Up the Amazon with Panair do Brasil

By Allan Lowson

(image copyright Bjorn Larsson www.timetableimages.com)

Panair do Brasil

Pan American had one competitor on the East Coast route to South America, the New York Rio and Buenos Aires Line (N.Y.R.B.A.) or ‘Near Beer’ as it was known to its pilots. N.Y.R.B.A. were told that they would have to sell out to Pan Am if they were to receive the valuable international US Air Mail contract for the east coast of South America. After takeover the N.Y.R.B.A. Brazilian subsidiary was renamed Panair do Brasil and operated all services south of Belem on behalf of Pan Am.

In addition to the coastal services, Panair began a Sikorsky S.38 amphibian service along the Amazon connecting Belem to the city of Manaus in October 1933.

The service was extended to Porto Velho in 1935 with Fairchild 91s replacing the S.38s. In 1935 Pan American engineers working closely with A. A. Gassner developed the amphibious aircraft that was to be known as the Fairchild F-91. It was an all metal shoulder wing monoplane intended to carry eight passengers. The aircraft featured fully retractable landing gear. While a very attractive airplane only eleven were ever produced with two of those going to the Panair for use on the Amazon River. These two aircraft served faithfully until 1945 when they were stripped of all useful equipment and scrapped. The service was extended as far as Rio Branca with the S.38s providing the link from Porto Velho. This is the route we will be following as operated in 1937.

The Amazon Route

This route was taken from the Official Aviation Guide Pan American timetables for May to October 1937. Note that the flights are over two days in each direction, with a change between the Fairchild 91 and Sikorsky S-38 at Porto Velho. All the airfields are present in fs2004 except for Curralinho so we have given the direction and mileages direct between Belem and Gurupa. Times are 60^th Meridian Time.

Belem – Manaos – Rio Branca

Heading	Distance	Up River	City Name	ICAO	Down	Heading	Distance
288	0	Mon 0630lv (F91)	Belem	SBBE	1620	-	189
-		(0725)	Curralinho (Not in FS)		(1530)	-
275	189	0855	Gurupa	SNGU	1410	107	113
260	113	1005	Prainha	SNIN	1245	094	086
321	086	1130	Santarem	SBSN	1145	080	054
253	054	1210	Obidos	SNTI	1030	140	087
269	087	1315	Parintins	SWPI	0930	072	107
282	107	1425	Itacoatiara	SBIC	0810	088	091
-	091	1420ar	Manaos	SBMN	Fri 0600	107	079
175		Tue 0600	Manaos	SBMN	1515ar	-
242	079	0730	Borba	SWBR	1400	355	132
236	132	0900	Manicore	SBMY	1225	061	148
224	148	1045	Humaytha	SWHT	1040	055	087
243	087	1215 (S38)	Porto Velho	SBPV	0930 (F91)	044	106
273	106	1350	Presidente Marques (Abuna)	SWAB	0740	062	150
-	150	1545ar	Rio Branca	SBRB	Thu 0530lv (S38)	091	0

Flight Simulator Files

The Fairchild 91 is available as fairf91.zip and also f91vcf.zip at www.flightsim.com. There is an upgrade of the Panair textures in the original download in rp91ud.zip and also f91vcfp.zip. The S.38 is available in a Pan Am scheme in s38nc144.zip, but not for Panair itself.