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Air Mail Routes in Argentina of 1929
In the year 1929 start for Antoine what would be a big change in his life as a
pilot and as a writer.
He arrives to one of the further countries in Latinamerica, to open the aerial
routes of airmail of Brasil, Chile, Paraguay and Patagonia in Argentina, for La Compagnie created by Latecoere known as Aeropostale
in extension and expansion of the mail services already popular between France and Western Sahara. Crossing the South
Atlantic was a major task full of risk and adventure. In fact the pilots of the early aviation where truly adventourous men.
When Antoine is designated to the Southamerican country, he thinks he will be like his other comrades, Jean Prevot, and Henri
Guillaumet a pilot mail carrier in these foreign lands.
To his arrival in Buenos Aires and after a flight of reconnosaince to
a land with open fields, a vast territory as endless as a desert, Antoine will learn that besides his duties as a pilot he
will be chief on charge of Aeropostale in Buenos Aires, coordinating the mail comming from Europe and delivered to South of
Brazil and Rio de Janeiro, to Paraguay, to Chile crossing the Andes and flying to Patagonia, the southern post in the world.
In this land very far away from the bright sands of Sahara and the encounters with
moors he will face new challenges, such as strong winds that can flip an airplane in a wink of an eye, the rescue of one of
his collegues in the harsh chain of mountains of the Andes, the landing in Punta Arenas, Chile, the austral town in the
world, discovering the life of a volcano, then he will find the fascination of high picks in the Andes, the Island of Birds
in Peninsula de Valdez and the magical encounter with two little girls in an old castle close to a river in Concordia, north
of Buenos Aires.
The two years that Antoine spent discovering this new world opening the communication
services of mail with Europe by plane, would make an strong change in the spiritual thoughts of Antoine, the way he sees life
and the strenght in his literature. In Argentina, Antoine writes "Night Flight" a succesful book
with maturity in its characters and rich in details and descriptions. This was remarkable change from his first commercial
book "Southern Mail".
Original ticket of first commercial flight in Patagonia
October 31st, 1929
From Comodoro Rivadavia to Trelew
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