Historic flight plan

1950: Cruzeiro do Sul, the Southern Cross across Brazil

A Michel Lagneau historic route presented as a clear cockpit briefing, ready to help you prepare the simulator, follow each stopover and enjoy the journey.

Period1950AuthorMichel LagneauReading5 min

61Waypoints~ 37 140 kmDistance4Segments

Interactive route, leg by leg, with animated playback.

Real route map

Approximate track based on the article waypoints and available aeronautical coordinates.

01South coast and Argentina02Northeast coast03Toward Belem and Amazonia04Brazilian interior

Pre-flight briefing

Cruzeiro do Sul, the Southern Cross across Brazil

Understand the mission

Start with the historic context: it sets the atmosphere, aircraft choice and overall logic of the journey.

Prepare the simulator

Check scenery, recommended aircraft, fuel and weather before launching the first leg.

Follow the legs

Use the airport codes, flying times and route notes to build your navigation leg by leg.

Enjoy the journey

Let the route shape the experience: adjust lighting, document waypoints and take time to rediscover the story.

Historic flight plan

Michel Lagneau route notebook

Settle into the cockpit, prepare your aircraft and follow the journey as a proper historic crossing.

A vast Brazilian DC-3 network

Cruzeiro do Sul was a Brazilian airline founded in 1927. Its 1950 network shows remarkable reach: coastline, south, Amazon region, interior Brazil and even Buenos Aires.

The Douglas DC-3 is the perfect aircraft for this exploration. The plan is arranged by routes so you can choose a short service, a long diagonal or a full Brazilian adventure.

Period1950

AirlineCruzeiro do Sul

Suggested aircraftDouglas DC-3

NavigationGPS with VOR/DME and ADF/NDB

How to use this plan

Start with routes 1 to 5 if you want coastline and major cities.
Routes 6 to 9 open toward the north, Belém, Santarém, Manaus and Boa Vista.
Routes 10 to 13 are the adventurous part: interior Brazil, Mato Grosso, Goiás and Tocantins.

Suggested route

Southern coast and Argentina

This chapter structures the Southern coast and Argentina segment with regular legs and distances to monitor in the navigation block.

SBRJ → SBMT → SBBI → SBFL → SBPA → SBPK → SABE → SBRJ → SBMT → SSMF → SBFL

Long northeast coastline

This chapter structures the Long northeast coastline segment with regular legs and distances to monitor in the navigation block.

SBRF → SBMO → SBSV → SBIL → SBVT → SBRJ → SBMT → SBFL → SBPA → SBRJ → SBVT → SBCV → SNED → SBIL → SBSV → SBAR → SBMO → SBRF → SNJO → SBNT → SBMS → SBFZ

Toward Belém and the Amazon

This chapter structures the Toward Belém and the Amazon segment with regular legs and distances to monitor in the navigation block.

SBFZ → SBPB → SNRJ → SBTE → SNQG → SNBS → SBCI → SBMA → SBBE → SBMQ → SBAM → SBOI → SBFZ → SBPB → SBSL → SBBE → SBRJ → SBCV → SBSV → SBPL → SBTE → SBSL → SBBE → SBSN → SBMN → SWMU

Interior Brazil

This chapter structures the Interior Brazil segment with regular legs and distances to monitor in the navigation block.

SBRJ → SBMT → SBAU → SBCG → SSFK → SWKC → SBCY → SWPB → SBGM → SBPV → SBRB → SWXU → SBRJ → SBMT → SDAM → SBAQ → SDJO → SWPR → SBGO → SWNS → SWFR → SNBR → SWDN → SBPN → SWTC → SBPN → SNPW → SBGO → SWNH → SWGC → SBAA → SBCI → SBMA → SBBE

