Jacinto Bondanza Castro

Lieutenant

Jacinto Bondanza Castro
Jacinto with a group of pilots and mechanics of the new Aviation Corps, 1926
BornOctober 11, 1900
Santa Tecla, La Libertad, El Salvador
DiedOctober 8, 1987 (aged 86)
Santa Tecla, La Libertad, El Salvador
Allegiance El Salvador
ServiceArmed Forces of El Salvador
RankCaptain
CommandsSalvadoran Aviation Corps

Jacinto Bondanza Castro (October 11, 1900 – October 8, 1987) was a pioneering Salvadoran aviator.

Biography

Jacinto Bondanza Castro was born on 11 October 1900 in the city of Santa Tecla, La Libertad[1] to a Southern Italian immigrant father from Naples.[2]

Jacinto had become interested in Aviation during a stay in San Francisco, California[2] and on April 22, 1924 he and his friend Juan Ramón Munés entered Aviation school.[3] On November 29, 1924, Jacinto graduated from the Ilopango Military Aviation School and on December 10, 1924 officially became the second aviator pilot in all of El Salvador and was also awarded the title of Second Lieutenant in the Army.[3] By 1925, he was one of only six qualified pilots in El Salvador.[4]

Jacinto went on to play a crucial role in the early development of the nation's Air Force and was frequently sent to California to obtain aircraft and support.[5][6][7][8]

On New Year Day 1928, American Aviator Charles Lindbergh arrived in El Salvador on the Spirit of St. Louis during his goodwill tour of Latin America. Jacinto was honored with Munés to escort Lindbergh across the country.[3][9]

He married Rosa Victoria Valle in 1940[10] and had at least one son Carlos Jacinto Bondanza.[2] He died on 8 October 1987.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "El Salvador Registro Civil, 1704-2001", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2HNJ-86C : Tue Mar 11 14:13:24 UTC 2025), Entry for Jacinto Bondanza and Abelino Bondanza.
  2. ^ a b c Wilson, Alexander Steve (May 2013). Class Ceilings: Filming an Elite Salvadoran Family (PDF) (Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology thesis). New College of Florida. p. 61. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Rivas Gallont, Ernesto (December 2003). Santa Tecla, La Historia Y Los Cuentos [Santa Tecla, History and Stories] (in Spanish). p. 110.
  4. ^ Hagedorn, Dan (2008). Conquistadors of the sky : a history of aviation in Latin America. Gainesville: Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. p. 208.
  5. ^ "Aero Digest". Aero - Digest: 252. October 1929.
  6. ^ "California, Los Angeles, Passenger Lists, 1907-1948", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:C11B-QCN2 : Wed Apr 02 23:04:27 UTC 2025), Entry for Jacinto Bondanza, 1929.
  7. ^ "California, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1947", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGF9-7B7P : Fri Apr 04 01:23:36 UTC 2025), Entry for Jacinto Bondanza and Michael Burke, 24 Jul 1944.
  8. ^ "Goodwill Ace". The Peninsula Times Tribune. 15 November 1929. p. 5. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  9. ^ Streit, Clarence (2 January 1928). "LINDBERGH HOPS TO SAN SALVADOR SAFELY IN 2 HOURS, 50 MINUTES OVER MOUNTAINS; FRANTIC CROWD OF ADMIRERS GREETS HIM; WHERE LINDBERGH WAS ENTERTAINED YESTERDAY AND HIS HOST". The New York Times. p. 1. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  10. ^ "El Salvador Registro Civil, 1704-2001", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X97P-BD35 : Tue Jun 24 11:10:11 UTC 2025), Entry for Jacinto Bondanza and Abelino Bondanza, 1 de abril de 1940.
  11. ^ SALA DE LO CONTENCIOSO ADMINISTRATIVO DE LA CORTE SUPREMA DE JUSTICIA (PDF) (Report). 1990. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
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