Galeão Air Force Base
Encyclopedia
Galeão Air Force Base – BAGL is a base of the Brazilian Air Force
located in Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil. It is named after Praia do Galeão (Galleon
Beach), located in front of the original passenger terminal of the airport and presently the passenger terminal of the Brazilian Air Force. It was at this beach that in 1663 the galleon Padre Eterno was built.
It shares some facilities with Rio de Janeiro/Galeão-Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport.
on 22 August 1942, the aerodrome began to be intensively used by the Allies
for military operations related to the World War II.
With the end of the war, the increase of tonnage of aircraft flying on international routes and number of passengers, and being Santos Dumont Airport unable to handle all the traffic international flights gradually shifted to the site of the Air Force Base. Although it informally handled long-haul international traffic, services were however precarious and a decision was made to build a brand new passenger terminal, opposite the Air Force Base, across the runway. On 1 February 1952 the passenger terminal was opened and public and military services were separated.
After the completion of a new passenger terminal in 1977, the original public facility became the passenger terminal for passenger flights operated by the Brazilian Air Force. Since then it is informally known as Terminal do Correio Aéreo Nacional (Terminal of the Brazilian Air Force Passenger Services).
On 3 May 1982 a British Avro Vulcan
bomber was intercepted by the aircraft of the 1° Grupo de Aviação de Caça (1ºGAvCa) based at Santa Cruz Air Force Base
. The Vulcan had finished the Operation Black Buck 6
during the Falklands War
and was returning to Ascension Island
when it suffered technical problems. It was intercepted upon entering Brazilian airspace and made to land at Galeão Air Force Base. The Brazilian aircraft flew back to Santa Cruz Air Force Base having successfully accomplished their mission. The Vulcan and its crew were interned at Galeão Air Force Base for nine days, before they were returned on 11 June, when diplomacy of the countries involved clarified the incident.
Subordinated to the command of the 5th Air Force (V FAe), which is dedicated to Transport Aviation:
Subordinated to the command of the 3rd Regional Air Force Command (III COMAR):
Additionally, the Batalhão de Infantaria de Aeronáutica Especial do Galeão (BINFAE-GL), an Infantry Battalion of the Brazilian Air Force that guards the Base, is also based at Galeão Air Force Base.
.
Brazilian Air Force
The Brazilian Air Force is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Army and Navy air branch were merged into a single military force initially called "National Air Forces"...
located in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil. It is named after Praia do Galeão (Galleon
Galleon
A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
Beach), located in front of the original passenger terminal of the airport and presently the passenger terminal of the Brazilian Air Force. It was at this beach that in 1663 the galleon Padre Eterno was built.
It shares some facilities with Rio de Janeiro/Galeão-Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport.
History
The history of the Base begins on 10 May 1923 when a School of Naval Aviation was established near the Galeão beach. On 22 May 1941 with the creation of the Air Force Ministry in Brazil, the school became the Galeão Air Force Base and a terminal and hangars were built at the location and the runway extended. Those buildings still exist. When Brazil declared war against the AxisAxis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
on 22 August 1942, the aerodrome began to be intensively used by the Allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
for military operations related to the World War II.
With the end of the war, the increase of tonnage of aircraft flying on international routes and number of passengers, and being Santos Dumont Airport unable to handle all the traffic international flights gradually shifted to the site of the Air Force Base. Although it informally handled long-haul international traffic, services were however precarious and a decision was made to build a brand new passenger terminal, opposite the Air Force Base, across the runway. On 1 February 1952 the passenger terminal was opened and public and military services were separated.
After the completion of a new passenger terminal in 1977, the original public facility became the passenger terminal for passenger flights operated by the Brazilian Air Force. Since then it is informally known as Terminal do Correio Aéreo Nacional (Terminal of the Brazilian Air Force Passenger Services).
On 3 May 1982 a British Avro Vulcan
Avro Vulcan
The Avro Vulcan, sometimes referred to as the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan, was a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A V Roe & Co designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the three V bombers produced,...
bomber was intercepted by the aircraft of the 1° Grupo de Aviação de Caça (1ºGAvCa) based at Santa Cruz Air Force Base
Santa Cruz Air Force Base
Santa Cruz Air Force Base – BASC is a base of the Brazilian Air Force located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.-History:The base was originally called Bartolomeu de Gusmão Airport and it was constructed to handle the operations with the rigid airships Graf Zeppelin and Hindenburg...
. The Vulcan had finished the Operation Black Buck 6
Operation Black Buck
During the Falklands War, Operations Black Buck 1 to Black Buck 7 were a series of seven extremely long-range ground attack missions by Royal Air Force Vulcan bombers planned against Argentine positions in the Falkland Islands...
during the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
and was returning to Ascension Island
Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
when it suffered technical problems. It was intercepted upon entering Brazilian airspace and made to land at Galeão Air Force Base. The Brazilian aircraft flew back to Santa Cruz Air Force Base having successfully accomplished their mission. The Vulcan and its crew were interned at Galeão Air Force Base for nine days, before they were returned on 11 June, when diplomacy of the countries involved clarified the incident.
