or all air forces, screening,
selection and streaming
of student pilots is vital
for a sound operational structure.
Today, many air arms outsource
the screening process to general
aviation schools, often staffed
by former military pilots and
equipped with modern light aircraft.
In contrast, the Força Aérea Portuguesa
(FAP, Portuguese Air Force) brought seven
DHC-1 Chipmunk trainers out of eight
years of storage to perform the same task.
Thoroughly modified and continuously
updated, the ‘new generation’ Chipmunks
are used to screen pilot candidates as well
as trainees attending the Academia da Força
Aérea (AFA, Air Force Academy) at Base
Aérea No 1 (BA1) at Sintra, close to Lisbon.Sixty-plus years
The first of an eventual 76 Portuguese
Chipmunks was delivered to the then Escola
Militar de Aeronáutica (Military Aeronautical
School) at Sintra in 1951. These DHC-1s
replaced obsolete Tiger Moths that had
been in Portuguese service since 1934.
In 1986 – the 40th anniversary of the
Chipmunk – 37 still remained operational
with the Esquadra de Instrução 101. Aircraft
attrition averaged two DHC-1s annually,
mainly due to the age of the Gipsy engines.
In October 1987, the FAP decided to
purchase 18 Aérospatiale TB-30 EpsilonF
Right: The Pena Palace, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site, forms the backdrop to an
Esquadra 802 training sortie over the Sintra
Mountains. Below: FAP Chipmunk serials 1339
(c/n OGMA-29) and 1306 (C1/0351) over the sea
close to their base at Sintra. Portugal’s fi rst ten
Chipmunks were British built and were followed
by another batch of 66 completed at the FAP’s
OGMA facility at Alverca, north of Lisbon. All
photos Stefan Degraef and Edwin Borremanspropeller trainers to replace the
outdated Chipmunks. Having
received its first Epsilon in
February 1989, Esquadra 101
resumed operational training
the following December.
All the Chipmunks were
withdrawn from service as
trainers after the final Epsilons were
delivered in 1989 and Esquadra 101’s
pilot instructors had been converted onto
the new French-made aircraft at Sintra.
Soon after, seven redundant Chipmunk
Mk20s were transferred to the AFA, also at
Sintra, for glider towing. Their charges were the
four Schleicher ASK 21s purchased in 1987
and assigned to AFA’s Esquadra de Voo 802
‘Águias’ (eagles), responsible for initial screening
and flying training of academy students.
A major reform of the FAP’s flying training
syllabus in 1997 resulted in the introduction
of seven modified Chipmunks as cost-
effective alternatives for the initial pilot
screening programme – the so-called
Estágio de Seleção de Voo (ESV).
The most important modifications were
installation of a more powerful 180hp (134kW)
Lycoming O-360-A1A engine to replace the
75hp (100kW) Gipsy, a new radio, identification
friend or foe (IFF) transponder and metal
propeller. Five aircraft were modified by OGMA
at Alverca, the remaining two by Indústrias
Aeronáuticas de Coimbra (IAC). Having
received its first two aircraft in July 1997,
Esquadra 802 officially began its screening
programme on August 18 the same year.First taste of fl ying
Esquadra 802’s main mission to select pilot
cadets for the AFA and FAP kicks off in late
July each year with the arrival of around
30 candidates. Having already passed
psychological, physical and medical testing
outside the AFA, the flying stamina of each of
these young candidates is assessed by the
unit’s instructor pilots (IPs) over a 12-day period.
At first, AFA pilot cadets – closely supervised
by their instructors – provide the new
candidates with a three- or four-day academic
instruction course, focused on the Chipmunk.
An inflight guide, aircraft checklist and
technical operating manual are handed to the
youngsters for self-study. They have to pass
a preliminary exam with a score of at least
75% before beginning actual inflight screening.
As the only military operator of the Lycoming
Chipmunk, all checklists and operating
manuals are produced by Esquadra 802.http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #369 DECEMBER 2018 // 41