Canoas Air Force Base

Canoas Air Force Base – ALA3 (IATA: QNS, ICAO: SBCO) is a base of the Brazilian Air Force, located in Canoas, near Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Canoas Air Force Base
Base Aérea de Canoas
Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil
F-5EM at Canoas during the EXPOAER in 2014
Site information
Type	Air Force Base
Code	ALA3
Owner	Brazilian Air Force
Controlled by	Brazilian Air Force
Open to the public	No
Website	www.fab.mil.br/organizacoes/mostra/445
Location
SBCO Location in Brazil Show map of Rio Grande do Sul SBCO SBCO (Brazil) Show map of Brazil
Coordinates	29°56′44″S 051°08′37″W
Site history
Built	1937 (1937)
In use	1944-present
Garrison information
Current commander	Cel. Av. Luciano Cantuária Pietrani
Occupants	1st Squadron of the 14th Aviation Group 5th Squadron of Air Transportation 2nd Squadron of the 7th Aviation Group 2nd Squadron of the 1st Communications and Control Group
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: QNS, ICAO: SBCO, LID: RS9002
Elevation	8 metres (26 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 13/31 2,751 metres (9,026 ft) Asphalt
Sources: DECEA[1]

History

The history of Canoas Air Force Base begins in 1937, when the 3rd Army Aviation Regiment (3º RAv) was transferred from Santa Maria Air Force Base to Canoas. With the creation of the Air Force Ministry in 1941, the 3º RAv became known as Gravataí Air Force Base. On 21 August 1944, the 3º RAv officially ceased to exist and on the same day Canoas Air Force Base was commissioned.

Due to the catastrophic flooding affecting the State of Rio Grande do Sul and in particular the city of Porto Alegre and its international airport, which caused a suspension of all operations,^[2] Canoas Air Force Base handled civilian flights from May 21 to October 21, 2024.^[3][4][5]

Units

The following units are based at Canoas Air Force Base:

• 1st Squadron of the 14th Aviation Group (1º/14ºGAv) Pampa, using the F-5EM & FM.^[6]
• 5th Squadron of Air Transportation (5°ETA) Pégaso, using the C-95BM & CM Bandeirante, C-97 Brasília and C-98A Caravan.^[7]
• 2nd Squadron of the 7th Aviation Group (2º/7ºGAv) Phoenix, using the P-95BM Bandeirulha.^[8]
• 2nd Squadron of the 1st Communications and Control Group (2º/1ºGCC) Aranha, using radars and equipment for air defense.^[9]

Accidents and incidents

• 28 July 1950: a Panair do Brasil Lockheed L-049 Constellation registration PP-PCG operating flight 099 from Rio de Janeiro-Galeão to Canoas Air Force Base struck power lines and crashed on a hill after an aborted landing and while holding in bad weather near São Leopoldo. All 50 passengers and crew died. At the time of the accident, the runway at São João Airport (presently Salgado Filho) was not yet paved, therefore the Constellations used the Air Base runway^[10][11]

Access

The base is located 6 km east of downtown Canoas and 21 km north of downtown Porto Alegre.

Gallery

This gallery displays aircraft that are or have been based at Canoas. The gallery is not comprehensive.

Present aircraft

• 
  Northrop F-5EM
• 
  Embraer C-95B Bandeirante
• 
  Embraer C-97 Brasília
• 
  Cessna C-98A Caravan
• 
  Embraer P-95B Bandeirulha

Retired aircraft

• 
  Douglas A-20K Havoc
• 
  Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
• 
  Gloster F-8 Meteor
• 
  Lockheed TF-33A T-Bird
• 
  Embraer AT-26 Xavante
• 
  Douglas C-47 Dakota

See also

• Aviation portal
• Brazil portal

• List of Brazilian military bases