Manaus Air Force Base

Manaus Air Force Base Base Aérea de Manaus
IATA: PLL – ICAO: SBMN
Summary
Airport type		Military: Air Force Base
Operator		Brazilian Air Force
Serves		Manaus
In use		1970 – present
Commander		Cel. Av. Roberto Nicolau Chagas
Elevation AMSL		81 m / 267 ft
Coordinates		03°08′46″S 059°59′11″W / 3.14611°S 59.98639°W / -3.14611; -59.98639Coordinates: 03°08′46″S 059°59′11″W / 3.14611°S 59.98639°W / -3.14611; -59.98639
Map
SBMN Location in Brazil
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
09/27	2,318	7,605	Asphalt
Sources: Brazilian Air Force[1]

Manaus Air Force Base – BAMN (IATA: PLL, ICAO: SBMN) is a base of the Brazilian Air Force located in Manaus, Brazil. It was created in 1970 and between 1970 and 1976 public facilities of Ponta Pelada Airport were shared with the military facilities of Manaus Air Force Base.^[2] In 1976, with the opening of Eduardo Gomes International Airport, all public operations were transferred to the new airport. Ponta Pelada Airport was then renamed Manaus Air Force Base and since then it handles exclusively military operations.

Units

The following units are based at Manaus Air Force Base:

Subordinated to the command of the 2nd Air Force (II FAe), which is dedicated to Search and Rescue, Rotorary Wings, and Maritime Patrol:

• 7th Squadron of the 8th Aviation Group (7°/8°GAv), the Hárpia Squadron, using UH-1H (UH-1 Iroquois) and H-60L (UH-60 Black Hawk) helicopters for transportation, search and rescue and humanitarian missions.^[3]

Subordinated to the command of the 3th Air Force (III FAe), which is dedicated to fighter and attack:

• 1st Squadron of the 4th Aviation Group (1°/4°GAv), the Pacau Squadron, using F-5EM (Northrop F-5) fighter.^[4]

Subordinated to the command of the 5th Air Force (V FAe), which is dedicated to Transport Aviation:

• 1st Squadron of the 9th Transportation Group (1°/9°GAv), the Arara Squadron, using C-115 (de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo) and C-105 (EADS CASA C-295) aircraft for missions of troops and cargo transportation.^[5]

Subordinated to the command of the 7th Regional Air Force Command (VII COMAR):

• 7th Squadron of Air Transportation (7°ETA), the Cobra Squadron, using C-95B (Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante), C-97 (Embraer EMB 120 Brasília) and C-98 (Cessna 208 Caravan) aircraft for transport, logistics, and humanitarian missions.^[6]

Manaus Air Force Base is also the base of the 4th Aviation Battalion of the Brazilian Army (4° BAvEx), which uses the helicopters HM-1 (Eurocopter AS565), HM-3 (Eurocopter AS 532), and HM-2 UH-60 Black Hawk.

Accidents and incidents

• 28 April 1971: Brazilian Air Force, a Douglas DC-6B registration FAB-2414 en route from Manaus to Rio de Janeiro had problems with engine vibrations which forced the crew to return to Manaus. On the ground one of the right hand engines burst into flames. The fire spread to the fuselage causing the death of 16 of the 83 occupants.^[7]

Access

The base is located 9 km from downtown Manaus.

See also

• Ponta Pelada Airport

References

1. ^ Brazilian Air Force Official Website
2. ^ "Base Aérea de Manaus e 1°/9° GAv completam 39 anos de apoio à Amazônia" (in Portuguese). Força Aérea Brasileira. 14 April 2009. http://www.fab.mil.br/portal/capa/index.php?mostra=2672. Retrieved 26 April 2011. 
3. ^ "7º/8ºGAv – Esquadrão Hárpia" (in Portuguese). Spotter. http://www.spotter.com.br/esquadroes/harpia_02.htm. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
4. ^ "1º/4ºGAv – Esquadrão Pacau" (in Portuguese). Spotter. http://www.spotter.com.br/esquadroes/pacau_02.htm. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
5. ^ "1º/9ºGAv – Esquadrão Arara" (in Portuguese). Spotter. http://www.spotter.com.br/esquadroes/arara_02.htm. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
6. ^ "7ºETA – Esquadrão Cobra" (in Portuguese). Spotter. http://www.spotter.com.br/esquadroes/cobra_02.htm. Retrieved 30 April 2011. 
7. ^ "Accident description FAB-2414". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19710428-0. Retrieved 12 May 2011. 

External links

	Aviation portal
	Brazil portal

• Airport information for SBMN at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
• Airport information for SBMN at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
• Current weather for SBMN at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for PLL at Aviation Safety Network
• Manaus Air Force Base Photo Archive at airliners.net
• Photos of the UH-1H and H-60L used by Hárpia Squadron at spotters.com.br
• Photos of the F-5EM used by Pacau Squadron at spotters.com.br
• Photos of the C-115 and C-105 used by Arara Squadron at spotters.com.br
• Photos of the C-95B, C-97 and C-98 used by Cobra Squadron at spotters.com.br