Fecha de publicación original ► 25/10/08 / Actualizado ► 2 de Enero de 2009

A Spotter's Guide to Cochabamba - Bolivia

The following guide is my first attempt at writing a complete guide to Bolivia’s main airports; I’ve decided to take the airplane spotter’s perspective, rather than a purely historical and operational stand-point out of convenience and ease of writing. The text is in English in hopes of interesting international visitors who often overlook Bolivia’s rich aeronautical heritage when planning visits to South America.

© JRO October 25th, 2008  

Introduction to Cochabamba

Cochabamba is Bolivia’s third largest Department reaching around 1.4 million inhabitants and 55,631 Km². The capital (Cercado) accounts for about half of that population, a worthy visit in of itself, it’s well known for its temperate climate and gastronomy, there are some pretty good hotels and dining in the city and you will find that most points of interest are near by. Besides, Cochabamba is a great home base for exploring the rest of the country, either traveling by air or ground.

Although expanding on the touristic offerings of my hometown is beyond the scope of this work, I’d be hard pressed not to encourage you to gather additional information [1].

The Airport

The “Jorge Wilstermann” airport installation (OACI: SLCB) is one of Bolivia’s oldest and largest, founded in 1921 (originally called Aeropista José de la Banda or La Tamborada) it has operated continuously since 1925. The oldest standing infrastructure dates to the 1940’s while its first passenger terminal was completed in 1963. A new terminal and runway were built in the 1990’s; despite the improvements, the airport currently functions at minimal capacity.

The airport is the hub of the national carrier Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano (12 aircraft) and private carrier Líneas Aéreas Canedo (5 aircraft). It’s expected to become the hub of the new state-owned airline Boliviana de Aviación (5 aircraft). There are also two aviation schools and a few private hangars in the area.

As with any other major Bolivian airport there is also a large military component to the installation. In this case it’s the Second Air Brigade of the Fuerza Aérea Boliviana (FAB); we’ll expand later on the military aspect of this airport, although it’s worth noting that the FAB leases one of its hangars to Aerosur (10-15 aircraft) which uses it as its main maintenance facility.

SLCB is located some 3 kilometers from the city’s center; it occupies over 150 hectares of terrain and is located some 2,570 meters above sea level. The average temperature is 19ºC and precipitation is minimal during most of the year.

Some features and landmarks affecting navigation include the Tunari and Cuturipa mountain ranges; the Rocha River, which crosses the airfield and feeds agricultural areas to the west of the airport. This last element attracts birds to the vicinity of the airport year round. Low-income urban development has encroached itself on the remaining quadrants around the airport and is most evident on its south-east side, this includes some irregular buildings over four floors right off the sides of the field. 

Companies that serve this airport: Aerosur, Transporte Aéreo Militar, Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos, Líneas Aéreas Canedo, Aerocon, Amaszonas, TAM-Mercosur, Aerolíneas Sudamericanas (forthcoming 2009) , Boliviana de Aviación (forthcoming 2009) and Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano (forthcoming hopefully 2009).

Getting started: Main Terminal

If you arrive by air, and come either from La Paz (SLLP) or Santa Cruz (VVI, SLET) one of the first things you may notice is that this airport has an observation deck!

Although shielded by fine-grained fencing (around 4x4cm opening) the deck is still usable for photography. From the east side of the deck you’ll have a good, but not the best, view for landings; most aircraft use runway 32 East-to-West. Once the aircraft is on the ground it must taxi and turn from around the middle of runway 14 towards the platform, this provides good angles for front side and 45° views. For departures, the aircraft will taxi towards the middle of runway 32 (around 6 to 8 minutes for 727s or BAe-146s[2]), most planes will usually leave the ground (what's the jargon for that again?) just in front the observation deck, which gives the possibility of a very nice photograph if you are fast with your settings (see TAM example below).

The observation deck provides comfortable positioning if you wish to use the terminal’s facilities in between flights. There’s no free Wi-Fi in this airport but an overpriced Internet café is available – this is probably the most expensive in Cochabamba at Bs10 ($1.25) for half an hour, the going rate elsewhere is Bs3.50 an hour. A good coffee shop is in the first floor, as well as a restaurant in the second, snack (water bottles go for Bs.5 and coffee for Bs.8) and souvenir shops are also available. There are a couple travel agencies and some other offices as well, although in 2009 the second floor will be used for processing international arrivals and departures.

Unless you are going to be spotting at the terminal the whole day (not recommended) you may do well to visit www.sabsa.aero and obtain a copy of the day’s scheduled movements, identify a cluster you like -early mornings, noon and the evenings are good for multiple arrivals and departures in short lapses. 

There may also be some parked aircraft spending the night at the platform, including some of TAM’s turboprops or Aerosur’s newer planes used in their routes to Miami or Madrid.

