Celebrating aviation change maker Felix Rigau Carrera
Celebrating aviation change maker Felix Rigau Carrera
In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the MAC acknowledges Felix Rigau Carrera.
Born in 1894 in Puerto Rico, Carrera showed interest in aviation as a child when he would use the local cathedral as a launching pad for his small fixed-wing aircraft replicas. After earning a college degree in mechanical engineering at the age of 20, Rigau Carrera enlisted in the U.S. Army and learned to fly as part of the Army's Signal Corps — the precursor to the U.S. Air Force.
After being discharged from the Army, Rigau Carrera continued his flight training at aviation schools in Seattle and Minneapolis. At the beginning of World War I, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, becoming both the first Puerto Rican to operate a fixed-wing aircraft and the first Hispanic American fighter pilot in that branch of the U.S. military.
In 1919, in Puerto Rico, Rigau Carrera began offering plane rides to the people of Puerto Rico, introducing aviation as an efficient mode of transporting people and cargo. He proposed to the government of Puerto Rico that they build an aviation school for the benefit of the young people of the island. When this did not happen, he went to Venezuela where he established a flight school for that country.
In the 1930s, he became Puerto Rico's first airmail pilot. He provided airmail services between Sabana Grande and Ponce to San Juan. Rigau Carrera was dubbed the "Eagle of Sabana Grande" for being the first Puerto Rican to fly over Puerto Rico. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum has also honored Rigau Carrera for his accomplishments.
Throughout his life, Rigau Carrera demonstrated what the saying "do not forget where you came from" means. He followed his dreams to be a pilot and brought his passion for aviation to his community. From opening a flight school in Venezuela to providing flights to his fellow Puerto Ricans, when his career took him to new heights, he brought his community with him.
It is because of his dedication to educating and furthering aviation's impact in his community that the MAC recognizes Felix Rigau Carrera as an aviation change maker.