Captain Germán Olano Moreno Air Base

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 Aerospace Force (Fuerza Aeroespacial 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.^[4] It is named in honor of Captain Germán Olano Moreno.^[5]

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 Aerospace 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	5°29′01″N 74°39′26″W
Website	www.cacom1.mil.co
Map
PAL Location of the airport in Colombia
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 18/36 3,044 9,987 Asphalt
Source: WAD[1] GCM[2] Google Maps[3]

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 national airport of La Dorada.^[6]

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.^[7]

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 Colombian Air Force crashed near the base on a local training flight. All five crew were killed.^[8][9]
• 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.

See also

• Transport in Colombia
• List of airports in Colombia