Captain Germán Olano Moreno Air Base

Captain Germán Olano Moreno Air Base Base Aérea Capitán Germán Olano Moreno
IATA: PAL – ICAO: SKPQ
Summary
Airport type	Military: Air Force Base
Operator	Colombian Air Force
Location	Palanquero / Puerto Salgar, Colombia
Built	August 27, 1933
In use	1933 - Present
Commander	Brigadier General Guillermo León León
Occupants	Comando Aéreo de Combate No. 1
Elevation AMSL	173 m / 566 ft
Coordinates	05°29′01″N 074°39′26″W / 5.48361°N 74.65722°W
Website	www.cacom1.mil.co
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 18/36 3,044 9,987 Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Captain Germán Olano Moreno Air Base (Spanish: Base Aérea Capitán Germán Olano Moreno) (IATA: PAL, ICAO: SKPQ) is a Colombian military base assigned to the Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana or FAC) Combat Air Command No. 1 (Comando Aéreo de Combate No. 1 or CACOM 1). The base is located in Palanquero, near Puerto Salgar, in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia.^[3] It is named in honor of Captain Germán Olano Moreno.^[4]

Facilities

The air base resides at an elevation of 566 feet (173 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 18/36 with an asphalt surface measuring 9,987 by 164 feet (3,044 m × 50 m).^[1]

History

Officially inaugurated August 27, 1933 by the president of the republic Enrique Olaya Herrera, as the nacional airport of La Dorada.^[5]

In 1932, due to the conflict with Peru, the idea to create a base in a central strategic location was gaining hold. Back then the Hacienda Palanquero was already in use as an airport by the Colombian-German airline Scadta since 1919.^[6]

Accidents and incidents

• On 31 December 2014, A Colombian Air Force IAI Kfir C10 combat aircraft from 111 Squadron of the 1st Combat Air Command (CACOM-1) crashed while undertaking a training mission over La Dorada in Caldas. The pilot ejected following a technical failure while on approach to the Palanquero airbase in Puerto Salgar, Cundinamarca. "Colombian Kfir fighter lost to accident".
• On 18 February 2009, Basler BT-67 FAC 1670 of the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana crashed near the base on a local training flight. All five crew were killed.^[7][8]
• On 15 May 2009, FAC 3031 Dassault Mirage 5 of the Colombian Air Force crashed above the 36 heading after a failed take-off. The pilot made the emergency procedures and ejected, leaving unharmed.

References

1. Airport information for SKPQ from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
2. Airport information for PAL at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
3. (Spanish) CACOM 1 - Puerto Salgar (Cundinamarca) - Comando Aéreo de Combate No.1
4. (Spanish) Capitán Germán Olano Moreno
5. Hitos en la historia de Palanquero
6. Reseña Histórica
7. "FAC1670 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
8. "Ocho heridos deja el estallido accidental de una granada en un avión policial en Colombia" (in Spanish). Ultima Hora. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2010.