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| Plan of the first plane built in Brazil by Dimitri Sensaud de Lavaud, which took off on Avenida Autonomistas in 1910 and the Osasco Museum in 1980, with the 'São Paulo' in the garage. |
In 1980 I lived with my family in Parque Continental, near Osasco, São Paulo. It was during this period that I experienced a moment that would shape my fascination with aviation.
A renovation and redesign in our house raised big amount of dust in the air, caused me breathing problems and as part of the treatment my mother regularly took me to a clinic on Avenida Autonomistas to have x-rays - in the way, something always caught my attention.
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| Avenida Um (today Antonio de Souza Noschese, in Parque Continental, where Luiz Pagano lived in the 1970s/80s |
When the car left Av. João Batista towards Avenida Autonomistas, there was a very old plane, parked in the garage of a beautiful house. It was an old experimental aircraft that looked like it came out of a Jules Verne book.
In those moments my imagination was flying high, I thought I had Alberto Santos=Dumont's first plane before my eyes, until my father clarified it, saying that it wasn't the 14th Bis, and that all that was left of him was the basket (I was outraged).
That was the former residence of Dimitri Sensaud de Lavaud, recently transformed into the Osasco Museum, Lavaud was the first man to fly in Brazil – yes, the first flight in Latin America took place right there, on Avenida Autonomistas, right next to my house . The emotion I felt upon discovering this became the seed of my love for aviation - the first flight in Latin America had taken place 70 years ago, just a few meters from home.
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| Osasco Museum with the plane parked in the garage in 1980. Antônio Agú built, commissioned by Giovanni Brícola, the chalet at Avenida dos Autonomistas, 4001, which was also the residence of Baron Evaristhe Sensaud de Lavaud, and his son, Dimitri Sensaud de Lavaud (honored by the name of the museum), a naturalized Brazilian engineer, who made the little-known First Flight of Latin America, piloting the plane SÃO PAULO, on January 7, 1910. |
For years I wanted to visit the Osasco Museum to learn more about the history of that plane and, finally, my wish came true, my father took me to the museum, and that visit was a milestone in my life, I was fascinated by exhibitions that told the aviation history, from Santos=Dumont to local pioneers like Dimitri Sensaud de Lavaud.
The history of aviation in Brazil is full of notable events. Although Santos=Dumont made history flying in France, it was ironic that a Frenchman, Lavaud, became a key figure in the history of Brazilian aviation. On January 7, 1910, he built the first plane entirely designed on Brazilian soil, named "São Paulo", which made its historic flight in Osasco, in front of a group of onlookers and journalists, a crucial chapter in the city's rich history. . . and aviation in Brazil.
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| Luiz Pagano in 1980 at Parque Continental, near Osasco |
Who was Dimitri
Dimitri Sensaud de Lavaud was born in Valladolid, Spain on September 18, 1882, he came to live in Osasco in 1898 brought by his father, Baron Evariste Sensaud de Lavaud and, by his mother, the Russian Alexandrina de Bogdanoff. He married Bertha Rachoud, a Brazilian of French descent, in 1903, and from this union they had three children: Georgeth, Robert and Gabrielle.
On January 7, 1910, Dimitri flew the "SÃO PAULO" airplane, which he designed and built himself. It reached a height of 3 to 4 meters from the ground, covering around 105 meters in 6 seconds and 18 tenths, starting from the terrain where the intercession of the Av. dos Autonomistas with Avenida João Batista, flew over Avenida dos Autonomistas, in Osasco, Greater São Paulo, for more than six seconds, making an abrupt landing afterwards.
According to the newspaper O Correio Paulistano, he slid for 70 meters before taking off. The uninjured aviator was applauded by those present at the occasion.
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| January 7, 1910, Dimitri and curious onlookers check the “SÃO PAULO” after abrupt landing on Avenida dos Autonomistas, in Osasco. |
At the time, his achievement was widely publicized in the press, making him well-known. But, over the years, the story was forgotten, and today, as happened with Santos=Dumont and the Wrights, many credit the Mexican pilot Alberto Braniff (1884–1966) with carrying out the first Latin American flight.
