On his return to Portugal in 1910, Gomes da Silva presented an improved design of his invention to the newly-founded Aero Club de Portugal, and received funding not only from this organisation, but also from the young republican government. The military placed its base in Tancos at his disposal in order to build the Gomes da Silva II. However, the modifications that had been made weren’t enough to get the craft off the ground – be it due to possible shortcomings of the machine, or to the harsh runway conditions. Faced with these results, the sponsors quickly lost interest and the Gomes da Silva II was dismantled and boxed to Mozambique, its whereabouts currently unknown.