Ecuador Tour – November 2022

Ecuador tour - November 2022

Back on November 2022 we had the great pleasure of having in Ecuador a group of plane-spotters from the UK visit Ecuador.

This tour was meant to take place back in 2020, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the tour got pushed a couple of times until it finally became a reality.

The tour began in Guayaquil and our first visit was to “Rey Park”, a very eclectic water park located in Tres Postes, about 45 minutes outside Guayaquil. Inside there are a few preserved aircraft: a Cessna 310, and a former Tame Boeing 727-200 which serves as a ghost house. Before, there was a Gloster Meteor, but it was gone when we visited the park. We did, however, encounter parts of an Aerotec / Aeroandina MXP-650 Amigo which will apparently form part of the decoration.

On our trip back to Guayaquil we stopped by Durán where there is a AeroCommander 650 preserved on a pedestal at some swimming pools. Then we arrived at the “Capt. Fernando Vásconez C.” Army Aviation School. This school is home to various aircraft of the Ecuadorian Army such as the Cessna 172s used for training, Cessna 206s and Cessna Citation, of the Military Geographical Institute, and a few helicopters such as the AS350B2, and some Super Pumas.

Our next visit was at the Aero Club del Ecuador (ACE). The ACE is the biggest flight school in Ecuador and has various aircraft: Cessna 150, 172, Piper PA-18, and PA-44.

During this visit we were able to see a few of the private aircraft that have their hangars at the club’s platform. From here we were also able to see the aircraft that operate in Guayaquil’s “José Joaquín de Olmedo” international airport.

The next day we head out to the Taura air force base. Taura is located southeast from Guayaquil and is home to the 21st Combat Wing of the Ecuadorian Air Force.

The 21st Combat Wing was home to Ecuador’s supersonic fleet back in the day. The SEPECAT Jaguars, Mirage F1s, and Kfir Cs operated from Taura, and up until not too long ago, the Atlas Cheetahs did too. Before the days of supersonic aviation, the BAC Strikemasters and Gloster Meteors were based here. At the entrance there are 2 gate guardians: a Kfir and a Mirage F1. Inside, various preserved aircraft can be found such as a T-33, Jaguar, Mirage 50, and a Cheetah mounted on a pedestal.

At the platform and hangars one can encounter a great amount of supersonic aircraft which is not flying: Cheetahs, Mirages, Kfirs and some Jaguars. However, in some of the hangars there are a few aircraft that are preserved in good conditions and used for ceremonies. There is a Lockheed P-80, T-33, Kfir, Mirage, Jaguar, and Strikemaster.

Given that the Ecuadorian Air Force is currently not operating any supersonic aircraft, the recently acquired Airbus H-145s are operating from Taura and form part of the 21st combat wing.

The next morning we departed Guayaquil and head west to Salinas, on the Santa Elena peninsula. Here we visited the ESMA / Cosme Renella aviation school of the Ecuadorian Air Force.

This is where the air force has trained its pilots for decades. Currently, the flight school fleet consists of Diamond DA-20 and Grob G-120TP. Until not so long ago, training was done in Cessna 150s and Beechcraft T-34 Turbo Mentors.

Besides the aircraft at the ESMA, there is also a museum where there are about 10 different aircraft of the Ecuadorian Air Force. Among these aircraft are the Mirage, Kfir, Jaguar, T-33, T-34, A-37, MK-89, Sabreliner, and Alouette III

After this we head north, to the city of Manta in the province of Manabí. This drive would take a few hours so in the meantime we could enjoy the beautiful beaches of the “Ruta del Espóndilus”. We arrived to Manta at night.

The next day we began observing a preserved T-33 in downtown Manta. Then we continued to Portoviejo where we visited the 43rd Air Group of the Ecuadorian Army. This is located inside the Manabí army fort and is home to a few of the army’s helicopters. Up until a few years ago, some Gazelle helicopters were based here, now they are preserved at the base. However, the AS350 and AS550s operate regularly from here.

Our next visit was at the hangar of the Ecuadorian National Police which is located where Portoviejo’s “Reales Tamarindos” airport was located. Here, a Robinson R-44 and a MD-500 are based to patrol the area and help with medical evacuations.

Once we finished with this visit we returned to Manta and visited the Eloy Alfaro international airport. From here we could observe aircraft of the air force, navy, and general aviation. The 23rd combat wing of the air force is based in Manta, and they operate a the A-29 Super Tucanos. Also, the 737-200 of the air force was doing some touch and gos that afternoon.

Also in Manta, a few Robinson R-22 helicopters are based here to help fishing crews. That night we flew to Quito where our adventure would continue the next day.

