Chile & Argentina Tour - March 2024
While in the northern hemisphere winter is drawing to a close, in the southern hemisphere summer is coming to an end.
That’s a great time to travel to the southernmost countries of South America as the summer heat has diminished, and most people are back from their summer vacations.
The southern end of the Andes mountains divide two fascinating countries: Chile and Argentina. What you can find on both sides of the mountain range is both interesting and yet, different despite their vicinity.
Here we will share with you what we saw and experienced during our tour to Chile and Argentina.
This tour was organized and operated for a small group of plane-spotters from the UK. Given that they would be flying from the UK to Santiago, we met at Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez airport upon their arrival and began the tour immediately. The first stop would be the MNAE, Museo Nacional Aeronáutico y del Espacio Chile or Aeronautical Museum. This museum is located in Los Cerrillos district, on the northwestern end of the former Los Cerrillos airport, Santiago’s first airport. The airport closed down in 2006, however, the museum and its terminal still stand. The platforms, taxiways and runways have been demolished and instead it is now a park, and one part is the Chilean air force’s headquarters.
The museum dates back to 1944, but its new and current building was built in 1992. Up until 2022, the museum had 97 aircraft in display, 35 of which are considered historic monuments. With interior and exterior displays, there are very many different types of aircraft: military, civil, general aviation, helicopters, and all from private and public entities. Besides the aircraft on display we had coordinated in advance a visit to the storage and restoration areas.
The main courtyards have about 10 planes. The exterior terraces in the front part of the museum also have about 10 aircraft between fighters, helicopters and other military aircraft. The rear part has more aircraft in an external courtyard and along the paths that lead to other areas of the museum. The day we visited was an unusual day at the museum because many aircraft had been moved out to the courtyards due to an event that would take place the next day. Within the museum there are a few other hangars which are mostly for restoration, however one has a few interesting aircraft on display including a Harrier. The northern end of the museum is an empty lot reserved for all the aircraft that will eventually be restored or where they store the aircraft that have been donated to the museum and still have uncertain futures. Unfortunately, we were asked not to photograph the aircraft in this area.
After our visit to the museum we made a brief stop at Los Cerrillos subway station. In the main hall they have a preserved Chilean Air Force Cessna T-37 (J-396) which is hanging from the ceiling and is accompanied by a mural in honor of Chile’s aviation. Then we explored around the former Los Cerrillos airports to try to catch the tail numbers on the preserved aircraft at the Chilean air force’s headquarters.
Our trip continued throughout different parts of the city to try to catch a few wrecks and relics. Around the city there are a few preserved aircraft such as a 737 and C-47 used as motels, also, there is a DC-3 which is preserved at the Club Palestino in Las Condes district. Nearby there is a Dassault Mirage VBR used as a gate guardian at the Chilean air forces air war academy.
After this we visited the glider club, the Club de Planeadores Vitacura at Las Condes / Vitacura municipal Aerodrome (SCLC). This is a small airfield located in Las Condes district.
Lots of gliders were seen here, some of them belonging to the Vitacura glider club, the air force’s motorless flight squadron, as well private ones. Not only are gliders found here, but many single-engine aircraft too.
The next day began very early as we had to head out to the Valparaiso / Viña del mar region to visit the Concón airport. This airport is home to Chile’s naval aviation command and also to the Club Aéreo Naval (Naval aeroclub). The club consists mostly of Cessna 150s, 152s, 172s and a Piper PA-18. This airport was important in the days before our visit as a series of wildfires broke out in the region and various firefighting aircraft operated from this airport. After our visit to the Club Aéreo Naval we went to see a few of the preserved Boeing 737s which have been turned into motels or vacation lodges.
After these visits we visited the Club Aéreo Valparaíso – Viña, located at the Rodelillo airport in Valparaiso. This club has a few hangars and operates a fleet of various Piper PA-28 Archer II and III, as well as a PA-18, and Vans RV-12. The Rodelillo airport is also an important base for the CONAF, or National Forest Corporation which is in charge of putting out forest fires. A fleet of various PZL Dromader and helicopters operated by Pegasus Aero Group are based here to help fight fires, especially during the summer season.
Our next visit was at the Curacaví aerodrome a bit further east. Here we visited the Club Aéreo Curacaví that operates a fleet of Cessna 150, 172s, and 175 as well as a Piper PA-38 Tomahawk. Other aeroclubs and flight schools also operate from this airport such as the Club Aéreo Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez. Other private operators have their aircraft based here.
