Eduardo Bradley
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Eduardo Bradley (9 April 1887 – 3 June 1951) was an Argentine pilot and balloonist who in 1916 made the first balloon crossing of the
Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
. He was a leading figure in the founding of
civil aviation Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military and non-state aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work ...
in South America. Born in the city of
La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...
,
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
on April 9, 1887, Bradley was the son of Tomás Bradley Sutton, veteran of the
Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It was the deadlies ...
, and Mary Hayes O’Callaghan. He began his pilot's career alongside
Jorge Newbery Jorge Alejandro Newbery Malagarie (27 May 1875 – 1 March 1914) was an Argentine aviator, civil servant, engineer and scientist. Early and personal life His father, Ralph Lamartine Newbery Purcell (born 1848) was a dentist who emigrated from ...
. His
brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...
was the first issued following the newly created regulations of the
International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sc ...
. Shortly after Newbery's death in 1914, he set out to honor his late friend by attempting to cross the Andes in an
aerostat An aerostat (, via French) is a lighter-than-air aircraft that gains its lift through the use of a buoyant gas. Aerostats include unpowered balloons and powered airships. A balloon may be free-flying or tethered. The average density of the cra ...
. Already an experienced balloonist, Bradley had made over one hundred ascensions and set records for altitude (6,900 meters), flight duration (28 hours, 10 minutes), and distance covered in-flight (900 km, to
Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...
from
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
).


Crossing of the Andes

Preliminary studies had determined the crossing should be eastbound, which was the direction the winds carried at the altitude required. This later required moving to
Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
to make the necessary arrangements. Eduardo Bradley presented his plans to Aero Club Argentino, which eventually provided two balloons and the necessary gear to produce high volumes of
hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...
. Although the balloons turned out to be usable, the hydrogen-producing gear was absolutely worthless. The largest of the two balloons named ''Eduardo Newbery'' (after an Argentine aviation pioneer), was chosen by Bradley for the flight. The second balloon, named ''Teniente Origone'', was used for testing prior to the actual crossing of the Andes. Bradley's first choice for co-pilot was Julio Crespo Vivot, a seasoned aviator with whom he had flown while setting the record for altitude, but Vivot refused to come along on the adventure. In his stead, Bradley selected Angel María Zuloaga, a young army lieutenant. Once in Chile, the crew had serious difficulties with the generation of
hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...
, due to the accidental loss of most of the
sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid ( Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen, with the molecular formu ...
imported from Argentina. Bradley decided to resort to
coal gas Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made from coal and supplied to the user via a piped distribution system. It is produced when coal is heated strongly in the absence of air. Town gas is a more general term referring to manufactured gaseous ...
, produced in Chile and readily available, with a high percentage of hydrogen. The odyssey would have been impossible without the cooperation of Chilean authorities, who responded more favorably to Bradley's request for support than did officials in his native Argentina. The crossing of the Andes on an
aerostat An aerostat (, via French) is a lighter-than-air aircraft that gains its lift through the use of a buoyant gas. Aerostats include unpowered balloons and powered airships. A balloon may be free-flying or tethered. The average density of the cra ...
filled with
coal gas Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made from coal and supplied to the user via a piped distribution system. It is produced when coal is heated strongly in the absence of air. Town gas is a more general term referring to manufactured gaseous ...
was finally accomplished on June 24, 1916. At an altitude of 8,100m, the temperature dropped to -30 °C. The adventure lasted three and a half hours from the moment of liftoff in Santiago to the landing in Cerro de la Cepa,
Uspallata Uspallata is a village and administrative district in Argentina, in a scenic location on the road that crosses the Andes between Mendoza and Santiago in Chile. It is located west of Mendoza and was once served by the now disused Transandine R ...
, Mendoza,
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. Bradley and Zuloaga were welcomed in Argentina as national heroes.


Later life

The years following the crossing of the Andes were dedicated by Bradley to developing the local civil aviation industry to which he devoted the rest of his life. He pioneered NYRBA, a company founded by Ralph O’Neil, in Argentina, and was the manager for
Pan American Grace Airways Pan American-Grace Airways, also known as Panagra, and dubbed "The World's Friendliest Airline" was an airline formed as a joint venture between Pan American World Airways and Grace Shipping Company. On September 13, 1928, a small single-engine ...
and, later, president of Pan-American Argentina. On September 4, 1929, Bradley, then serving as secretary of the Argentine Department of Aviation, became the first passenger on a direct flight from
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
to
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, flying
Pan American Pan-American, Pan American, Panamerican, Pan-America, Pan America or Panamerica may refer to: * Collectively, the Americas: North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean * Something of, from, or related to the Americas * Pan-Amer ...
. The journey lasted 56 hours. The purpose of his visit to the US was to compete for the second time in the
Gordon Bennett Cup in ballooning The Gordon Bennett Cup (or ) is the world's oldest gas balloon race, and is "regarded as the premier event of world balloon racing" according to the ''Los Angeles Times''. Referred to as the "Blue Ribbon" of aeronautics, the first race started fro ...
. Eduardo Bradley departed at 4:05 pm in 4th place after pilot Ward T. Van OrmanTerre Haute Tribune, "Ballons Race for Bennett Cup"
Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...
, September 29, 1929.
Eduardo Bradley died in Buenos Aires on June 3, 1951, and is buried in the
Cementerio de la Recoleta La Recoleta Cemetery ( es, Cementerio de la Recoleta) is a cemetery located in the Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It contains the graves of notable people, including Eva Perón, presidents of Argentina, Nobel Prize winners, ...
.


Bibliography

* “La Plata, un belo Horizonte” Revista de Historia. Author Rogério Pereyra Arruda. January 2, 201

* ''Más liviano que el aire. Eduardo Bradley'' (Lighter Than Air) Historias con globos, by Nelson Montes-Bradley. Xlibris, Philadelphia, USA, 2007 * ''Una vida en las alturas.'' . by Washington Bradley. Editorial Dunken, Buenos Aires, 2004 * ''Jorge Newbery, el conquistador del espacio.'' by Raúl Larra. Editorial Futuro, Buenos Aires, 1960 * ''La aerostación Argentina y sus precursores.'' by Julio Víctor Lirón. Buenos Aires, 1958. * ''La victoria de las alas. Historia de la aviación Argentina.'' by Ángel MaríaZuloaga. El Ateneo. Buenos Aires, 1948 * ''La Travesía de los Andes en Globo.'' by Eduardo Bradley. Imprenta Argentina Jacobo Peuser, Buenos Aires, 1916


References


External links


Gordon Bennet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bradley, Eduardo 1887 births History of aviation 1951 deaths Argentine aviators Argentine people of English descent Ambassadors of Argentina to China Air racers Balloonists Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery Balloon flight record holders Patrician families of Buenos Aires