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A new delivery of historical airlines of Ecuador, we will talk about SEDTA – Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Transportes Aéreos, a pioneering company in the development of Ecuadorian aviation.

Performed by: Aeronautical Historian Guido Chávez with personal information and other sources.
Photographs: personal file of Guido Chavez, thanks to the authors.

SIT

Background

The beginnings of the Ecuadorian Civil Aviation, is indisputably linked to the development of military aviation in our country, in fact the pioneer in this effort were the flights of the Telegraph I, what in 1920 ventured into the Ecuadorian Andes in order to fulfill a double mission, the delivery of national mail and opening the routes that would serve as the basis for future flights over the territory, work carried out with the naked eye and taken visual references of the geography of the different areas.

This aerial adventure whose purpose was to unite the pías was carried out by various pioneers and machines that served for this purpose that gave the necessary impetus for the development of both aerial props..

In the early decade of the years 30 and mid s 40, the first regular air service is established with the remembered PANAGRA (We will talk about it in a future installment), who with Sikorsky S-42 aircraft made flights from Guayaquil to many other destinations in Central and South America, as well as regular flights in our inter-Andean alley connecting cities like Quito Guayaquil, Cuenca, Manta, Salinas, Esmeraldas and Loja with Douglas DC-2 aircraft but it is not an Ecuadorian company itself.

In the middle of the decade of the years 30 is when we can really say that a company existed, although foreign capital, that begins commercial operations within Ecuadorian territory.

Another milestone was the airmail service (1929-1934), This route linked different cities, especially in the Andean region, from Loja to Tulcán, except for Azogues and Bolívar., This reference is important since it motivated that in some way, although precarious, airports are established in almost all provincial capitals, indisputable factor in the development and promotion of civil aviation at that time.

Why did the Sierra initially gain momentum in air service?? As well, It is due to the scarce if not null road infrastructure system of the time, on the other hand the Orient was still unexplorable, but that is precisely where the greatest air development was seen with planes that we truly never imagined could have flown in our country.

The Ecuadorian Coast, having waterways of communication, had better services compared to the Sierra, and in 1959 commercial air service to the insular region began.

History of S.E.D.T.A.

The company was founded in Ecuador on 24 July of the year 1937 by the German businessman and pilot Fritz Hammer who had the initiative to start an airline for Ecuador given his knowledge of our country (as unconfirmed data regarding the type of plane Hammer dies in a plane crash in Chimborazo when crashing in a Heinkel He-70).

Subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa DLH with an initial capital of 700 thousand sucres of which 620 thousand were the contribution of Lufthansa and the remainder of national investors as part of the expansion of this company in Latin America.

Undisputed pioneer in the country, opened the routes to the main cities such as Guayaquil, Cuenca, Manta, Esmeraldas and Salinas being its operational base Quito in the Cotocollao Aviation Field.

It should be noted that at that time, existing roads were winding and dangerous, considering that they crossed a very difficult geography and the transfer time was quite long, hence S.E.D.T.A. It is presented as a solution in the transport of passengers and cargo by air, for those who could pay the amount of the ticket. For 1938 The first Junkers aircraft are already beginning to be received 34 and 52.

In January of 1941 on a flight to Cuenca the brakes failed at the time of landing, which caused the Junkers to go off the track, what was the last flight of the Junkers of S.E.D.T.A. to Cuenca, later he took over the post of these operations PANAGRA.

Deutsche Lufthansa subsidiaries in other South American countries, were Condor Union in Brazil that would become Cruzeiro do Sul and later Varig, S.C.A.D.T.A in Colombia that would later be Avianca, in Bolivia the Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano, in Peru it was Lufthansa Peru. All the companies mentioned operated with Junkers aircraft, Heinkel and Focke-Wulf, additionally it included German personnel both pilots and mechanics for their respective operation.

For the year of 1940 S.E.D.T.A. requests to operate in the Galapagos Islands, which was not well received by the US government since it was considered a strategic point for the defense of the Panama Canal. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Ecuadorian government declares war on the axis powers with this action the aircraft were seized and began to operate for the FAE and all personnel of German origin were deported from the country, in this way the operations of S.E.D.T.A came to an end. in Ecuador, Although there was at least one attempt to nationalize the company, but due to the lack of state resources, it did not have the expected results. This happened in October 1941.

the routes, terminals and maintenance facilities were later used by PANAGRA, which would ultimately become the North American counterpart of S.E.D.T.A, even the German School was closed and directors and teachers were also deported.

Proceeds of the seizure, one of the Junkers Ju-52 3/m HC-SAD “Aconcagua” was transferred to the USAAF as a war trophy in September 1941 to operate in the Panama Canal zone under the name C-79 which unfortunately had an accident in Panama in December 1943.

The fleet of S.E.D.T.A.

Aircraft	Record	Name	Final destination
Junkers W-34	HC-SAA	Pichincha	Returned to the Condor Syndicate
Junkers JU-52 3/m	HC-SAB	Ecuador	bumpy december 1938, Chimborazo Ec.
Junkers JU-52 3/m	HC-SAC	Guayas	bumpy july 1953 La Rioja Ar.
Junkers JU-52 3/m	HC-SAD	aconcagua	bumpy december 1943 Pa.
Junkers JU-52 3/m	HC-SAE	Azuay	bumpy april 1958 Quito Ec.

Regarding the Junkers W-34, It really is the first civil passenger plane to operate in Ecuador, initially it was registered HC-SEDTA, later as HC-001 to later be HC-SAA, it being understood that this happened until some type of administrative organization was obtained for the license plates and registrations of Ecuadorian civil aircraft..

By the year 1938, Another W-34 also arrived in the country, the same one that was carrying out demonstration flights through Latin America., This plane was bought by the FAE and was called "Atahualpa" becoming the first transport plane of the air force..

This plane served in the conflict of 1941 in supply and evacuation missions, Regrettably, Accident in Montecristi with total loss. During the conflict, the Junkers HC-SAE was seized by Peruvian forces once the peace treaties were signed., the aircraft was returned to the FAE and later compared by TAO and re-registered HC-SND.

As it mentioned above, once the company ceased operations, Another of the planes that went into the FAE inventory was the Ju-52 HC-SAE, keeping its name "Azuay"., This aircraft was even the first presidential plane in which Dr.. José María Velasco Ibarra who was a lover of aviation and promoted the development of both civil and military aviation in Ecuador.

The doctor. Velasco even took the copilot's seat and named the plane "El Poeta", possibly due to its low flight speed, which must have allowed him to enjoy our landscape in an inspiring way at that time, due to the lack of spare parts for the BMW 132T engines of 830 HP which forced them to be replaced by Pratt and Witney R1340-40 engines 600 HP, of those used by the North American T-6 Texan trainers of the FAE, very accurate conversion made by Cap. Gonzalo Rúales who together with his brother would later found TAO.

Thank you SEDTA

S.E.D.T.A. was the pioneer company in the development and opening of routes for Ecuadorian aviation, without hesitation, inspired many visionaries and businessmen to launch new companies that allowed the socio-economic development of Ecuador and additionally, the foundations of the country's aeronautical organization are laid.

Of all these companies, we will talk in future installments.

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