The next morning the tour continued southward towards the city of Latacunga. The first stop was the #9 Special Forces Brigade “Fuerte Patria”. This fort is where the special forces and paratroopers of the Ecuadorian army train. In this fort there are a few preserved aircraft: 2 Douglas C-47s are kept for ceremonial purposes when trainees graduate. The other aircraft is the fuselage of a former air force DHC-5 Buffalo which is used to train paratroopers. A Gazelle and a T-33 are preserved for decorative purposes, and a former air force HS-748 is used both for training and ceremonies.

Our next visit was the ETFA or Air Force Technical School in Latacunga. This school trains both technicians and other careers of the air force and they have a few preserved aircraft there such as a Gloster Meteor, Mirage F1, Mirage 50, T-33 and A-37 used as a gate guardian.

The following visit was to Latacunga’s Cotopaxi international airport. That day there weren’t any international flights, but on the platform we could see all the aircraft of the 11th transport wing of the air force: Lockheed L-100, CN-295, Beechcraft B200, DHC-6 Twin Otter, Boeing 737-200 among others.

We also visited the Escuela Ecuatoriana de Aviación hangar which operates a Cessna T-41 and a Mooney M20.

Our next visit was the Belisario Quevedo campus of the ESPE, or armed forces university. This recently built campus is where the aeronautical mechanic career is taught, and thus has a few aircraft used for training such as a Fairchild F-27, Cessna A-37, Cessna 150, Hawker Siddeley HS-125, and the nose of a Boeing 727-200.

Our final visit this day was in the Chachoan airport in the city of Ambato. Here is where the CIDFAE (Air Force Center for Investigation and Development) operates. In a hangar at the airport they develop drones and lighter than air aircraft. Also in Ambato’s airport there is a preserved Mirage F1 and a T-33 on a pedestal as a gate guardian.

Our final visit this day was a short drive nearby to the town of Pillaro where there are 2 preserved aircraft at a park. One is a T-33 and the other an A-37.

After this long but exciting day we returned to Quito where the 5th day of our tour concluded.

The next morning we began our day in the heart of Quito: in La Carolina park where there is a preserved Douglas DC-6. Shortly after this visit we continued to Quito’s Mariscal Sucre air force base right where the former airport was located. The Museo Aeronáutico y del Espacio (Aeronautics and Space museum) is located here and has various aircraft on display: T-28 Trojan, T-6 Texan, T-33, Beech 18, C-47, B-25, B-23, DC-6, Canberra, C-130, HS-748, Sikorsky Chickasaw, Mirage F1, Sepecat Jaguar, A-37, and a Strike Master.

Inside the museum building are a few other aircraft: Fairchild PT-19, Stinson Reliant, and a Macchi-Hanriot HD-1 named “Telégrafo 1”, the first plane to fly through the Ecuadorian Andes.

We were also granted access to the hangar where they keep other preserved aircraft which are used during ceremonies. Inside the hangar we saw Mirage F1, Kfir, Jaguar, A-37, Strike Master, Gloster Meteor, and T-34. The noses of 2 C-130s were also seen. It seems these noses will be preserved somewhere.

After this visit we head to the other side of the former airport to visit the hangars of the police and Quito fire department where they operate AW-109s and AS350s.

Then we head to Puembo, near Quito’s airport where there is a preserved Vickers Viscount at a private property. This Viscount was purchased by Saeta to be used for spare parts. By the time Saeta stopped operating the Viscounts the plane had no reason to be, and was sold. Its new owner managed to move the plane from Quito’s old airport to its final resting place in Puembo. The exterior has undergone a few liveries, but the interior has remained the same since it was preserved. The plane is kept in wonderful condition despite the strength of the sun rays in the equator and highlands.

Our final visit of the day and of this tour was at Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport. Here we were able to visit the ramp and do some plane-spotting at the helipads near runway 36.

That afternoon we were able to catch the activity at Quito’s airports and saw the Avianca A320s, Latam A319s, Aeroregional 737s, EquAir 737-700s, and Avioandes Dash-8s. Copa Airlines was present that day with its retro livery which had just been painted a few months before. Delta Airlines arrived in the afternoon with a 757.

Cargo planes such as a Turkish Cargo 777, MasAir 767, Latam Cargo 767s and Air Canada Cargo 767s were also seen.

The government’s oil company (Petroecuador) Embraer 145 was also seen, as well as various general aviation aircraft. As the afternoon came to a close it was time to abandon the airport. With this, the tour concluded and the group was transferred to their hotel as they would depart the next morning. This was a very complete and exciting tour that showed a considerable part of Ecuador’s military and civil aviation.

If you wish to join us on our next tour, feel free to visit our website or email us at eap.aviation.tours@gmail.com.

Email: eap.aviation.tours@gmail.com – ecuadoraviationphotography@gmail.com

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