Once we concluded we head back to Santiago to the La Reina district in the easternmost part of the city so we could visit the Eulogio Sánchez / Tobalaba airport. This is a small airport where the Club Aéreo Santiago has its base. Besides this club, there are lots of many other aeroclubs and private companies that operate here.
Our first inside this airport visit was the Ecocopter Chile headquarters. Ecocopter operates a fleet of Airbus helicopters primarily for mining companies throughout the country. They operate a fleet of 13 AS 350 B3 / H125, 2 EC-135 / H-135, and 4 EC-145 / H-145, all of them painted with interesting liveries with different themes.
Our second visit at the Tobalaba airport was the air prefecture of Chiles’ Carabineros. In Chile, Carabineros are the police, and they have a series of aircraft both rotary-wing and fixed. Their fleet consists of MBB Bo-105s, BK-117s, AW109s, AW139s, H-135s, Bell 206s, Beechcraft 200s, Cessna 210 and 206, The main base is in the Tobalaba airport where they have the majority of their aircraft and their maintenance center. Their They also have different bases throughout the country. Also in the Tobalaba base they have the Carabineros personnel aeroclub that operates various Cessna 182s.
Our third and last visit at the Eulogio Sánchez airport was at the Club Aéreo Santiago. The club takes up a great part of the airport, and is a wonderful place to visit. It’s got a terrace with a fantastic view of the taxiway and runway with a great backdrop of the Andes mountains. Its fleet consists of Cessna 172s, Cessna 182s, Piper PA-28 Cherokees and Archers, Piper PA-18, PA-38, Vans RV9A1, Diamond DA-20, Piper PA-34, Beechcraft Mentor A 45, and American Champion 8KCAB.
Our third day in Chile also began early in the morning as we had to head out south, to the city of Rancagua. Here we were able to visit the Club Aéreo Rancagua which operates a few aircraft: Cessna 172s, and a Champion 7FC Tri-Traveler. In their hangars there are other aircraft too.
During this visit we were also able to visit the control tower.
The Rancagua aeroclub shares airport with the Chilean army aviation brigade where they operate most of its rotary and fixed wing aircraft: AS 532 Cougars, SA 330 Pumas, MD-530s and CASA SN-235 and 212s.
In the front courtyard of the base there are a few preserved aircraft: A CASA 212, SA 330 Puma, an Enstrom FX280 Shark, and a Beech C-45.
After this we head back to Santiago for more visits.
Once back in Santiago we stopped by the Maipú district of the city to visit the Alberto Widmer technical school. This school is interesting as it has a few aircraft inside used as teaching equipment. A Cessna 150 is preserved at the entrance of the school. In one of the courtyards, the fuselage and wings of a Cessna Citation II can be found. This aircraft was donated by Aerocardal FBO just a few months prior. In another of the school’s courtyards there is a fuselage of an Embraer 110. Inside its many rooms there are various fuselages and plane engines including a Cessna 337.
Our next visit of the day was the historic museum of the Carabineros. Here there are 2 preserved aircraft: a Hughes 269 and an Aeronca 7AC.
Our following visit was at Santiago’s international airport to visit 2 FBOs.
One of them was Aviasur that has 2 platforms at Santiago’s airport. One is used for aircraft maintenance, the other is reserved for the FBO where they keep various aircraft and do maintenance. Their waiting room and platform is located right in front of the main terminal and is ideal to watch the activity at Santiago’s airport.
The second FBO we visited was Aerocardal which has a fleet of various aircraft: Gulfstream 550, Gulfstream G280, Dornier Do-228, Pilatus PC-12, and various Leonardo AW-109 helicopters. They also have a maintenance hangar for private aircraft and government aircraft too.
After this we we boarded our flight that would take us across the Andes to Buenos Aires where the second half of this tour took place.
The next morning we began our tour in the southern part of Buenos Aires, in Quilmes. Quilmes has an air force base which is also home to the E.E.S.T. Nº 7 or Technical Secondary School #7 “Regional Workshop Quilmes”. This school is part of the Argentinean air force and has a few interesting aircraft preserved and running. As this is a technical school, part of the projects involve students to rebuild and restore the aircraft. Among the aircraft we can find here are various Aero Commander 500s, T-34, MS-760, Cessna 441 Conquest, among others. The cherry on top es perhaps a Gloster Meteor which the students have successfully been able to restore and run its engines.
