The Spanish Ejército del Aire y del Espacio is putting the Patrulla Atlántida at the centre of its Centenario de los Grandes Vuelos commemorative programme in 2026, marking the centenary. The air force describes the mission as one of the defining achievements of early Spanish aviation and is preparing several commemorative formats.
The historically documented expedition began on 10 December 1926 at the El Atalayón in Melilla. Three Dornier Wal – named Andalucía, Cataluña and Valencia – flew in formation along the West African coast and landed around two weeks later, on 25 December 1926, in Santa Isabel on the island of Fernando Póo. The city is now called Malabo, and the island Bioko. Contemporary accounts refer to a one-way flight south; the aircraft were later returned by other means.
The expedition aimed to test the aerial photography and mapping capabilities available at the time in practice, while covering a long stretch of sea in formation. The Patrulla was led by Commander Rafael Llorente Solá. The pilots named in the records included Captains Manuel Martínez Merino and Niceto Rubio García. The crews had to make do with limited infrastructure along the route, improvise stopovers and allow for technical failures and sudden changes in the weather. The fact that three seaplanes completed the route together was considered a notable organisational and navigational achievement by aviation experts at the time.
The Ejército del Aire y del Espacio’s newly announced tribute places the Patrulla Atlántida among a series of long-distance historic flights through which Spain demonstrated technological development and international presence in the 1920s. According to the air force, plans include exhibitions and publications making original documents, routes and crews accessible. Official records list the departure and arrival dates, the three Dornier Wal aircraft and the officers involved, and place the mission among the era’s “Great Flights”.
The account clearly distinguishes fact from interpretation: the dates, locations, people involved and mission objectives can be verified. Open research questions mainly concern reconstructing the details of individual stages and assessing the political context of the time. The 2026 commemorative year provides a timely opportunity to review these aspects and accurately establish the Patrulla Atlántida’s place in Spanish aviation history.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).