Today, Embraer is one of the world's leading aerospace and defense companies. Since 1969, the company has overcome countless challenges by leveraging creative engineering to connect diverse regions across the globe and bridge the distances between them.

However, Embraer’s contributions to aviation were not the first Brazilian achievements in the sector. The dream of flight runs deep in the Brazilian spirit; as early as 1709, Bartolomeu de Gusmão gave wings to this dream by inventing the hot-air balloon. In the early 1900s, Santos Dumont gifted humanity a series of inventions that contributed to the evolution of aviation and the mastery of the skies.

Years after Dumont, various industrial initiatives in Brazil brought to life a range of aircraft; their history and ingenuity created a legacy that paved the way for the emergence and consolidation of Embraer. Learn more about each of them below.