Code One Magazine: Viva Venezuela

Venezuela F-16 In 1912, a North American pilot named Frank Boland cranked up his sixty-horsepower canvas-and-wood biplane and took to the skies over Caracas. His fifty-kilometer flight around the city ended with a soft landing in front of the presidential box at el Paraiso race track. A band played. The crowd applauded wildly. Government officials motioned Boland to the presidential box, where they would talk more about what such a contraption could do for their country. When the talk ended, Venezuelan aviation history began.

Boland's exhibition sparked an interest in aviation that would eventually flame into a love affair. But it was an affair that had to wait several years. The world's attention and resources focused on the war in Europe.

After the war, in 1920, Lt. Cosme Rennela of the Italian Air Force picked up where Boland left off. Rennela transported three aircraft, two French and one Italian, to Venezuela. He put on a few aerial exhibitions in Caracas and then flew his Harriot HD-1 west to Maracay, then the country's political center. Rennela put his Harriot down on Maracay's race track and went to work promoting his planes.

Rennela's efforts renewed interest in aviation. The Venezuelan government bought the three planes from Rennela and immediately began plans for an aviation academy in Maracay, chosen for its clear skies and flat terrain. It was, according to official documents, "a hospitable nest to eagles for their first attempt to flap their wings at the sun." On 10 December 1920, the Military School of Aviation was solemnly declared operational. The date officially marks the beginning of Venezuela's air force.

Much has happened in the last seventy years. Maracay's race track, not long after Rennela landed there, was turned into an air field for training pilots. Today it is the home of Venezuela's aviation museum. The museum's grounds and freshly restored 1920-vintage hangar contain an impressive and international array of aircraft: American P-47 Thunderbolt, B-25J Mitchell, Stearman, R-5 Sikorsky helicopter, BT-13 Valiant, AT-11 Kansan, F-86F Sabre; British DeHaviland Dove, Vampire, Venom, and Canberra; Italian-built F-86K Sabre; and a rare French Bregeut Bre 27-3.

As he escorts visitors through the museum, Col. Juan Flores, the curator, pauses a little longer at the planes that hold special meaning for him. In front of the F-86F Sabre, one of his favorites, he stops to make a point: "You can see by all these planes and the displays inside that France, Italy, Germany, England, the United States, and Canada have been important to our aviation history. But the lead roles in this history were always played by Venezuelans."

One of the air force's greatest achievements came in the early '50s, when it took the technologically bold step of converting to an all-jet fighter force. By converting from P-47 Thunderbolts to British Vampires and Venoms, the VAF was the first air force in South America to make a complete transition to jet-powered fighters.

Trading props for jets may have been a bold move, but it was not rash. Jet engines, in fact, made sense. They offered increased performance and were actually less complex than piston engines. Furthermore, the air force would have to maintain and operate for its fighter fleet only one type of engine instead of two. "The transition from props to jets was perhaps our greatest challenge," explained General Montserrat, the VAF's commanding general. "Technological advances have always presented challenges. But our air force has always been confident that it could meet those challenges."

The transition from props to jets turned out to be just one more milestone in a long road of success. This history is not neglected in Venezuela's air academy. There it is part of the coursework that motivates new generations to take on new challenges. The academy itself has come a long way in its seventy years. Six members were in its first class of 1920; the academy now handles several hundred cadets. Still located in Maracay, it is one of the most modern facilities in America, north or south. The school is run by Gen. Bernardo Thomas, who himself has a keen understanding of aviation history.

"Of course we teach our aviation history," Thomas said. "It is a very popular class with our cadets. I think it is very important to know your heritage, to know where you came from so you have a better understanding of where you want to go. After all, it is our future that most concerns us here."

For the cadets, that future begins every day before sunrise. In a huge courtyard surrounded by several of the school's training planes on static display, the students perform calisthenics. After breakfast, many head for one of the many sport facilities around the campus. Others head for class. "Our academics have improved considerably over the years," explained Thomas. "Not long ago, our graduates left here to pursue a specialty. Now those specialties are taught in our academy. Our graduates are leaving with a specialty.

"From its beginning, the air academy has maintained the highest standards of discipline competency, and physical conditioning," continued Thomas. "By concentrating on these basics, we have always been, and will always be, prepared to face new challenges."

While the academy provides the basics, it is up to the students to make the best use of the basics. Insp. Gen. Roberto Gruber made this point and then held out his fists as if clutching two bags. "Success," he said, "depends on maintaining an equilibrium. A pilot graduates from our academy carrying two bags - one bag of luck, which is full when he graduates, and one bag of experience, which is almost empty. A successful pilot uses his luck to gain experience. If a pilot wastes his luck, uses it up without gaining experience, he will most likely fail."

