Galeão Air Force Base – ALA11 is a base of the

Brazilian Air Force "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...

located in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

, Brazil. It is named after nearby ''Praia do Galeão'' (''

Galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch ...

Beach''), where in 1663 the

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch ...

'' Padre Eterno'' was built. It shares some facilities with

Rio de Janeiro/Galeão International Airport Rio de Janeiro/Galeão – Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport , popularly known by its original name Galeão International Airport, is the main airport serving Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2019, it was the country's fourth-busiest airpor ...

History

The history of the Base begins on 10 May 1923 when a School of Naval Aviation was established near 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

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

on 22 August 1942, the aerodrome began to be intensively used by the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

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'' (''Brazilian Air Force Passenger Services Terminal'').

Units

The following units are based at Galeão Air Force Base:

Retired aircraft

File:Douglas DC-3 (8141516875).jpg, Douglas C-47 Dakota File:2504 BAe.748 ( C-91 ) Forca Aerea Brasileira (7378638350).jpg, Hawker Siddeley C-91 Avro File:Boeing KC-137 (707-300C), Brazil - Air Force AN2276309.jpg, Boeing KC-137 File:Boeing 767 (Forca Aerea Brasileira) Rafael Luiz (28938052151).jpg, Boeing C-767

Accidents and incidents

*2 September 1953: a

Brazilian Air Force "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...

Douglas C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...

registration FAB-2049 crashed in sea on training flight in the vicinity of the Base. All 4 occupants died. *25 February 1960: (

1960 Rio de Janeiro mid-air collision The 1960 Rio de Janeiro mid-air collision was an aerial collision between two aircraft over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 25, 1960. A United States Navy Douglas R6D-1 (DC-6A) (BuNo ''131582'') flying from Buenos Aires-Ezeiza to Rio de Jane ...

) a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Douglas R6D-1 (DC-6A) registration 131582 flying from

Buenos Aires-Ezeiza Ministro Pistarini International Airport ( es, link=no, Aeropuerto Internacional Ministro Pistarini) , also known as Ezeiza International Airport owing to its location in the Ezeiza Partido in Greater Buenos Aires, is an international airport s ...

to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão Air Force Base collided in the air over

Guanabara Bay Guanabara Bay ( pt, Baía de Guanabara, ) is an oceanic bay located in Southeast Brazil in the state of Rio de Janeiro. On its western shore lie the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Duque de Caxias, and on its eastern shore the cities of Niterói a ...

close to

Sugarloaf Mountain Sugarloaf Mountain ( pt, Pão de Açúcar, ) is a peak situated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the mouth of Guanabara Bay on a peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. Rising above the harbor, the peak is named for its resemblance to ...

with a Real Transportes Aéreos

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper versi ...

registration PP-AXD operating flight 751 from

Campos dos Goytacazes Campos dos Goytacazes () is a municipality located in the northern region of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, with a population of 471,737 inhabitants. Location Campos dos Goytacazes has an area of 4,032 km2 (1,557 sq mi), which makes it t ...

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. * 3 May 1982: a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

Avro Vulcan The Avro Vulcan (later Hawker Siddeley Vulcan from July 1963) is a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing, high-altitude, strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A.V. Roe an ...

bomber was intercepted by two F-5E aircraft of the 2nd Squadron of the 1st Group of Combat Aviation (2°/1°GAvC) ''Pif-paf'' based at

Santa Cruz Air Force Base Santa Cruz Air Force Base – ALA12 is a base of the Brazilian Air Force, located in the district of Santa Cruz in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. History The base was originally called Bartolomeu de Gusmão Airport and it was constructed to handle ...

. The Vulcan had finished the Operation Black Buck 6 during the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial ...

and was returning to

Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory of ...

when it suffered technical problems: while attempting to refuel from a tanker aircraft, the tip of the probe broke. With insufficient fuel to return to its base at

, the Vulcan declared

mayday Mayday is an emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications. It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners, but in some countries local organiz ...

, 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. *12 November 1990: a

Brazilian Air Force "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...

de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo The de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo is a short takeoff and landing ( STOL) utility transport turboprop aircraft developed from the earlier piston-powered DHC-4 Caribou. The aircraft has extraordinary STOL performance and is able to take off ...

registration FAB-2350 crashed upon take-off from Galeão Air Force Base. Of the 9 occupants, 1 survived.

Access

The base is located 20 km from Rio de Janeiro downtown in the district of Governador Island.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Galeao Air Force Base Rio de Janeiro (state) Brazilian Air Force Brazilian Air Force bases Buildings and structures in Rio de Janeiro (state) Rio de Janeiro (city) Airports in Rio de Janeiro (city) 1923 establishments in Brazil

History

Units

Retired aircraft

Accidents and incidents

Access

See also

References

External links