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The first international flight of theAmericastook off in the United States and landed in Cuba. On May 17, 1913, Cuba’s Domingo Rosillo piloted his monoplane from Key West to Havana, thus setting a world record in terms of distance flown over the sea, as well as altitude. It was one of the greatest achievements of aeronautics, which has been born with the turn of the 20th century. Two days later, Agustin Parla flew from Key West to Mariel.

Rosillo only needed two hours or so to cross the Florida Straits (145 km) and enter the record books of Aviation History. Another Cuban pilot, Parla, did it 48 h later. Those two initial flights became legends of American aviation. They had only come to pass a decade after the Wright brothers’ achievement.

Domingo Rosillo del Toro

This Cuban man with Spanish roots was born north of Africa (Algeria) in 1878 and migrated to Havana when he was a youngster. He studied at the Aeronautics School in Paris, France, and got his degree as a pilot on October 22, 1912. 

Domingo Rosillo del Toro was the first Cuban to ever get a pilot license, issued by the International AeronauticsFederation. Back in Cuba, he was recognized as a decorated Air Force captain. 

Agustín Parla Orduña 

This US-rooted Cuban was born on October 11, 1887 in Key West. The son of Cuban patriots that collaborated with Jose Marti, he moved in to Cuba after the Spanish colonial rule was over and was naturalized. In January 1912,he flew with U.S. pilot Charles Walshen, who encouraged him to study to be a pilot. He studied aviation at Miami’s Curtiss School and got his degree on April 20, 1912. He was the first man to ever fly an airplane in Cuba.