LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD For long and significant service to the international rotorcraft community João “John” Vinagre Director and Founder, Capital Air, Johannesburg, South Africa


João “John” Vinagre moved to Mozambique from Portugal with his family when he was just 6 months old, fleeing the post–World War II damage and poverty in his homeland. A fourth-generation pilot, he earned his private license in airplanes at 19 years of age and soon added his helicopter ratings after joining the army. Vinagre was on a course to take over the family helicopter business when


the 1974 Carnation Revolution forced Portuguese citizens to leave Mozam- bique in 1975. Te new ruling political party seized his family’s company, in- cluding 13 aircraft. Vinagre and his family left Mozambique for South Africa with little more


than $10 in today’s currency, but he was eventually able to find a flying job with a local company in his new country. When the company’s owner passed away eight years later, Vinagre purchased its Bell 206 with a business partner. Not long after, he secured the name and license of a South African company in liquidation, Capital Air. Operating out of a wooden-plank zozo hut at Rand Airport (FAGM) in Jo-


hannesburg, Vinagre rebuilt his family’s legacy with Capital Air, seeking new opportunities anywhere they could be found, from nature conservation, wed- dings, and television broadcasting to schools and trade shows. No job was too small, and his tenacity paid off. In the late 1980s, Capital Air obtained exclu- sive rights as the transportation operator for the Rand Show, the largest annual consumer exhibition in southern Africa. Drawing tens of thousands of visitors annually, the show helped put Capital Air on the map.


“Flying was in my bones. … I am proud of the company we’ve built and hope to share it with many future generations.”


João “John” Vinagre As Capital Air grew in size and reputation, it added an authorized


maintenance organization certification from the South African Civil Aviation Authority, the country’s second such certificate at the time. Te company expanded its capabilities to the private security sector, gain- ing a firm footing in hijacked- and stolen-vehicle tracking and recovery throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Te work in the region had its dangers. While searching for a hijacked


truck in 1994, Vinagre’s helicopter came under fire. Te aircraft suffered an engine failure and crashed when its rotors hit structures in the crowd- ed area after an autorotation. Vinagre evacuated his four passengers, even protecting one from an approaching mob by getting between the attack-


ers and the passenger. Vinagre was stabbed in the back for his effort, but all were saved by Good Samaritans on the scene. Vinagre has come full circle in his career. He opened an affiliate operation in 1999, Helicopteros Capital, in Mozambique,


returning the family business to the country more than two decades after it was lost. Now, more than 40 years since Vinagre took over the name, Capital Air has grown to 1,000 employees and 17 helicopters, the larg- est fleet in South Africa. It remains a family business, with three of Vinagre’s children help- ing run the company with a commitment to his philosophy of exceptional customer service. “Flying was in my bones,” Vinagre says. “I was very lucky I found a flying job and could


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start over in South Africa. I am proud of the company we’ve built and hope to share it with many future generations.”


MARCH 2023 ROTOR 51


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