FRANCISCO SARABIA TINOCO: BIOGRAPHY, CONTRIBUTIONS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND RECOGNITIONS - BIOGRAPHIES - 2025

Francisco Sarabia Tinoco (1900-1939) was a Mexican aviation pilot who left a mark on the world by having conquered its ideals. From an early age he struggled to expand the educational system and the commercial market. Its objective was to unify the American regions.

Therefore, it sought to find new routes that would communicate to the states. In this way it is shown that the purpose of this aviator was to transmit a message of peace, since he considered that war conflicts and social prejudices affected the well-being of individuals. Furthermore, they impeded the progress of nations.

Sculpture by Francisco Sarabia. Source: BlatZzz

His idea was for people to transform the earth into another sky. In other words, they will appreciate it as a space without borders or limitations. Because of this, her legacy is considered to continue.

Sarabia not only demonstrated that dreams materialize, but that a person can change reality without using weapons. The thoughts of this pilot were forged in a context of inequality and injustice, since at that time the peasants were repressed.

Native labor was not valued, while foreign entrepreneurs took over the few resources of the country. Therefore, Mexico faced a civil war. This battle established the concept of revolution as the engine that organized society.

From that moment, Tinoco seized the term and modified it, revolutionizing history through his aerial feats. He is currently considered a national hero.

Biography

Early years

Francisco Sarabia Tinoco was born on July 3, 1900 in Ciudad Lerdo, a town located in Durango. He was the sixth child of Santiago Sarabia and María Tinoco. Thirteen days after arriving in the world, he was baptized in the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Francisco's childhood was determined by the scarcity of inputs and economic resources, since his father was a farmer and both job opportunities and fees were minimal. He completed his primary studies at the communal school.

When he was twelve years old, his father passed away. For that reason he had to move to the house of his paternal uncle, Herculano Sarabia. This relative helped him cross the border so that he could study abroad. This is how in 1914 he arrived in the United States.

Academic experience

At age 14, Sarabia settled in Texas and entered Mexico State College, where she earned a bachelor's degree. In 1919 he moved to Kansas City and joined the Sweeney Automobile School; institution in which he learned the trade of mechanic and obtained a certificate.

In 1926 he traveled by plane for the first time. This experience transformed Tinoco's life because he discovered that flying was his passion. From that moment he focused on linking his vocation with the professional field.

That's why he signed up with the Chicago Aeronautical Service. There he was nominated as a pilot in 1928. From that moment he began to travel by air, either for work, pleasure, competition or to prove himself.

Work experience

Shortly after arriving in the United States, Sarabia began working in the circus. In this place she served as an acrobat; but in 1930 she returned to Mexico and settled in Morelia, a metropolis located in Michoacán.

In that city he had two jobs: the first was to transport cereals from one territory to another, while the second was to be a private pilot for politicians and businessmen. However, months later he left for Tabasco.

In this territory he dedicated himself to transporting tobacco from the jungle to the factories. In addition, he erected the Southern Aeronautical Company. In 1932 he toured Chiapas and founded the company Trasportes Aéreos de Chiapas SA

In 1933 he went to Monterrey, where he served as an aviator in the Anáhauc industry. His role was to bring in engineers to supervise the construction of the roads. In addition, he inaugurated an aeronautical school.

Personal life

At present, the data on the intimate life of Sarabia are scarce. However, some investigators stated that in Kansas City he lived with his cousin Miguel Tinoco and both attended the mechanics academy.

On May 24, 1928, he married Agripina Díaz, a wedding that took place in Chicago. From that union, three children were born: Concepción, Frank and Ada Nivea. It was also stated that when he arrived in Monterrey he acquired a spacious home in order to reunite his mother and brothers.

In 1931 he began to have a clandestine affair with Blondina Paredes. From this relationship his fourth son was born: Francisco Herculano. In 1933 he was selected by the Mexican government to honor the Spanish Mariano Barberán and Joaquín Collar. These pilots died in a plane crash in the Oaxaca mountain range.

The objective was for Sarabia to fly from Mexico City to Seville in an MTW1 plane, a model that was manufactured in the Central American nation; but, after several practices, the project was suspended in 1934.

Last years

The last years of Sarabia's life were characterized by the discovery of various trade routes. Not only did he focus on his business, he was willing to cooperate with countries that needed his help.

