Brazil has a very large territory, but one that has remained sparsely populated over the centuries. Most of Brazil’s population has lived in coastal cities, while the vast inland frontiers remained out of reach.  During the twentieth century, however, the Brazilian state saw aviation as a technological fix to this demographic and territorial problem – seeking to colonize the interior by air. This talk will provide a brief overview of the history of aviation in Brazil, focusing on both the aspirations and realities of an “aeronautical frontier,” that is, a region colonized primarily by air. We will see the ways in which this new method for settling the interior both broke with and continued some colonial traditions.