Mexico City (Mexico)
Mexico 211th Independence Day parade 2021
16 September 2021
| Air Force (FAM): |
| 3526, 3527, 3528 |
B737 |
|
|
| 3201, 3206, 3207 |
C295M/MW |
|
|
| 1008, 1011 |
EC725 |
|
|
| 4501, 4508, 4510 |
F-5E/F |
|
|
| 1714, 1719, 1723 |
Mi-17 |
|
|
| 1062, 1063, 1067 |
UH-60M |
|
|
| G120TP: |
| 6301, 6304, 6305, 6308, 6320, 6321, 6322, 6324 and 6325 |
|
|
|
| PC-7: |
| 2564, 2572, 6530, 6531, 6535, 6536, 6539, 6546, 6552, 6554, 6555 and 6556 |
|
|
|
| T-6C+: |
| 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2024, 2026, 2028, 2030, 2032, 2035, 2036, |
|
|
|
| 2039, 2040, 2042, 2043, 2045, 2046, 6604, 6607, 6608, 6611, 6612, 6613 |
|
|
|
| National Guard: |
| GN-101, GN-104, GN-107 |
S-70A |
|
|
| ANX-2305, ANX-2306 |
UH-60M |
|
|
| T-6C+: |
| ANX-1307, ANX-1308, ANX-1313 and ANX-1319 |
|
|
|
Credits: Enrique Giese
For years, Mexican Independence Day is celebrated as a national holiday on 16 September, usually with a huge military parade in Mexico City. From early August, practice flights for the air parade commemorating the 211th anniversary of the Independence of Mexico started at the new facilities of the Military Air Base No. 1 in Santa Lucía. It is worth mentioning that Santa Lucia was totally reconstructed in the past years, including the runways, military facilities, and administrative areas. The new base was inaugurated last February 10 when a Mexican air force Boeing 737 landed for the first time on its new military runway. As of today, everything has been put in operation, including the military control tower, which is independent from the civil part of the airbase, named Felipe Angeles International Airport (FAIA).
This year’s air group was called “Independence” and was made up of military aircraft from the Secretariat of the Navy, the Secretariat of National Defense (air force) and the National Guard. As of August 9, the aircraft and their crews began to arrive at Santa Lucia, near Mexico City, beginning practices for an event of this nature and magnitude. Just days before the actual air parade, a review took place by the high command of the air force and the navy, who checked the perfection of flights carried out. The approval was given on 11 September.
For aviation, the parade was divided into three parts: during the formal ceremony, PC-7 and T-6C + aircraft participated, throwing tricolour smoke in the colours of the Mexican flag: green, white and red. Subsequently, navy and army paratroopers jumped from a Mexican Air Force helicopter, to land precisely in the place indicated on the Zócalo, in front of the National Palace, continuing with an infiltration and exfiltration exercise of special forces in two EC725 helicopters aircraft of both the air force and the navy. After this demonstration, the traditional air parade over the Zócalo of Mexico City started.
The crews were made up of about 250 pilots, of which three were female pilots. Two of them flying the PC-7 as an advanced instructor and aircraft commander respectively. The third flew as an aircraft commander on the T-6C+, the latter belonging to the acrobatic squadron seen at the largest air show in Mexico, FAMEX 2021, which was held at Santa Lucia later in September 2021.
