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 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.[4] It is named in honor of Captain Germán Olano Moreno.[5]
Captain Germán Olano Moreno Air Base Base Aérea Capitán Germán Olano Moreno  | |||||||||||
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| 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 | 5°29′01″N 74°39′26″W | ||||||||||
| Website | www.cacom1.mil.co | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
![]() PAL Location of the airport in Colombia  | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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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
    
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Base Aérea Capitán Germán Olano. | 
References
    
- Airport information for SKPQ from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
 - Airport information for PAL at Great Circle Mapper.
 - Google Maps - Puerto Salgar
 - (in Spanish) CACOM 1 - Puerto Salgar (Cundinamarca) - Comando Aéreo de Combate No.1
 - (in Spanish) Capitán Germán Olano Moreno
 - "Hitos en la historia de Palanquero". Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
 - Reseña Histórica
 - "FAC1670 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
 - "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.
 


