Airforces Monthly - February 2017

ARTICLE SUMMARY
NEWS
LATIN AMERICA
Argentine Troopship
retirement
F27-400M TC-79 landing at Paraná. Esteban Brea
THE ARGENTINE Air Force
(Fuerza Aérea Argentina, FAA)
staged a farewell ceremony
for the Fokker F27 at the II
Brigada Aérea (2nd Air Brigade),
based at Paraná in Entre Ríos,
on November 24. Before the
aircraft was stood down, the final
operational F27-400M Troopship
in service with the FAA, serial
TC-79 (c/n 10575), performed
flights and demonstrated cargo
and paratroopers being dropped.
The ceremony was also
attended by three IA-58
Pucarás and a Cessna 182
from the III Brigada Aérea
and two IA-63 Pampa IIs
and an Aerocommander 500
operated by the VI Brigada
Aérea. Other aircraft present
included a C-130H Hercules, a
Fokker F28 and a Learjet 35,
all of which were used for VIP
transport at the event. Finally,
a trio of Pucarás escorted
TC-79 during two flypasts.
The FAA Fokker F27 fleet
recorded 48 years of service and
a total of 228,000 flying hours
with the I, II and IX Brigada Aérea
and the Centro de Ensayos en
Vuelo (Flight Test Centre).
Cockpit
upgrade
for Chilean P-3
THE LOCKHEED P-3 Orion
maritime patrol aircraft of
the Chilean Navy (Armada
de Chile) are to receive
a cockpit upgrade. The
Flight2 integrated avionics
system from Rockwell
Collins was selected for the
life extension and avionics
upgrade by Canadian prime
contractor IMP Aerospace.
The new cockpit will provide
Orion pilots with improved
situational awareness and
communications capabilities.
The Flight2 integrated avionics
suite includes communications,
navigation and surveillance
equipment and integrates newgeneration
avionics with legacy
sensors, radios, autopilot and
aircraft systems. The avionics
will feature advanced displays
and an integrated military/civil
flight management system.
Installation and integration
will be done at IMP’s Halifax,
Nova Scotia facilities in Canada.
Chile adds Cirrus
SR22T trainers
THE CHILEAN Air Force
(Fuerza Aérea de Chile, FACh)
has received two additional
Cirrus SR22Ts for liaison and
refresher training. The aircraft
will gradually replace the Piper
PA-28-236 Dakota. The new
SR22Ts, serials 239 and 240, are
assigned to the Aviation School
based at El Bosque in Santiago
de Chile. The FACh now has
six SR22Ts. The first two,
serials 235 and 236, arrived in
May 2013, with 237 and 238
following in September 2015.
Juan Carlos Cicalesi
Argentine
Army Aviation
retirements
THE AVIATION Management
(Dirección de Aviación) of
the Argentine Army (Ejército
Argentino, EA) has retired its five
remaining Cessna T207A Turbo
Stationairs, from an original total
of nine. Also retired were two
Swearingen SA-226AT Merlin IVs
that had been in use since 1979.
Juan Carlos Cicalesi
Accompanied by Hughes 500
H-40, Bell 212 H-86 carries
members of the Grupo de
Operaciones Especiales at José
C Paz air base on November 15.
Esteban Brea
FAA rotors on show
ON NOVEMBER 15 the
Argentine Air Force’s VII Brigada
Aérea (7th Air Brigade) hosted
a ceremony to celebrate solo
flights by five pilots who
had recently completed the
Helicopter Pilot Procedures
Standardisation Course
(Curso de Estandarización
de Procedimientos de Pilotos
de Helicópteros, CEPAH)
in the Hughes 500.
The event, which took
place at José C Paz air base,
Buenos Aires, also marked
the graduation of five new
personnel attached to the
Special Operations Group
(Grupo de Operaciones
Especiales, GOE).
The ceremony began with the
arrival of Bell 212 H-86, from
which GOE personnel rappelled
onto the tarmac. Hughes
500s PGH-03 and H-40 then
landed with the pilots who had
completed their solo flights.
20 FEBRUARY 2017 #347
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