Good-looking architecture by Bechtel and a host of consultants, contractors and so on -to bad they took 5 years to install the radar and the stairs, thus killing the initial international-flight-hub-of-Bolivia aspirations of Cochabamba.	10 dollar bill for scale, deck is empty now but for some flights expect lots of people to show up for greetings or farewells, most of whom have never encountered a spotter here before :)	Old YPFB hangar, somehow I can't place an Airbus 310 fitting there, so it's more likely that BOA planes will use the old terminal.

Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano

Once you are done with the terrace you can walk out of the terminal and to your left you have a chance to photograph whatever may be parked in the platform through the fence; LAB’s principal maintenance facility is across the parking lot and a low fence. There are at least five B-727’s on sight plus any visitors undergoing maintenance at the time. Since this airline aims to go operational again, they are often playing around with their aircraft, moving them from place to place, painting them or taking pieces out of one or another airframe.

At this point you may choose to take a stroll out of the airport (approximately half a mile); on the way you may log two additional stored 727’s, although tree coverage will not allow good photography. Once outside the airport, you can come back in using LAB’s private entrance, there may be a guard in the first checkpoint, just tell him you are going to the next checkpoint [garita in Spanish] or to the oficina - one caveat: on weekends or for other strange reasons these fellows may actually sometimes act-up the guard role, that's bad luck - no point arguing so move on. If you do get past them, this will allow you to get to the parking lot and take good photos of the remainder of the stored fleet. If you planned this visit ahead and contacted the airline for a tour then you are home-free to snap away from the inside of the field, visit their hangar, simulators, and receive extra-polite "please don't mention we are broke" treatment from some PR gal or guy.

If you didn’t make any special arrangements, you may just come out of the LAB parking lot and walk along the perimeter fence of the airport, soon enough you will pass the old terminal (now used as a logistics center) and be across runway 22, you can stop at the playground/basketball court there and photograph whatever you missed of the stored fleet from that angle. General aviation and some military aircraft use this runway as well, so you may be lucky to catch something from that vantage point.

Boliviana de Aviación

The next stop walking along the fence is the old Líneas Aéreas Canedo / YPFB hangar, now that the place has been transferred to the State don’t know what they will have there or how accessible it will be, its most likely that it will house some general aviation aircraft (Dornier and/or Rockwell) as the hangar is too small for anything larger that a DC-3. There is construction going on in front and around this area, which I believe will go to this company.

Out of the BOA corner, and always bordering the airport you will pass by a storage facility, a glass/plastics recycling plant and the old North East Bolivian Airways facilities. A block from there, there’s a small guardhouse usually manned by a handful of soldiers, turn right at that corner and you are in for the propliner part of this visit.

Sample photos from SLCB

Líneas Aéreas Canedo

A few months before they moved out of their hangar, LAC readied up a new place on the left side of Calle Chimoré, technically detached from the airport grounds the hangar can fit the airline’s Aerocommander(s) and has room left for parts-maintenance and storage. The company’s administrative offices are attached to this hangar, hours are 9:00am to midday and 3:00pm to the evening; their phone number is (591) 459-9222.

As you may know, LAC flies one Super DC-3 (C-117), appropriately named Nostalgia in contract with Aerosur, serving tourism to the Uyuni salt flats; they also have unscheduled flights elsewhere with this plane and will eventually re-start flights with their Curtiss C-46. Their charter flights with the Aerocommander are more frequent, so you may not catch it on the ground. If you don't visit/photograph and/or fly in either of these airplanes, let me tell you now that your trip to Bolivia has been wasted - on the contrary, if you do manage to fly with LAC you will never forget the experience.

Escuela de Aviación Aero Horizontes

Across the Canedo offices you will find a long-standing institution of Bolivian aviation, Aero Horizontes, the school is one of the largest in the country, with six aircraft on hand. They have three Cessnas and a Piper Azteca for day-to-day flying (you can charter any of these aircraft for tourism flights at very good rates), as well as two experimental models -with a third under construction. They are/were associated with the Juan Salvador Gaviota flying club which was also based in this airport, but I have lost track of that organization.

Anyway, if you come at decent hours, you may just walk into the school; there’s a snack shop and comfortable seating where aviation students usually hang out. Buy a Coca Cola and start talking! It’s my experience that these fellows can put you up to speed with anything going on in the airport in a few minutes and are eager to practice their English skills; go by the office and ask for permission to take photographs of the hangared planes. To your left are some stored DC-3’s and accident scrap and to your right there's the school’s fleet and a trio of zealous dogs snoozing deceitfully, a few meters away are Canedo’s planes and some visitors (usually the Eco Express Convair although you may be lucky enough to catch another C-46). There are a few more private hangars in the vicinity one of which belongs to an NGO.

You will also have a chance to photograph any aircraft using runway 14-32 from this point unencumbered by fences. However I must stress that you adhere to the rules and don’t wander off too far, as the runway is active and you undoubtedly attract the attention of security personnel if you do so.

A few meters away from Aero Horizontes there is a closed-down school called Oasis del Aire, although they do have one Cessna 172 on storage.