Our tour continued south towards Berazategui and La Plata. Our second visit was the Aero Club Río de la Plata which has a grass runway and various aircraft. Besides the club’s aircraft private citizens have their aircraft here and one of the more interesting aircraft we spotted here was a replica of a Fokker DR.1 triplane.
The next visit was at Aeroclub La Plata. This aeroclub also has its own planes and also keeps private planes too. One of the hangars is interesting as the club worked out an agreement with the UNLP (Universidad de La Plata) and they use the hangar to build aircraft.
We did a short stop at Fuerte Barragán where they keep a T-6 Texan on a pedestal, however this day it was on the ground waiting to undergo some maintenance.
The following visit was at the “República de los Niños” or Children’s Republic theme park in the outskirts of La Plata. This theme park is aimed for children to learn about the world and has various areas that recreates the real world. One of those areas has an airport where there are 2 preserved aircraft: A Boeing 737-200 whose interior is preserved and can be visited, the other is a BAe Jetstream 31.
Now it was time to head to the western part of the city to visit the MNA or National Aeronautical Museum in Morón. At Morón there is an Argentinean Air Force base where the museum is located. Besides the museum the base also has the INAC / CIATA which is technical and aviation school which also trains flight crews. On the other side of the base you can find the civilian side where there are various flight schools and FBOs.
The visit to the MNA was special as we were accompanied by an aviation historian, Mr. Marcelo Betancour. We were guided along the different parts and were also able to visit Hangar 4, which is where they do all the restorations for the aircraft that are later exhibited in the museum.
Also, we were able to visit the INAC / CIATA school that has a few preserved aircraft, some of which are used for training. One of them is a former Aerolíneas Argentinas 737-200 which is in mint condition and is used to train students of the technical school. It does occasional engine runs.
Also used for training is a BAC One-Eleven, but this one is used to train flight crews for service and evacuations.
The next day was very interesting as it combined lots of wrecks and relics throughout the city and a helicopter flight. We began at Lanús in the southern part of the city where there is a preserved F-86 Sabre of the air force on a pedestal. After that we did a few other short stops in the Villa Lugano district where there are a few preserved aircraft: A Mirage IIICJ, a Bölkow Bo-105 of the Federal Police, and an air force Aero Commander 500.
Our following visit was at the Helipuerto Autódromo de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, or the helipad a the Buenos Aires racetrack. Inside the city’s race track there is a hangar where there are various Robinson R-22 and R-44s. They do flights around the city for air tours, or use the helicopters for publicity.
Following this we head to San Justo to see a preserved BAC One-Eleven which was originally used as a restaurant, now a toy store. Then, along the General Paz expressway we were able to see the 737-200 preserved at Tecnópolis. Our trip continued northward to the Tigre district where they have the Prefectura Naval (coastguard) museum and the Navy museum. In the coastguard museum there is a Hughes 500 preserved in their front yard. The navy museum has 3 aircraft preserved: Grumman F9F-2 Panther, Douglas A4, and a North American SNJ-4 Texan.
We also stopped by a private location where they keep the fuselage of a Douglas C-47 which is said to be in plans to be converted into a food truck.
The highlight of the day was perhaps the visit to Hangar Uno at the San Fernando International Airport. Plane-spotting and aviation photography at San Fernando are complicated as the PSA (Airport Security Police) and owners of the aircraft don’t like people snooping around.
However, we were able to coordinate a flight on board one of Hangar Uno’s helicopters so that the people in the tour could see and photograph the aircraft in the airport from the air. In a series of short flights the helicopter hovered along the taxiways so that the group could see the aircraft in the platforms.
Also at the Hangar Uno hangars we were able to see their helicopters, the planes they use for training, and the other aircraft stored here by private citizens and companies.
Following this wonderful and gratifying experience we continued to General Pacheco, not far away from San Fernando. Here we visited the General Pacheco museum where they keep a Douglas RD-41D.
After this we head back to the city of Buenos Aires Espacio Memoria y Derechos Humanos (Space for memory and human rights) where they preserve a Shorts Skyvan which was allegedly used for death flights during the dictatorship.
