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at [email protected]http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #364 JULY 2018 // 21‘Smokers’ on the road
Alegre’s anniversary, the
first demonstration of the
season, in front of around
10,000 people. The next
three days saw visits to
schools and hospitals and
interviews with local media.
AFM joined the team on
the 29th as the personnel
flew to Santa Maria air base,
186 miles (300km) west of
Porto Alegre. The Smoke
Squadron conducted
another display, this time
over São Gabriel, a small
city a few miles away.
An hour later, the seven
Super Tucanos returned,
having completed the
type’s 100th demonstration
with the team.
The trip proper began on
April 2. An EDA mechanic
and the Amazonas
loadmaster conducted an
intense conversation about
weights and balances
as the C-105 was being
loaded with a month’s
worth of luggage and
supplies. With almost 40
people on board, there was
almost no room to move.
Our first foreign stop
was at the Fuerza Aérea
Argentina (FAA, Argentine
Air Force) officers’ school,
the Escuela de Aviación
Militar (EAM) in Córdoba,
almost three hours later.
From there we took off for
Mendoza, further west, our
last stop of the day. On
arrival, an A-29 blew a tyre,
closing the only runway of
the international airport,
which is shared with the
FAA’s IV Brigada Aérea,
our host for the night. Wereceived the bad news while
taxiing, and the mechanics
began to gather tools before
our aircraft had come to a
stop. A truck took them to
the runway and, in less than
20 minutes, it was open
again for normal operations.
Minor repairs were made on
the tarmac, and the aircraft
were refuelled ready for
the next morning’s flight.Over the Andes
The morning of April 3
provided the greatest
challenge of the trip. To
cross the Andes, cargo and
personnel were transported
in two flights. This reduced
weight to cope with thehigh altitudes, including
flying near the Aconcagua
peak, at 22,837ft (6,960m)
the highest in the Americas.
With the Super Tucanos
all joining the first flight,
we could fly for around 40
minutes with the cargo door
open for photography.
Our route followed most
of the Mendoza valley,
and once in Santiago,
our first port of call was
Chilean customs.
We spent seven days
in Santiago, the Smoke
Squadron performing
once on each day of
the show, plus a flyover
with the KC-390 and one
with the Halcones.We left Santiago in another
C-105, the first having left
the day after we arrived.
The new aircraft, from 1°/9°
GAv, came all the way from
Manaus, in the far north
of Brazil’s Amazon region.
Again, the cargo was split,
and we flew to Mendoza
in two legs. After a stop
here, once more hosted
by the IV Brigada Aérea,
we continued to Córdoba,
where a performance was
scheduled the next day at
the EAM, with over 5,000
people in attendance.
The morning after the
Córdoba display, we
headed to Uruguaiana, a
small city in Brazil’s RioGrande do Sul, on the
border with Argentina.
Another long flight and
a two-day break before
we headed to our final
international destination:
Montevideo, Uruguay. Here
the squadron displayed
for over 7,000 people on
the city’s waterfront. On
April 16, I completed my
last take-off with the team,
landing at Pelotas, three
hours south of Porto Alegre.
I was tired but proud to
have participated in the
experience, and began my
trip back to Rio. Meanwhile,
the ‘Smokers’ had another
week of travel and two
displays ahead of them.Right: The Fumaça A-29s taxi back to
the fl ight line after a FIDAE display on
the latest Latin American tour.
Left: Esquadrilha da Fumaça in
formation over the outskirts of
Mendoza after taking off for the
journey to Santiago. All photos
Carlos Filipe OpertiSmoke on! The team over the Andes, only a few miles south of the Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside Asia.AFM