Mano a Mano

So once you are done with the aviation school(s), about a block from there you’ll find a soccer field and three hangars, the middle one belongs to the Non-Governmental Organization Mano a Mano, this organization works in the health and education fields; and they have a knack for going were no aircraft has gone before. I believe they have opened some ten airfields this year alone. Anyway, ring the doorbell and ask for permission to go inside and take photographs, the organization is run by expatriates and the pilots are European and north-American, so that may be another good chance for aviation talk and networking.

Just to the side of the soccer field there’s a small but well-kept playground, this is the best spot for photographing landings using runway 32, there is a fence but it’s less than shoulder high, additionally you can climb to one of the benches and take your pictures from there, good timing is vital though, as the movements may be far between. I have yet to find a child using this playground so don’t worry about being bothered that way.

View of Aerosur Maintenance

A block to your left there’s a BP fuel station and storage facility, going to that corner affords you a view of the Bolivian Air Force’s installations, the biggest hangar there has been leased to Aerosur, Google Earth views of this place show nothing, but on the ground there’s a lot of clutter and trees, you may log some interesting aircraft though, as the hangar fits two airliners and there are others parked outside. By all means try to schedule a visit; doing so will also allow you a closer look at military traffic as well.

Fuerza Aérea Boliviana

Before I go on I must stress that spotting and especially military aircraft spotting are not well understood hobbies in Bolivia, and that the official position of the Bolivian Air Force relating to the matter is "NO PHOTOGRAPHY". This not only applies to the 2^nd Brigade at SLCB but to other military installations as well.

That being said, note that you are equally likely to get kicked out or arrested by the Policía Militar or get a guided tour by the Base Commander!

As far as the 2^nd Air Brigade in Cochabamba is concerned, the main entrance is a good half a mile from were we left off, you’ll need some sort of photo identification, and you will be escorted once you are in, this is normal.

The Brigade is home to the following units: 92^nd Artillery and Air Defense Group (a specialized infantry unit providing base security), 34^th Fighter Group (Pilatus PC-7’s), Maintenance Service “No 2” (aircraft maintenance and assembly), and the 51^st Air Group (Lama, Alouette and other helicopters). There’s often the odd visitor from other units, such as transport, aerial photography or executive aircraft.

Other areas around the airport

Personally I’ve rarely had the need to go beyond the points described thus far; while it’s entirely possible that you’ll get good photos from other angles, specially the ends of RWY 14-32, these areas are less accessible for spotting if you are on foot and carrying equipment.

For the fellows who enjoy photographing or filming the aircraft roaring above them, then the header of RWY 14 is the better place to be when the aircraft takes off. This YouTube video (link here) illustrates what can be seen from this vantage point.

Off-Airport

Bolivia lacks a dedicated aviation museum but there are good numbers of different aircraft preserved in plazas or as gate guardians in every capital city, Cochabamba is not an exception as I can mention the following:

Preserved B-25. - A B-25 bomber is preserved right in the vicinity of the airport, precisely at the juncture of Av. De la Fuerza Aérea and Av. 6 de Agosto, it’s about a mile straight north from the main entrance of the military base. (Google Earth coordinates [Mercator]: Latitude -17.410859° Longitude -66.164706°)

Preserved T-29: A Convair T-29 sits on a plaza at the juncture of Av. Suecia y Av. 6 de Agosto, it’s a bit out of the way so you should take a taxi, before you board ask if the driver knows where it is and how much will the fare cost. This Convair is used as a classroom for kids and is maintained by the Patiño Foundation, you can ask to come in and take a look around, the cockpit and engines have been nicely restored. (Google Earth coordinates: Latitude -17.419797° Longitude -66.140388°)

Preserved T-6: If you have an hour to spare, get a radio taxi and ask for a ride to the Politécnico Militar de Aviación, this is the technical school of the air force, it’s an interesting and rarely-visited unit; they have a preserved AT-6D as gate guardian, as well as a PC-7 right of the entrance. There are other aircraft inside as well, either undergoing maintenance or as training aids (various light types, and a T-33); a visit to this unit could be secured as described above. (Google Earth coordinates: Latitude -17.447471° Longitude -66.140989°)

Transportation

If you are to use public transportation, to and from downtown bus route “B”, cost Bs.1.50 the trip, and its last stop is the airport, you can flag it down in the bus stops on Av. Ayacucho and on the airport from the parking lot every ten minutes. Bus route “U” takes you the military sector by a similar schedule.

If you are using a cab, always use “radio taxis”, these are company-owned and radio linked; they are safer than the freelance taxis simply because they are certified by the transit police. You can tell one from another at a distance because certified cabs carry a large green sticker on the front window and a company sticker with its phone numbers on the side doors. The driver’s ID should be visible in the dashboard. Cab fares are cheap and the most you should pay is Bs25 from the airport to downtown, any other ride will run up to Bs.7 to 10.

Rental cars are available for rates of $40 for a day plus gas ($3 a gallon); they don’t have offices or cars directly available at the airport, though if you got to one of the travel agencies there, you can get them to bring a car for you.

Partial list of aircraft based at SLCB

Useful phone numbers and addresses:

Publicidad: