Elia Liut 100 years of the feat and the pioneers of Ecuadorian aviation

In this special installment we review the achievementñby Elia Liut in the Telécount 1 over the Ecuadorian Andes and alsoén, We review the history of the pioneers of aviationóecuadorian n.

Performed by: Historian Aeronáutico Guido Chátime with researchón personal and other sources.
Photographerías: Guido Ch's personal archiveáturn, thanks to the authors.
With data from: Illustrated History of the FAE, author Hugo Idrovo.

Faced with a very important date for current aviationón commercial of Ecuador, We review the history of the pioneers of aviationóEcuadorian woman before the celebrationón of the first historical flightórich over the Ecuadorian Andes by Elia Liut with the famous Telécount 1.

Let's go to the beginning:

Guayas Shooting and Aviation Clubón

The 16 from December to 1910, The Guayas Shooting Club is organized with the purpose of including the aviationón as part of the trainingón of its associates and encourage it as part of national development, calledánot now Club Guayas Shooting and Aviación.

The Club designó to the young Guayaquileñor Cosme Rennella Barbato to travel to Italy to receive instructionón aéArea at the Aviation Schoolón of the Chiribiri Society in Mirafiori. in January 1913, Rennella is briefed, together with another group of professionals in mecánica aeronáutica, and as a pilot. Time afteréit is returned to the breadís to start the procedures for the purchase of an aircraftón, with government support (President Leonidas Plaza) and private contributions.

The Nieuport Navara e Valgoi monoplane is acquired, avión that arrives in Guayaquil 29 September aboard the steamship Ecuador, baptized as homeland 1, this being the first avión Ecuadorian who flew overó Guayaquil making several evolutions in the flight process. The members of the Club saw their desire crystallized, unfortunately the First World War breaks out and Rennella travels to Italy to be part of the 78 Airplane Squadron y if acredits as an Italian As to derribar 7 enemy ships being part of the group “40 Italian aces of World War 1”.

The First Ecuadorian Military Pilot

This distinctionón falls to Pedro Traversari Infante who in 1916 travel to Chile to the Aeron Military Schooláutica in Santiago to carry out his training and obtains his military aviator pilot license on 16 august 1917. in June 1919 return to the breadís together with your avión baptized Guayaquil, it is an avión Bleriot XI of manufactureón french. Traversari wants to carry out the first raid onéprisoner from Guayaquil to Quito, you're aceí that he 27 June at 3:00 p.m. takes off from the hipódromo para este épeak flight. Unfortunately an engine failure forces the pilot to make a forced landing. Traversari suffers serious injuries, the grandfatherón becomes unusable and, due, the incipient aviationóAn Ecuadorian soldier is left without his aircraft.

Both Cosme Rennella and Pedro Traversari were the pioneers of aviation.ón Ecuadorian military, distinguished members of the Force Aérea.

After the First World War, many aviators were laid off from their activities and therefore a sinnúgroup of aircraft that served in different roles during the conflict. In Italy the pilot Elia Liut was “available” to face any job proposal, it should be noted that in 1918 habíhas broken the world speed record in an airplaneón Marchetti Vimy de 260 km/h, a real featña.

The cóEcuadorian consul in Rome somehow comes into contactón with Liut with the purpose of having him come to Ecuador to teachñair about aviationón especially in the military field, this for 1920, but it is necessary to indicate thatñthe previous ones already in the país voló Cossme Renella, in a bleriot, and in a Neauport Navara called Patria 1.

An emissary from Liut named Bossio arrives to meet with President Baquerizo Moreno who did not pay attention.ó a lot of importance to the topic, despite there being interés in establishing an aviationón military as such and alsoén a línever aérea, this lack of interestés makes Bossio, trip to Guayaquil with the frank intentionón going to Peruú to offer the services, but advantageously he contacts an Italian citizen resident and merchant in the port who in turn is a close friend of Dr.. Ifé Abel Castillo, owner of the newspaper El Telégraph and together they undertake the company of bringing Elia Liut to our lands. Are youí that he 23 June 1920 The agreements are formalized and the company El TeléGrafo acquires the avión property of Liut taking care of the expenses inherent to the project.

for july 1920 Elia Liut arrives in Guayaquil, his staff and I get the avión Macchi Hanriot Hd-1 packed in crates, the same ones that were transferred to Crist Schoolóbal Colón for their respective assembly,  for him 8 from August of the same toño Preparations for the first flight are made with the assistance of Dr.. Castle and demás case authorities, in this ceremony the avióIt was baptized as TELEGRAPH 1, in the afternoon the aviótake offó under the command of Liut he carried outó evaluations of the case to later land a very emotional act that causedó I shocked herón of the case and evidently enthusiasticó to all present.

The Chief of the First Military Zone, informó to the presidency of such a featña and the indisputable importance of aviationón in our país, this stimulatesó notably to President Dr.. Ifé Luis Tamayo to obtain from Congress the decree creatingón of the first aviation schoolón  the 27 October 1920, what to wearíto the celebrationón annual of the Force AéEcuadorian area.

Quito 1

Before the Hanriot arrived in Guayaquil “TeléCount 1”, in Quito there isíto the enthusiasm for carrying out a similar undertaking, that is to say, propitiate a grandfatherón to begin operations with a Quito-Riobamba raid. Businessmen removeñthe Pedro Freires, Salvador Bucheli and Rafael Tobar, acquired a Spad XX in France. the grandfatheróIt was assembled and tested in the city of Quito, but there is noía ningún pilot trained for this type of biplane.

