It's impossible to tell the history of Brazilian aviation without connecting it to Governador Island. The relationship is old, well before the international airport that became one of the main gateways into the country. It dates back to the 1920s, when Ponta do Galeão was chosen to house Brazil's naval aviation.
This was the starting point for the emergence, in the second half of 1936, 90 years ago, of the foundations for the first national experience of aircraft manufacturing on an industrial scale. Long before the creation of Embraer, today a global reference in the sector, what would become the Galeão Aircraft Factory was founded in Rio.
This venture was fundamental for Brazil to finally master the art of designing, assembling, and overhauling aircraft at a time when the country was still taking its first steps in this sector. The factory represented a significant technological legacy for the national aerospace industry.
