Captain Rolim Adolfo Amaro (September 15, 1942 - July 8, 2001), known as "Comandante Rolim," was a Brazilian pilot and airline owner and founder of TAM Airlines.

Biography

At age 21, he became a pilot for a new air taxi company known as TAM – Táxi Aéreo Marília. The company began its operation in 1961 with the alliance of 10 young pilots. At the time, they transported cargo and charter passengers between

Paraná Paraná, Paranã or Parana may refer to: Geology * Paraná Basin, a sedimentary basin in South America Places In Argentina *Paraná, Entre Ríos, a city * Paraná Department, a part of Entre Ríos Province In Brazil *Paraná (state), a state ...

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, and

Mato Grosso Mato Grosso ( – ) is one of the states of Brazil, the List of Brazilian states by area, third largest by area, located in the Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible ...

. After six years in the company, Amaro left Taxi Aéreo Marília. At the same time, it was sold to businessman Orlando Ometto, its headquarters moved to São Paulo, and the company profile changed when it became a courier company. Upon leaving the company, Amaro, being at ease with personalized service, became an independent pilot. He bought his first airplane, a

Cessna 170 The Cessna 170 is an American single-engine, four seat, general aviation aircraft produced by the Cessna Aircraft Company between 1948 and 1956. It is the predecessor of the Cessna 172, the most produced aircraft in history, which repla ...

, and moved with his family to

São Félix do Araguaia São Félix do Araguaia is a municipality in the state of Mato Grosso in the Central-West Region of Brazil. The city is served by São Félix do Araguaia Airport. See also *List of municipalities in Mato Grosso This is a list of the municipal ...

, where he began his first business project and founded Araguaia Transportes Aéreos (ATA). Two years later, the company had 15 airplanes. Captain Amaro's reconciliation with TAM took place in 1971, when Ometto asked him to become a minority partner owning 33% of the stocks. At the time, the company was going through a difficult financial period and was only transporting 3000 passengers. The following year, Amaro acquired half of the TAM stock and took over management of the company. He introduced his trademark and began practicing his primary philosophy: “Focus on the client by offering quality service”. In 1976, TAM - Transportes Aéreos Regionais emerges as a scheduled regional airline, which learned from the experience of TAM - Táxi Aéreo Marília. By then, Amaro owned 67% of the new company. The first year, while domestic aviation was growing 15% a year, TAM was registering an increase of 70% every six months. Amaro later took full control of the company's stock. Amaro died in a helicopter crash at Fortuna Guazú, 38 kilometers from the Paraguayan city of Pedro Juan Caballero.Find articles
At the time of his death, the company had grown to the point of being almost even with direct competitor

Varig VARIG (''Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense'', 'Rio Grandean Airways') was the first airline founded in Brazil, in 1927. From 1965 until 1990, it was Brazil's leading airline and virtually its only international one. In 2005, Varig went into judici ...

References

1942 births 2001 deaths Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents Brazilian aviators People from São Paulo (state) TAM Airlines 20th-century Brazilian businesspeople Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Paraguay Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2001 Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents People from São Félix do Araguaia {{Brazil-business-bio-stub