They asked Pedro Traversari to carry out the raid, but its military superiority did not allow itó. the grandfatherón manages to take off under the command of the French pilotés Tnte. Marc Guitenny who was in Quito. Unfortunately the avión crashes almost immediately and the attempt removesñor to emulate the raids of the “TeléCount 1” is truncated.

Elia Liut and the first raid in Ecuador

Primer Raid Guayaquil – Cuenca

On the occasion of celebrating the centenary of independence the 3 of November, it is agreed to make the first flight between the two cities, For this purpose, some members of the team traveled by land in order to prepare the “clue” and keep the pilot informed of weather conditionsáethics for this and let's say as an alternate pilot Ferrucio Guicciardi, friend of Liut, already appears on the scene, who to lendíto ground handling services.

Liut carries out the Guayaquil flight plan – orange grove – I will complain – Cuenca, Being the úlast section the más complicated by the height that mustíto take the planeón 3.700 meters, additionally the avión carryíto the first postal bagéarea so postcards were printed with the legend of First Mail Aéprisoner of Ecuador, Additionally, different types of letters were taken to Cuenca, for him 4 November at 9:30 hours take offó From Guayaquil and headed towards the capital Azuaya and arrivedó at about 11:21 hours, taken land on the Jeric haciendaó and naturally be subject to apotheósica receptionón on the part of the citizenía.

Second Raid Basin – Riobamba

The overflowing enthusiasm resulting from the successful first flight to Cuenca, causes preparations for the second raid to begin, bound for Riobamba, you're aceí that for him 19 November decola the Hanriot at 7:20 Cuenca hours, but this time under the command of Ferrucio Guicciardi who arrives at the sultana of the Andes at 8:26 hours, passing through Azoguez, Bibleán, Thatñar, Guamote, Chambo to finally arrive in Riobamba being received as a héroe, al dínext the avión madeó stunts over the city. For this the flight to Quito was already prepared.

Third Raid Riobamba – Quito

Once all the activities related to the arrival of the aircraft have been carried outón to Quito, the Telegraph 1 takes off from Riobmaba at 9:30 hours to go through Ambato and almost land in Latacunga,  upon realizing that there is noíhere it isñIt was agreed to continue heading north until reaching the capital., make case evaluations, and land on IñTo Quito, Carolina today, Obviously the reception was amazing.óphysical, but it was not the first avión in flying the skies awayños, the first was Quito 1, That's another story we talk aboutáit arrives.

This beingíhim úElia Liut's last flight in Telécount 1 since he was called to “rows” by the government to start trainingón from aviation schoolón as its director.

Continue to see Guicciardiíwith the flights through the alleyón inter-Andean route with the next destination being Ibarra.

Fourth Raid Quito – Ibarra

Stop this flight the planeón was inspected with good results which allowedó continue said flight, decoló of Iñhere he 9 February 1921 notó by Guayllabamba, foundó bad weather on the Mojanda knot which forced himó Guicciardi to promote to the 5000 meters and fly without visual references, however and with the luck of the caseó through Otavalo to finally take the track in Ibarra, carrying a postal bag, naturally being received as an intr deserveséI ask for aviator. Then I willíto an additional flight Ibarra – Otavalo and start preparations for the next adventure to Tulcán.

Quinto Raid Ibarra – Tulceaán

Guicciardi part of Ibarra the 16 from February at 10 hours bound for the Carchense capital, but bad weather forces the pilot to land for a short time in San Gabriel, which meantó a great event for that time, After the weather improves, we leave for Tulc.án arriving at 13 hours, I won't be able toíTo be otherwise, the reception was of the same magnitude as in the other cities, A relevant fact was that many Colombians went to see the now famous Telécount 1 so they proposed to the Italian to continue the flight to Pasto.

Sexto Raid Tulcán – Meal

The proposal to get to Pasto by planeón was accepted by Guicciardi and is así that he 6 march 1921 party bound for Pasto, Nariñor the Hanriot, carrying postal bag, This fact marks an important milestone since Ecuador was establishedía in the first país south american in transporting international suitcase.

in grass, Ferrucio Guicciardi receives and accepts the proposal for a new challenge, be the first pilot to arrive from any point in Colombia to Cali, but in competition with a Caudron G-III called Antioquia piloted by a Frenchés.

Sé1st Raid Meal – Cali

The 21 april 1921 they leave the same at 07:00 hours from Pasto el Telegrafo 1 and from Medellíin Antioquia, Ferrucio Guicciardi arrived first in Cali, which allowed himó obtain the prize and its respective compensationón económica, the Hanriot voló a good time in Cali and other nearby cities, until the 22 of July, the journey of the plane coming to an endón, in Cali it was disarmed and shipped to Quito once Dr.. Castillo will give the grandfatherón to the Ecuadorian Government.

Guicciardi is rootedó in Colombia and was a pilot in SIT, for his part Elia liut, continuó with the training processón of the Military Aviation Schoolón, vivió the rest of his time in Ecuador radicágoing to the end in Ibarra.

As for the Hanriot, voló a time más until I sufferedó an accident in Cuenca and was removed from serviceñLater rebuilt changing the scheme to silver with cockades, changed the landing gear to one with ice cream truck wheels as my friend Hugo says, later preserved in the temple of the héroes of the Military College in Quito, from theñO 85 about, is transferred to the FAE Museum, where it remains to this day and was recently restored by the anniversary 100 of Force AéEcuadorian area.