Today, 5 November, we celebrate the National Civil Aviation Day in homage to the birth of Aarón Félix Martín de Anchorena Castellanos, a pioneer who went down in history for being the first Argentinean to make a hot-air balloon flight, marking a milestone in the history of national aeronautics.

Aarón de Anchorena was born in Buenos Aires in 1877, and was a member of the Anchorena family, traditional ranchers of the country. From a young age, he felt a great fascination for motor racing and aviation, which would later lead him to become an undisputed reference in Argentine civil aviation. In 1905, during his stay in France as Secretary of the Argentine Legation, Anchorena met Santos Dumont, a Brazilian aviator with whom he shared his passion for flying. His interest grew to such an extent that he joined the Aero Club de France, where he received instruction from the renowned pilot Paul Tissandier (1881-1945) and obtained his Hot Air Balloon Pilot's licence.

Back in Argentina in 1907, Anchorena brought a 1,200 cubic metre balloon, imported from France and manufactured by the same company that had built Santos Dumont's balloon. He christened his balloon with the name ‘Pampero’ and on December 25th of that same year, accompanied by the engineer Jorge Newbery, he made the first hot air balloon flight over Argentine territory. They left from the Sociedad Sportiva, which today is the Palermo Polo Field, crossed the Rio de la Plata and landed in Conchillas, Uruguay. This flight is remembered as the origin of Argentine Civil Aviation.

His contribution to aviation continued in 1908, when he participated in the founding of the Aero Club Argentino, one of the first institutions of its kind in the country, which he later chaired. In 1919, Anchorena co-founded the River Plate Aviation Company, with facilities in Hurlingham and later in San Isidro, on the site now occupied by the local racecourse. This company was one of the first ventures in Argentine commercial aviation and operated under the technical direction of Shirley G. Kingsley, a major in the British Air Force.

While in Argentina we celebrate this day in honour of Anchorena, worldwide Civil Aviation Day is commemorated every 7 December, since it was officially recognised by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 1996, with the impulse of ICAO and the collaboration of Canada.

On this special day, we salute all pilots and celebrate the great achievements that, like that of Aaron de Anchorena, have laid the foundations of civil aviation in our country.