Col. Arturo Garcia is one of those pilots who managed to make the most of his luck. Today he is the commander of Venezuela's F-16 fighter squadron - Group 16. "To become a fighter pilot, that's the highest achievement for most students in the academy," explained Garcia. "But then you can understand that I am a little biased." Garcia grew up in a farming community in the plains of Venezuela. "When I was a young boy, I would run outside when I heard a plane. I would point to the sky and say 'some day I'll be up there.' Some dreams come true."

Garcia entered the academy never having flown in an airplane. "The first time I touched an aircraft, I had to fly it," Garcia said. "That first experience of leaving the ground is something that you carry forever."

Such experiences are not uncommon in the academy. Maximiliano Hernandez also left the ground for the first time in a Stearman as a cadet. "It was unforgettable," Hernandez said. "To be seated on the air, to see familiar objects from a completely unfamiliar perspective, to have that huge horizon in front of me, to feel the force of the air hitting me on my face and chest, to hear the engine roar as we performed maneuvers, those are the things that are still fresh in my memory forty years after that first flight."

Today, Commanding General (Ret) Hernandez reflects on his long career. He is most proud of the part he played in getting the F-16 for Venezuela. "It was a struggle," said Hernandez. "We had to convince our political and military leadership that we could maintain and operate such a sophisticated airplane. I'm very satisfied with the results."

Those results include an outstanding safety and maintenance record. Though it has operated the F-16 since 1983, the VAF has never had a major accident or lost an aircraft. Not long after the F-16s arrived, Venezuelan technicians assumed complete responsibility for maintaining the planes. "The transition to the F-16 was easy because we have qualified people," said Carlos Pinaud. "And we have qualified people because we have an excellent educational system. The technicians we sent to F-16 training in Fort Worth had already completed seven to ten years of technical training here in Venezuela."

Pinaud, who is a former commanding general of the VAF, played a major role in the program's inception. "I followed the development of the F-16 closely," he said. "When I read about the XF (export fighter) program in an Aviation Week article, I knew it was an opportunity to get the plane for our country. You see, we have always had a need for planes that could carry out a number of roles. The F-16 was the best choice."

The F-16 program is just another success story for the VAF. A look around the air base near Maracay at Palo Negro, where the F-16s are based, reveals many other success stories. C-130 transports take off regularly for destinations domestic and foreign. French Mirages rumble down the runway and into the sky to perform air defense and reconnaissance missions. A variety of helicopters keep silence at the base to a minimum.

In major cities, cabs, buses, and private vehicles are plastered with aircraft stickers. Airplane t-shirts and posters appear everywhere, especially in Maracay--home of the country's air force. "Those are displays of the public acceptance of our air force," said Domingo Montserrat. "The general public is very proud of our achievements. As commanding general of the air force, I find these displays personally gratifying. Our air force plays an integral role in our society."

The relationship between military aviation and the general public has been close from the start. Venezuela's thriving commercial aviation industry has its roots in the military. In the '30s, the country's first commercial transport airline, (Aeropostal Venezolana, which still operates today) consisted of former military aircraft. In the early years, military pilots flew the planes.

For geographic and demographic reasons, aviation plays a vital role in Venezuela's economy. Most of the country's population is near the coast in the north. Most of its natural resources are in the south. The regions are separated by mountains and tropical forests. Military transports continue serving outposts in the Amazon in the southern extremes of the country, where there are few roads.

"Today, the relationship between civil aviation and military aviation is better than ever," said Jose Vicente Zapata, former director of civil aviation in Venezuela. "We have common interests, and we work together on common goals.

"We are a resource-rich nation," explained Zapata. "We are one of the world's biggest producers of petroleum. We also have large mineral reserves. We are the richest nation in South America. Our biggest concern now is to make better use of our own resources, to become more self-sufficient."

Zapata believes that a strong commercial aviation industry is necessary for greater self-sufficiency. "The four branches of the military are generating a lot of business for our privately owned aircraft industry," said Zapata. "We are also benefiting from the experienced personnel who come to us from the military. Our military academies provide a first-rate technical education that can be put to use later in private industry. That, too, makes our country more secure and stronger."

Zapata runs a repair and maintenance facility for general aviation and light commercial aircraft. He is encouraged by the recent changes in his business. "We are getting more and more foreign customers for our work," he said. "And all of our work is now done by Venezuelan technicians. This has not always been true. In the past, we had to rely on foreign technicians. Then we required foreign training for our own technicians. Today, though we still receive help from other countries, we are training some of our own technicians.

"There are other signs of our country's success in commercial and general aviation," continued Zapata. "Ten years ago we didn't have a commuter airline. Today we have several. This is a good indication that we are doing the right things. Some day, we would like to manufacture our own airplanes. The steps we are taking now are leading us in that direction. And the relationship we have with the military will help get us there."

Historians aren't sure what attracted Frank Boland to Venezuela back in 1912. He may have been on a South American tour, enjoying the attention of crowds, and making a little money on the way. He may have been an aerial evangelist, promoting the uses of manned flight. Whatever his intentions, his actions sparked a flame that still burns today.