Campo de Mayo 1995

dick loh vervallen · Post by **dick loh vervallen** » 28 Dec 2015, 13:09

Exactly 20 years ago, during my first visit to South America I visited Campo de Mayo a few days in a row in the week between Christmas and New Years eve. This airfield, situated in the outskirds of the nations capital Buenos Aires is the main base of the Comando de Aviación del Ejército Argentino.
Excited to be there but it was obvious not the best time of the year. There was not so much activity going on as the holiday season had started and the position of the sun was during mid-day not that good for photography.

Escuadrón de Aviación de Apoyo de Inteligencia 601 (Esc Av Apy Icia 601) was flying ex US Army Grumman OV-1D Mohawks for almost two years then. Besides photographing them on the ground I had the luck to do that also in the air.

1. OV-1D AE-030 was the only Mohawk wearing full color roundel and a squadon badge on the tail.
2. Top view of AE-030 with speedbrakes out.
3. SLAR equiped OV-1D AE-035.
4. AE-035 flying over the outskirts of Buenos Aires.
5. AE-041 fitted with two types of LAU rocket-pods.

dick loh vervallen · Post by **dick loh vervallen** » 28 Dec 2015, 13:11

Batallón de Helicópteros de Asalto 601 (B Helic Asal 601), the oldes unit of the flying part of the Argentina Army aviation created in 1970.

6. UH-1H AE-407 low level take off.
7. With the badge of the B Helic Asal 601 on the crew entry door AE-408 is parked in front of the squadron hangar.
8. AE-450 was (and still is) the sole Bell 212 in use.
9. Surviving SA 330L Puma AE-507 out of nine delivered crashed almost a year later on 8 October 1996.
10. AS 332B Super Puma AE-526/72.

dick loh vervallen · Post by **dick loh vervallen** » 28 Dec 2015, 13:12

Escuadrón de Aviación de Exploración y Ataque 602 (Esc Av Expl Atq 602) called so since 15 December 1986 was flying the UH-1H and Agusta A 109 Hirundo.

11. A 109A AE-336 is about to leave.
12. AE-339 in front of the squadron hangar equipped with a FN Herstal 7.62 mm machine gun pod and 7-tube US Army XM157 70 mm rocket launcher

dick loh vervallen · Post by **dick loh vervallen** » 28 Dec 2015, 13:14

Escuadrón de Aviación de Apoyo General 603 (Esc Av A G 603) was the fixed wing transport unit and flew with a variety of types.

13. Largest type in use was the G.222 although by the time of my visit all three were stored and awaiting funds to put them up in the air again.
14. AE-175 a Sabre 75A, the only jet in use.
15. AE-106 is a model 200 of the DHC-6 Twin Otter and flies next to AE-263, a 300 model.
16. Swearingen SA 226AT Metro III AE-181, ex Air Force TS-01 in front of the Campo de Mayo tower.
17. CASA 212-200 AE-264, ex LV-RBB was swapped in 1994 with the Government of the Santa Fe province for Agusta A 109 AE-333 which became LV-WJC.
18. Cessna T.207A AE-222.

dick loh vervallen · Post by **dick loh vervallen** » 28 Dec 2015, 13:16

Escuela de Aviación de Ejército “Cnel Arenales Uriburu” (Esc Av Eje) was created on 23 November 1989 for wanabee pilots.

19. UH-12E AE-357 about to land after another training flight.
20. T-41D AE-055 was already in use since 1974.
21. OV-1D AE-024 was given orange wing tanks to be better visable in the air.
22. Although not used for training bit still in use was U-17A AE-205.

Thijs · Post by **Thijs** » 28 Dec 2015, 13:21

Nice shots of those Mohawks!

Keep them coming.

SquAdmin · Post by **SquAdmin** » 28 Dec 2015, 13:42

Looking for my jaw right now, must have fallen on the floor

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