I finish reading a small but interesting book: “a sky, a challenge, an ideal and a victory” written by the Colonel pilot Caesar Briones , this official evolved like head of operations of the Air group Amazon during the War of the Cenepa. The Air group Amazon, A-37 with their 12 pilots (3 squadrons of 2 airplanes) and personnel of support were basically 6 that were unfolded from their habitual base “Manta” towards the city of Macas from where they conducted operations against the Peruvian positions. In this assignment they completed 104 hours of missions during February of 1995. The book relates the facts of this period, done not very known because the impressive success that had the F1 and the Kfir on the Peruvian aircrafts.
They were the 2 airplanes A-37 FAE hit by Peruvian AA fire, first the 7 February and the other impact the feb 11. Colonel Briones, then Lieutenant Colonel relates that flying as leader of the squadron “Miura” on Condor Viewpoint in mission CAP received the alert of SAM of his number 2, to the few seconds was hit in the nozzle of the right motor, luckyly the impact did not affect seriously the airplane and could return to his base manned by the mentioned Briones and the Lieutenant Jerry Side like pioto, in earth already stated that the damage was minimum and they attributed it artilleria antiaircraft, not to a missile, the airplane continued operating that same day later. In the book a photo of the airplane with “the dented” nozzle appears. The other fact much more known is that 11 of February in mission the bombing one of 4 A-37 airplanes led by Colonel Briones, number 2, is hit by a SAM, this missile seriously damages the surfaces of control of the right wing and extinguishes the motor of the same side, pilots M. Camacho and R. Rojas after the first seconds of uncertainty discovers that still they can control the airplane, consider to eject itself but they chosse to try to save the airplane, soon escorted by its leader of squadron they return bad weather to the base through, must land at great speed and in the ground of the track they already discover that the brakes have been affected reason why they leave the track to restrain in the zone that surrounds asphalt, thus manage to save its lives and the airplane, that later was repaired and baptized “Tiwinza”. The photos of this airplane show the right wing practically destroyed, specially the ailerons and flags.
Another incident not properly related to the war but briefed by Colonel Briones is that during those days a T-33 airplane took off of “Manta” in training mission ant the motor was extinguished (during the takeoff), the crew (captains Garzón and Diaz) delay the ejection to turn aside the airplane outside populated area, when are ejected the parachutes do not manage to open themselves and both crew die by the impact.
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