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. AT-6 B Texan - drawing by Pilotoviejo

 

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. 

 

SNC-1 Falcon - drawing by PilotoviejoIn 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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