Service
history
1942
In the course of 1942, maximum demands were again made on the DH82A
fleet and that year they had to give instruction to three courses: a
Pilot´s Course for Officers, the new group of cadets of the 2nd year
Aeronautical Course of the Military School of Aeronautics and the
cadet group from the previous year who now, being in their 3rd year,
continued flying lessons on the Tiger Moth.
The necessary
hours involving the graduation of 42 pilots required the majority of
aeroplanes to be serviceable and concentrated at the School. The
summer recess was used, therefore, to overhaul Tiger Moths 604, 607,
611 and 612.
As a
complementary measure, on 27 February the Director General of
Military Aeronautics published Order No 7046 transferring No 600
from A.B. No 1 to the EMAer; also 603 and 604 from A.B. No 2 and 605
from Services. In this way it was possible to assemble 12 of the 14
Tiger Moths in service at Pando; only No 602 remaining in Durazno
and 601 at A.B. No 1 as liaison aircraft.
No
602 (ex No 2), was the only Tiger Moth which remained in Durazno
during 1942,
following
the reassignment of aircraft after 27 February 1942.
Photo FAU Archive
On 15 April there was an accident at the EMAer. Whilst on a training
flight in No 604, 2nd year Cadet Washington Perdomo was injured when
he did not recover from a spin. After nine months´ repair, the
aeroplane flew again in February 1943.
For Military
Aeronautics, 1942 was another extremely historic year. The
assistance from the United States through a Lend-Lease agreement
provided the country with new and abundant supplies of war
material.
In
April, the first four North American advanced trainers were
received, followed in August by nine Curtiss SNC-1, all of them of
the latest design manufactured in metal and with a retractable
undercarriage and complete with armaments and full sets of
instruments. Likewise, towards the end of the year, twelve Fairchild
PT-19A arrived for primary flying instruction, which later would be
complemented by nine PT-19B and several PT-26s.
Directly
affected by the arrival of this new material the Tiger Moth began to
cede its role of primary instruction, which from 1943 would be
fulfilled by the PT-19.
During the
winter months, air-to-air shooting was frequently practiced at the
EMAer using the towed target or 'sausage', if we apply the jargon of
the time. This involved a pair of Tiger Moths in the towing
function, whilst the WACO JHD E-302 and the Potez 25 E-404, were
used as gun platforms, both with a fixed forward firing gun for the
pilot and rotatable machine-gun in the turret provided for the
observer.
On 29 August
Tiger Moths 603, 611 and 610 took off from Pando to navigate to the
Air France auxiliary field near Rocha Lagoon. The first two were
piloted by Lieutenant Oscar Sena and Lieutenant Jr. Odegar Borba,
whilst the instructor 1st Lieutenant Adail Altesor flew in No 610
carrying the mission's mechanic acting Lieutenant Jr. Washington
Baco. No 610 was the last to arrive and crashed on landing killing
both occupants.
In the
subsequent investigation it was impossible to determine the cause
since the machine caught fire and was completely destroyed, and
there were no witnesses.
This tragedy
acquired a sinister and macabre dimension since by a twist of fate,
Lieutenant Altesor was killed in the same aircraft in which his
brother Walter had died during the accident at EMAer two years
before which also killed Lieutenant Jr. Omar Soto.
It was the
fifth Tiger Moth lost; No 610 had flown 1,088 hours and had taken
four lives! On 1 October it was officially struck off charge
together with the Potez 35 TOE B2-403. The information was published
in O/DGAM No 7142.
Installations at the auxiliary Air France field at Rocha. The sheds
house the radio telegraphy station, electric generator, night flying
light element and fuel and oil stores.
The aircraft is a civil DH60 Moth and in the background can be seen
the wind cone and the TSF towers.
Photo Aeronautical Museum
In August, the Chief of A.B. No 1 and the Director of the EMAer,
jointly requested a change of flying training equipment on the basis
of current service requirements and on 20 August permission was
given for No 601, equipped for instrument flying, to go to the
School Base in exchange for 605. This action was approved on 19
September in O/DGAM No 7137.
Before the end of the year another major accident occurred at the
EMAer. On 29 November, during local training, E-612 commanded by 2nd
Lieutenant Oscar Sena, made an emergency landing due to fire on
board. Fortunately the pilot managed to escape from the aeroplane
completely unscathed before it was totally consumed by fire before
help could arrive.
During her five-year service life, 612 (ex 13) had flown 1,462
hours.
Around the end of the year and as foreseen, additional Tiger Moths
were released from instructional duties. On 18 December DGAM Order
No 7176 reassigned 609 and 613 to A.B. No 1, whilst Nos 600 and 611
went to A.B. No 2 as liaison aircraft.
No E-601
was equiped with navigation and landing lights, bomb racks, cover
for instrumental flight, pitot tube and impact airspeed indicator. E.M.Aer, Pando,
january 1942. - Photo Aeronautical Museum
In 1942, in
spite of the loss of another two machines, the Tiger Moth fleet was
pushed to its limits reaching 2,876 hours; only 115 less than the
previous year's record.
This figure
was reached thanks to meticulous planning of the different flight
courses given at the EMAer. What also contributed undoubtedly was
the excellent maintenance management carried out by the DGTAG&S in
close contact with the Bases and School, with rational planning of
the General Revisions and periodic inspections together with the
practice of a dynamic reassignment policy of 'loans' and agreed
transfers between the flight units, according to service
requirements.
The reputable
company Regusci & Voulminot, who represented de Havilland in
Uruguay, also collaborated efficiently both with technical
assistance and supply of spare parts, bearing in mind that Great
Britain was by now in the middle of the Second World War.
But 1942 is a
year of point of inflection for the uruguayan Tiger Moth. From
this moment onwards there began a long period of decline in flying
hours in the general use of these aeroplanes. Up until now, in eight
years, 20,000 hours had been accumulated, whilst in a similar period
after this date, only about 4,000 hours would be flown.
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