forget so many fly-overs by LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin and LZ-129 Hindemburg.

So, our friends Paolo Miana, Giorgio Giorgi, Corrado Sportellini, Michiel Van der Mey, Heinz Angenendt, Robert Grosschopff, are the Contributors in Europe of The Rampa Foundation. Thanks to them, Natal continues to be connect to Europe.

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