ase Aérea Capitán Germán Olano
Moreno at Palanquero, near Puerto
Salgar in the central department
of Cundinamarca, is the domain of the last
military-flown Cessna T-37s in the Americas.
It’s run by the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana
(FAC, Colombian Air Force), one of the
most active air arms in Latin America.
The country’s history includes some 50
years of warfare against insurgents and
narco-guerrillas, and the FAC has repeatedly
shown its worth during these internal
campaigns. However, the current peace deal
with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias
de Colombia (FARC, Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia) has reduced the
violence and the tempo of FAC combat
operations has wound down accordingly.
Meanwhile, military pilot training continues at
Base Aérea Marco Fidel Suárez, home of the
Escuela Militar de Aviación (Military Aviation
School), in the city of Cali. During four years
of academic and practical study, future FAC
aircrew make their first flights in the CessnaT-41D Mescalero and the locally assembled
Lancair/CIAC T-90 Calima. On concluding initial
training, student pilots transfer to Palanquero
where they are assigned the legendary T-37B
Tweet. This will be their final step before
flying a fighter or other frontline type.History
The prototype of the famous Tweet was the
Cessna XT-37 which made its maiden flight on
October 12, 1954. Only two prototypes of the
new aircraft were manufactured. The side-by-
side two-seat trainer prototypes were equipped
with a pair of J69-T-9 engines each developing
920lb (417kg) of thrust. After successful tests,
the US Air Force ordered 1,500 T-37As.
During the early 1960s the FAC sought to
replace its Lockheed T-33 with a new, low-cost
training platform. Colombia’s search quickly led
to a US government offer for 15 T-37Cs. The
sale materialised in mid-1968 and Colombia
received serials FAC 2100 to FAC 2114 and
the new jet trainers were shipped to Colombia
in two batches. From the start the Tweets‘Ta n g o’ Twe e t s
Colombia, together with
Pakistan, is one of the final
military operators of the classic
T- 3 7. Cristobal Soto Pino and
Cees-Jan van der Ende report
exclusively from Palanquero,
the last bastion of the Twe e t in
the Americas.B
76 // JUNE 2018 #363 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comColombian Air Force T-37