Our day concluded with some righteous plane-spotting at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery. Here, we were able to observe and photograph plenty of Argentina’s civil aviation with the lovely background of the city.
Our third day in Buenos Aires began with a few wrecks and relics before heading out to the big and most important visit of the day. In the morning we stopped by the Retiro district to see a preserved A4 on a pedestal outside the “Libertad” building (Argentinean navy headquarters). Just a few blocks away there is a preserved Gloster Meteor also on a pedestal outside the “Cóndor” building (Argentinean air force headquarters). We continued towards the Palermo district near Aeroparque where the DINESA (Sanitary emergency direction) headquarters are located. They keep two preserved helicopters in their courtyard: a Bo 105 and a Bell 205.
After this we head out west to the museum of the Argentinean army. This museum has a few preserved aircraft in its interior: SA-315B Lama, Cessna T-207A, Bell UH-1h, Agusta A-109, OV-1D and Bell OH-13H.
Also in the western zone of Buenos Aires we stopped by the Villa Luzuriaga district to visit the #8 Technical School “Jorge Newbery”. This is a public school where they have a few aircraft preserved inside. A former navy A4Q, a Gloster Meteor, a T-28A-NT , a Beechcraft C-45H Expeditor (0531/6-G-14), a Percival Prentice T.1, among others. Unfortunately, due to a strike, our visit was cancelled and could only see the A4Q on the exterior courtyard.
A short stop by El Palomar airport / I air brigade of the air force was done to see a preserved FMA IA-50 Guaraní. Nearby in a town square there is a Fiat G-46 preserved on a pedestal.
The highlight of this day was the visit to the Army aviation command at Campo de Mayo. Here we received a very warm welcome and were able to see all their aircraft, both fixed and rotary-wing.
The Argentinean army aviation has a fleet of many Bell UH-1H used both for transport and combat. Their squadrons, the 601 and 602 use these helicopters. Other squadrons operate Bell 206s. Campo de Mayo also has their own maintenance facility and flight school.
Their fixed wing aircraft include a fleet of Cessna 208 Caravans and CASA CN-212s They also operate the Cessna T-41D for flight training. In the past, the army aviation also operated a fleet of OV-1 Mohawks as well as Fairchild Merlins and Metros. These are now retired and can be found stored throughout the base.
Following this visit was a short stop at a park in Los Polvorines district, not far from Campo de Mayo. Inside the park there are two preserved aircraft: an OV-1 Mohawk and a AS-332 Super Puma. The visit continued westward towards Pilar where there is a cenotaph dedicated to those who perished during the Falkland Islands war. Here there are 2 preserved aircraft: A Mirage III and the fuselage of a Lockheed C-130.
The next morning we head out to the town of General Rodríguez to attend the 42nd convention of the EAA Argentina. This annual convention is not only a great place to admire various examples of Argentina’s general and experimental aviation, but is also a place to observe various flying relics.
Besides the great amount of aircraft on display, private planes like to do fly-bys. Aerobatic aircraft are aplenty in Argentina and they put on wonderful shows during the conventions.
Argentina is the only country outside the United States where there is an active warbird squadrons. This squadron is called the “Patagonia Warbird Squadron 34” and has various aircraft such as Boeing Stearmans, Beech C-54, AT-6G Harvard,Max Holste MH-1521 Broussard, Douglas C-47, and Mig-15.
Not only that, various aircraft of Argentina’s armed and federal forces are attend the convention to be on display or to perform. This year, a squadron of T-34 Turbo Mentors s of the Argentinean navy did a few fly-bys, as well as the squadrons of the air force’s T-34s. The navy was also present with its Beech TC-12 Huron, with which it did a few fly-bys. Helicopters of Argentinean air force, army aviation and federal police delighted the public.
The final part of the tour consisted in visiting a few preserved aircraft in Merlo, in the western part of the city. There is a preserved Gloster Meteor in a park. Nearby there is the Center for aerospace surveillance and control which has another Gloster Meteor and a Mirage III preserved inside the premises.
After this we head towards Ezeiza and made a small detour to see a preserved Learjet 24 at the APTA – Air technician personnel association club. Nearby is the air force’s sub-officer school where there is a preserved A4 on a pedestal. After this, the group returned home.
This was the end of an exciting and interesting tour to Chile and Argentina. We hope you can join us in our future tours.
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