Navigation steps

Southern coast and ArgentinaRio de Janeiro / Santos Dumont SBRJ → Sao Paulo SBMT → Curitiba SBBI → Florianopolis SBFL 196 NM, 182 NM then 141 NM
Florianopolis SBFL → Porto Alegre SBPA → Pelotas SBPK → Buenos Aires SABE 196 NM, 119 NM then 350 NM
Rio de Janeiro SBRJ → Sao Paulo / Marte SBMT 196 NM
Sao Paulo SBMT → Mafra SSMF → Florianopolis SBFL 236 NM then 114 NM
Long northeast coastlineRecife SBRF → Maceio SBMO → Salvador SBSV → Ilhéus SBIL 98 NM, 252 NM then 121 NM
Ilhéus SBIL → Vitoria SBVT → Rio de Janeiro SBRJ → Sao Paulo SBMT → Florianopolis SBFL → Porto Alegre SBPA 334 NM, 226 NM, 196 NM, 271 NM then 196 NM
Rio de Janeiro SBRJ → Vitoria SBVT → Caravelas SBCV → Canavieiras SNED → Ilhéus SBIL 226 NM, 167 NM, 120 NM then 52 NM
Ilhéus SBIL → Salvador SBSV → Aracaju SBAR → Maceio SBMO → Recife SBRF → Joao Pessoa SNJO → Natal SBNT → Mossoro SBMS → Fortaleza SBFZ 122 NM, 137 NM, 117 NM, 98 NM, 63 NM, 75 NM, 133 NM then 111 NM
Toward Belém and the AmazonFortaleza SBFZ → Parnaiba SBPB → Brejo SNRJ → Terezina SBTE → Floriano SNQG 199 NM, 80 NM, 83 NM then 108 NM
Floriano SNQG → Balsas SNBS → Carolina SBCI → Maraba SBMA → Belém SBBE 182 NM, 83 NM, 154 NM then 243 NM
Belém SBBE → Macapa SBMQ → Amapa SBAM → Oiapoque SBOI 178 NM, 122 NM then 121 NM
Fortaleza SBFZ → Parnaiba SBPB → Sao Luiz SBSL → Belém SBBE 199 NM, 151 NM then 264 NM
Rio de Janeiro SBRJ → Caravelas SBCV → Salvador SBSV → Petrolina SBPL → Terezina SBTE → Sao Luiz SBSL → Belém SBBE → Santarém SBSN → Manaus SBMN → Boa Vista SWMU 385 NM, 290 NM, 250 NM, 290 NM, 171 NM, 264 NM, 383 NM, 315 NM then 450 NM
Interior BrazilRio de Janeiro SBRJ → Sao Paulo SBMT → Araçatuba SBAU → Campo Grande SBCG → Corumba SSFK 196 NM, 254 NM, 241 NM, 70 NM then 119 NM
Corumba SSFK → Caceres SWKC → Cuiaba SBCY → Forte Principe SWPB → Guajara-Mirim SBGM → Porto Velho SBPV → Rio Branco SBRB → Xapuri SWXU 232 NM, 90 NM, 521 NM, 111 NM, 148 NM, 247 NM then 59 NM
Rio de Janeiro SBRJ → Sao Paulo SBMT → Campinas SDAM → Araraquara SBAQ → Sao Joaquim da Barra SDJO → Pires do Rio SWPR → Goiania SBGO → Anapolis SWNS 196 NM, 47 NM, 85 NM, 75 NM, 198 NM, 66 NM then 24 NM
Anapolis SWNS → Planaltina / Formosa SWFR → Barreiras SNBR → Dianopolis SWDN → Porto Nacional SBPN 103 NM, 174 NM, 111 NM then 78 NM
Tocantinea SWTC → Porto Nacional SBPN → Piaus SNPW 68 NM then 148 NM
Goiania SBGO → Aruana SWNH → Araguacema SWGC → Conceição do Araguaia SBAA → Carolina SBCI → Maraba SBMA → Belém SBBE 141 NM, 374 NM, 38 NM, 127 NM, 154 NM then 243 NM