Dimitri also flew in São Paulo with another airplane, a Blériot purchased from Giulio Piccolo, an Italian aviator who had an accident and died in São Paulo, in 1910. Dimitri's flight with this airplane took place in the area where the Palestra Stadium would be built in the future. Italy, today known as Antarctica Park, on February 19, 1911.
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| January 7, 1910, Dimitri on board the “SÃO PAULO” shortly before takeoff on Avenida dos Autonomistas, in Osasco. |
In addition to being an aviator, Dimitri was a prolific inventor and an important character of the 20th century. With more than a thousand registered patents, he revolutionized the global metal tube industry and brought innovations to other industries, such as the automobile and the aviation industry itself.
The event is usually remembered in Osasco, where flags are sometimes raised in honor of the aviator's achievements. Dimitri's great-granddaughter, Fabiana Martine, and Lourenço Pellegatti's grandson, Caio Pellegatti, who was one of Dimitri's great friends and mechanic, were present at the 2020 event. The aviator lived in Osasco.
More than 100 Patents and Inventions
After becoming a naturalized Brazilian (1916), he moved to Canada and resided definitively in France from the 1920s onwards. In 1925 he was decorated as Knight of the Legion of Honor by the Paris Academy of Sciences in recognition of his value your research.
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| Sensaud de Lavaud had more than 100 registered patents, including the "Turbine" |
Dimitri Sensaud de Lavaud was a passionate inventor and engineer who played a notable role in the automobile industry, his innovations included the creation of a revolutionary centrifugal casting process, which significantly improved the production of ceramic tubes. Furthermore, Dimitri designed his own car with a continuous automatic transmission, an extraordinary technological achievement for the time.
In the 1930s, Dimitri established a partnership and friendship with André Citroën, the renowned automobile manufacturer. Together, they collaborated in testing the hydraulic automatic transmission developed by Dimitri, known as the "Turbine", installing it in Citroën vehicles. The notable feature of the "Turbine" was its smooth running, making the car's progress and acceleration extremely smooth, as well as eliminating vibrations transmitted by the rubber engine mounts.
In 1932, Dimitri Sensaud de Lavaud exhibited his innovative car and "Turbine" transmission at the Paris Fair. Its advanced technology attracted the attention of the public and automobile enthusiasts, although the "Turbine" transmission had many advantages such as driving smoothness, it also faced challenges such as slower acceleration, higher fuel consumption compared to gearboxes manuals and transmission oil overheating problems on prolonged inclines.
Dimitri Sensaud de Lavaud stood out as a passionate inventor and his contribution to the automobile industry left an important mark on its history of innovation and technology.
Unjustly arrested for having collaborated during World War II, Dimitri was accused of collaborating with Adolf Hitler's regime. He was released on June 8, 1945, after 8 months in prison thanks to an effort by Brazilian diplomacy. Even after being acquitted, he never regained the joy of living, he died depressed and impoverished, at the age of 64. His body is buried in the Neuilly-sur-Seine cemetery, near Paris.
There is no information available that indicates a direct meeting between Dimitri Sensaud de Lavaud and Alberto Santos-Dumont, the famous Brazilian aviation pioneer. Both were notable figures in their respective fields of interest, with Santos-Dumont being known for his contributions to aviation and Dimitri Sensaud de Lavaud for his work in the automobile industry and technological innovations. Although their activities occurred at the same time and both were prolific inventors, there appears to be no record of a significant interaction between the two.
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My excitement about visiting the Osasco Museum and learning about this unique history was a memorable moment. This passion led me to continue exploring the world of aviation and eventually to volunteer at the Air Force Museum, in Oca do Ibirapuera in 1984, alongside Ada Rogato. There, I had the honor of contributing to the preservation of aviation history by helping to clean planes, an experience that has become a valuable part of my personal journey.
Lavaud's plane, seen on the edge of Av. Autonomistas, has become an icon in my life, a constant reminder that dreams can take off anywhere, including in our own backyard.
