Uruguay tour - August 2023
Back in August we organized a short tour to Uruguay as part of a tour to Perú by a British agency.
Despite being a small country, Uruguay and its aviation has a lot to offer and there were surprises all over the place. We were able to visit a great number of bases, museums, and airfields, and in them we were able to see quite a lot of interesting things.
The group we traveled with was mainly interested in military aviation and it did not disappoint. There is a lot of aviation history just lying about the place in the Uruguayan Air Force’s bases, the Uruguayan Naval base, and in various places all around Uruguay.
The tour began early in the morning on a cold August morning. We greeted the group that arrived from Lima at Carrasco’s airport in Montevideo. After a brief breakfast to wake up, we were ready to start our adventure. The first stop was at the 1st Air Brigade of the Uruguayan Air Force in Carrasco, right next door to the terminal. Here we were greeted by the Uruguayan Air Force personnel and were shown around the base. We were able to see the preserved aircraft which include some DC-3 / C-47s, Fairchild F-27, and some Westland Wessexes.
On the platforms and hangars we were able to see some Bell UH-1Hs, Casa 212s, Embraer C-120, and a few Beechcraft Barons. The visit later continued to the “Cnel. (Av.) Jaime Meregalli” Aeronautical museum. This exhibit is home to over 30 aircraft of different types: military, civil, gliders, classic, and more modern aircraft. Their exterior exhibits include a Pluna Douglas DC-3, Vickers Viscount 827, and T-33.
Our visit continued eastward to the Pando district of Montevideo where the Military Aeronautical School is located. Here we can find a great number of Aermacchi SF-260s which are used for training. Also, a few preserved aircraft are found here like a T-6 Texan and Cessna T-41. During our visit we were able to see the Aermacchis in action as they departed for a training flight.
But our day was far from over. We continued eastward to Laguna del Sauce following the coastline with just a brief stop to capture a preserved Fokker F-27 at scrapyard.
The Uruguayan naval command is based at the Punta del Este airport, at the Capitán Curbello naval base. The base has a few preserved aircraft like a Grumman S-2, T-6 Texan, Bell 47, as well as others.
Besides those relics, there is more history in the Uruguayan naval fleet. The last Wessex to fly for the Uruguayan navy (and in the world) was flown by Prince Charles back in the day. Story has it that when Prince Charles visited Uruguay in 1999, he visited this base and to his surprise, he found the helicopter he flew when he was at the RAF. Since the helicopter was retired, it has been preserved inside the hangar.
More history can be seen in the hangar, as one of the 3 Cessna O2-As that operates for the navy used to fly for the US Army (before it flew in the Chilean navy), and fought during the Vietnam war. In fact, it was hit by a bullet during combat, and to this day the repaired section can be seen as part of it’s “war scars”. An Agusta-Bell 412 which now flies for the Uruguayan navy was involved in the rescue of the passengers on board the Costa Concordia cruise ship in 2012. Besides that, various aircraft that are now out of service can be seen around the hangar.
After this visit we stopped by Punta del Este to visit a preserved Bölkow Bo-105 donated by the navy to be preserved at a park. We also stopped by to see a former Pluna Boeing 737 preserved at a campus in a private university. After this we head back to Montevideo.
The next morning we started very early as we had a long drive ahead of us. Long before the sun was up we began our journey north to visit the II Air Brigade in Durazno.
At the II Air Brigade we can find the No. 2 Air Squadron (Fighter), the Advanced Flight Squadron and the Liaison Squadron. The most notable aircraft are the Cessna A-37s, and Pilatus PC-7s. In the recent past, the Argentinean made IA-65 “Pucará” aircraft operated from Durazno. In fact, one is still kept in airworthy condition though it does not fly. Other aircraft operate at this base too.
A few other preserved aircraft can be seen at the II Air Brigade such as the Pucarás, T-34, T-33s, / F-80s, Cessna 185, and A-37.
When this visit was over we head back to Montevideo for our next visit: The ETA or Aeronautical Technical School. This school is part of the Uruguayan Air Force and is home to various preserved aircraft. Not only are the aircraft preserved for commemorative or decorative purposes, but to train students in mechanics and other technical careers. Among the aircraft we can find here are various Bell UH-1H and Wessex helicopters, Lockheed T-33s, Beechcraft T-34s, T-6, Beech 65 Queen Air and a Cessna 182.
Our next visit was to the Angel S Adami airport. This is a small civil airport west of Montevideo and is where most general aviation flights operate in the Uruguayan capital. Here, we visited the Aero Club del Uruguay, the oldest aeroclub in South America, dating back to 1913. The Aeroclub has a few aircraft used both for training and for their members: Cessna 150 and 172.
During this visit we were also able to see a few other aircraft from Uruguay’s general aviation fleet as well as some abandoned aircraft that have their history: One of them is an Argentine HS-125 which was said to have been used during the military dictatorship and was going to be returned to Argentina.
Our final visit for the day and for this tour was a brief stop at La Teja district in western Montevideo where there is a preserved Beechcraft C-45 at a scrapyard. After this we were done for the day and the tour came to an end. The next morning the group left for Lima early in the morning.
If you want to be part of our aviation tours and be able to see different aircraft in different parts of Latin America, be sure to email us at eap.aviation.tours@gmail.com