Units
The following units are based at Galeão Air Force Base:Subordinated to the command of the 5th Air Force (V FAe), which is dedicated to Transport Aviation:
- 1st Squadron of the 1st Transportation Group (1°/1°GT), the Gordo Squadron, using C-130H and KC-130H (Lockheed C-130 HerculesC-130 HerculesThe Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
) aircraft for transport and aerial refuelingAerial refuelingAerial refueling, also called air refueling, in-flight refueling , air-to-air refueling or tanking, is the process of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight....
missions. - 1st Squadron of the 2nd Transportation Group (1°/2°GT), the Condor Squadron, using C-99A (Embraer ERJ 145Embraer ERJ 145 familyThe Embraer ERJ 145 family is a series of regional jets produced by Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace company. Family members include the ERJ 135 , ERJ 140 , and ERJ 145 , as well as the Legacy business jet and the R-99 family of military aircraft. The ERJ 145 is the largest of the group...
) aircraft for transport, including for the missions of the Brazilian Air Force Passenger Services. - 2nd Squadron of the 2nd Transportation Group (2°/2°GT), the Corsário Squadron, using KC-137 (Boeing 707Boeing 707The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
) aircraft for aerial refueling and transport missions.
Subordinated to the command of the 3rd Regional Air Force Command (III COMAR):
- 3rd Squadron of Air Transportation (3°ETA), the Pioneiro Squadron, using C-95 and C-95B (Embraer EMB 110 BandeiranteEmbraer EMB 110 BandeiranteThe Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante is a general purpose 15-21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft suitable for military and civil duties...
) and C-97 (Embraer EMB 120 BrasíliaEmbraer EMB 120 Brasilia-Accidents:*Brazilian Air Force on July 8, 1988 an Embraer EMB 120RT Brasília registration FAB-2001 crashed during and engine-out landing at São José dos Campos. Five of the 9 occupants died....
) aircraft for transport, logistics, and humanitary missions.
Additionally, the Batalhão de Infantaria de Aeronáutica Especial do Galeão (BINFAE-GL), an Infantry Battalion of the Brazilian Air Force that guards the Base, is also based at Galeão Air Force Base.
Accidents and incidents
- 25 February 1960: (1960 Rio de Janeiro air crash1960 Rio de Janeiro air crashThe 1960 Rio de Janeiro air crash was an aerial collision between two aircraft over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 25, 1960. In the crash, a United States Navy Douglas R6D-1 flying from Buenos Aires - Ezeiza to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Air Force Base collided in the air over Guanabara Bay,...
) a United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Douglas R6D-1 (DC-6A)Douglas DC-6The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
registration 131582 flying from Buenos Aires-EzeizaMinistro Pistarini International AirportMinistro Pistarini International Airport , more commonly known as Ezeiza International Airport owing to its location within the Ezeiza Partido in the Greater Buenos Aires, is an international airport located south-southwest of Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina...
to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Air Force Base collided in the air over Guanabara BayGuanabara BayGuanabara Bay is an oceanic bay located in southeastern Brazil in the state of Rio de Janeiro. On its western shore lies the city of Rio de Janeiro, and on its eastern shore the cities of Niterói and São Gonçalo. Four other municipalities surround the bay's shores...
close to the Sugarloaf Mountain with a Real Transportes AéreosReal Transportes AéreosReal Transportes Aéreos was a Brazilian airline founded in 1945. It was merged into Varig in 1961, when Varig bought the Consórcio Real-Aerovias-Nacional, of which Real was the main carrier....
Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
registration PP-AXD which was flying from Campos dos GoytacazesBartolomeu Lysandro AirportBartolomeu Lysandro Airport is the airport serving Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil. It is named after the Congressman Bartholomeu Lysandro de Albernaz , a local plantation owner in whose land, the Fazenda Bonsucesso, the airport was built....
to Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont. The probable causes of the accident are disputed but include error of personnel and faulty equipment. Of the 38 occupants of the American aircraft, 3 survived. All 26 passengers and crew of the Brazilian aircraft died. - 12 November 1990: a Brazilian Air ForceBrazilian Air ForceThe Brazilian Air Force is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Army and Navy air branch were merged into a single military force initially called "National Air Forces"...
de Havilland Canada DHC-5 BuffaloDe Havilland Canada DHC-5 BuffaloThe de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo is a short takeoff and landing utility transport, a turboprop aircraft developed from the earlier piston-powered DHC-4 Caribou...
registration FAB-2350 crashed upon take-off from Galeão Air Force Base. Of the 9 occupants, 1 survived. - 2 August 2011: a Brazilian Air ForceBrazilian Air ForceThe Brazilian Air Force is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Army and Navy air branch were merged into a single military force initially called "National Air Forces"...
Cessna C-98A Grand Caravan registration FAB-2735 en route from Canoas Air Force BaseCanoas Air Force BaseCanoas Air Force Base – BACO is a base of the Brazilian Air Force, located in Canoas, Brazil.-History:The history of Canoas Air Force Base begins in 1937, when the 3rd Army Aviation Regiment was transferred from Santa Maria Air Force Base to Canoas. When the Air Force Ministry was created in...
to Galeão Air Force Base crashed near the location of Bom Jardim da SerraBom Jardim da SerraBom Jardim da Serra is a town and municipality in the state of Santa Catarina in the South region of Brazil. It has an area of approximately 935 km².The city is one of the coldest in Brazil and sometimes there is chance of snow....
. All eight occupants died.
Access
The base is located 20 km from Rio de Janeiro downtown in the district of Governador IslandGovernador Island
Governador Island is the largest island in Guanabara Bay, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has a population of about 500,000 inhabitants, in a small area of ....
.
See also
- Rio de Janeiro/Galeão–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport