We would like to congratulate the Azorean writer Almeida Maia for the launch of his new book Ilha-América!! This is the author’s fifth novel and the story of the book goes on the island of Santa Maria in the 1960s, with emphasis on its airport, and it is a fictional story but based on realistic reports of the Azorean illegal emigration, including the one from Daniel Melo!
Did you know that the Azorean Daniel Melo, a native of Furnas, on the island of São Miguel, ventured on September 9th, 1960 in a plane wheel from Santa Maria airport to go to the United States? At the time, as a teenager, with only 16 years old, he hid in the landing gear of an airplane whose course would be Caracas, but with a stop in Bermuda.
His plan was that when he landed in Bermuda at night, he would flee on a freighter to the United States. As they landed during the day, he was caught and sent to the Azores. He worked at the Santa Maria airport and 10 years later he finally managed to emigrate to the United States.
Last modified: 15 de December, 2021