For this reason, in 1938 he decided to buy a Gee Bee airplane, whose displacement was 100 kilometers per hour. In order to speed up and ensure the route, he installed a 128 gallon tank. Once the plane was modified, Tinoco declared that he would conquer the sky.

Hence the name of the aircraft. In June 1939, General Lázaro Cárdenas asked him to deliver a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt. As the document represented a peace pact, Sarabia agreed to the request.

However, Roosevelt for health reasons was unable to appear at the meeting. Because of this, Sarabia chose to return to his land; but shortly after taking off, the plane crashed into the Anacostia River, near Washington.

This accident caused the death of the Durango pilot on June 7, 1939, weeks before he was thirty-nine years old. His remains were transferred to Mexico and buried in the Rotunda of Illustrious Persons.

Contributions

Sarabia's contributions were multiple. Thanks to his work, the Mexican government managed to strengthen ties of friendship with neighboring countries and sign agreements that were essential for the development of the nation.

It is worth noting that this pilot considered that communication between states was the key for the world to evolve. That is why he focused on looking for connection routes and achieved his objective when he created the route that linked the areas of Tabasco with those of Quintana Roo.

This journey was extended over the months, since it soon encompassed the areas of Chiapas, Yucatán and Campeche. Another of his contributions was to have established an aviation school, since it allowed many men to prepare in the field of aeronautics.

Among them, César Reyes Estrada, Carlos León, José Antonio Saavedra and Miguel Torruco stood out. In this way, it is perceived that Sarabia established the bases for the airports to be created. However, one of his most important legacies was to show that the flags were emblems of union and not of war.

Francisco Sarabia's plane: «the Conqueror of the sky». Source: No machine-readable author provided. Delosrjs assumed (based on copyright claims).

Achievements and recognitions

Achievements

Sarabia's achievements began in the mid-1930s. They were not only in the industrial field, but in his role as a pilot. His goal was to inscribe his name in the history of aviation, for which he took various risks.

Throughout his career he had 317 crash landings; But he expressed that to succeed it was necessary to shed fear. In more than ten years he managed to break the following marks:

-Flew from Mexico to Los Angeles in 6 hours and 30 minutes.

-He toured Mexico City and Chetumal in three and a half hours.

- It flew over the territories of Chetumal and Mérida in 48 minutes.

-It took off in Mérida and arrived in Mexico in 2 hours and 49 minutes.

-It left Mexico and landed in Guatemala in 2 hours and 55 minutes.

However, the trip that made him transcend was the one he made from Mexico to New York, which lasted 10 hours and 43 minutes. That event caused a new world record, annulling Amelia Earhart's by almost 4 hours.

Recognitions

Thanks to his philosophy and feats, Sarabia conquered the territories of Central America and the United States. According to the testimony of the chroniclers, the attribute that identified him was humility. To this day, the memory of this pilot is a symbol, that is why some infrastructures bear his name:

-The Francisco Sarabia national airport, located in Chiapas.

-The Francisco Sarabia boulevard, located on the central avenue of Mapstepec.

-The Francisco Sarabia stadium, which is located in the state of Durango.

A monument was built in his honor and a postage stamp was created; his plane - the Conqueror of the sky - was rebuilt and is now on display in the main gallery of Ciudad Lerdo. His life is the lyrics of a melody that various Mexican artists continue to sing.

References

1. Aponte, J. (2012). Sarabia Tinoco: The man who conquered heaven. Retrieved on November 28, 2019 from the Mexican Academy of History: acadmexhistoria.org.mx
2. Brungot, M. (2009). The learning of Francisco Sarabia. Retrieved on November 29, 2019 from New York Social Diary: newssocialdiary.com
3. Da Silva, P. (2005). Memories and dreams of Francisco Sarabia. Retrieved on November 29, 2019 from Academia Cultura: academiacultura.org
4. Fiennes, W. (2002). Francisco Sarabia archives. Retrieved on November 28, 2019 from the Department of History: history.columbia.edu
5. Lazarín, F. (2006). Federal authorities and aeronautical development in Mexico. Retrieved on November 29, 2019 from the National Autonomous University of Mexico: unam.mx
6. Orellana, L. (2008). Francisco Sarabia and the meeting of his aeronautical vocation. Retrieved on November 28, 2019 from the Academic and Cultural Magazine: cultural.uabc.mx
7. Rothney, B. (2014). Manifesto about Francisco Sarabia, a Mexican Lindbergh. Retrieved on November 28, 2019 from University of California: ucla.edu