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Colon Airport
Airport Directory » Panama » Colon » Colon AirportAirport information for Colon AirportCountry: PanamaLocation: Colon Coordinates: 09.22.00N / 079.54.00W IATA Code: ONX Timezone: GMT -5 Direct flights form Colon Airport Direct flights to Colon Airport Find connecting flights to Colon Airport Find connecting flights from Colon Airport |
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Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Enrique Adolfo Jiménez) (IATA: ONX, ICAO: MPEJ) is a commercial airport turn up in Colón, Panama, offering scheduled air hose voyages to the national capital, Panama City, and to other destinations.
Prior to its use as a polite airport, the installation was a United States Army (after USAF) armed forces field, constituted in 1918. It was turned over to the Panama Canal Zone authority in 1949, and was changed over into a polite airport. United States command over the airport finished in 1979 with the turnover rate of the Panama Canal Zone to the authority of Panama.
History
Initially constituted as Coco Walk Aerodrome in March 1918
- Renamed France Field in 1918.
- Renamed France Air Force Base on 26 March 1948
- Closed on one November 1949
Major bids to which allotted
- Panama Canal Department, Mar 1918
- Panama Canal Air Force , 19 Oct 1940
- Redesignated: Caribbean Air Force, five Aug 1941
- Redesignated: Sixth Air Force, 18 Sep 1942
- Redesignated: Caribbean Air Command, 31 Jul 1946-28 May 1949
Major units allotted
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Operational history
Origins
What would get Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport has its beginnings before World War I, when on Sunday, 27 April 1913, the Isthmus of Panama was 1st passed over from a beach near Balboa, on the Pacific side, to the shores near Cristobal on the Atlantic side by an plane. During the voyage, an aerial photographic camera was aboard the aircraft and a primitive picture was do of the Panama Canal, which was still not complete. It was recognised by the United States dominances that it was possible that, in the time to come, an enemy of the United States is able to assail the canal, and maybe use bombs against it, carried on aircraft.
With the entry of the United States into World War I, come to for the security of the canal saw the 1st airborne pressures of the Army being directed to the Canal Zone. Plans were made for the organization of 8 aeronautic stations, with a strength of 2 airships and 6 or 8 hydroplanes for observation. The only location placed as like a shot usable was at Coco Solo, near Colon. An emergency appropriation of $1,000,000 was stepped on it though Congress for this aim. In addition to the airport, the installation would also house a Naval submarine ground.
Initially garrisoned at Ancon, the seventh Aero Squadron was formed on 29 March 1917 with 51 military officers and adult male. The unit locomoted several clips to impermanent installations until eventually settle down in at their lasting installation in a former swampland named Coco Walk in March 1918. Shortly afterwords, on 24 April 1918, first Lieutenant Howard J. France crashed an unidentified "seaplane" into Gatun Lake. He was the 1st Army airplane pilot assassination in the Canal Zone on active obligation, and France Field was named in his honour.
World War I
Almost from the set about, it was realised that winging in the tropical zone was real different than in the United States. The seventh Aero Squadron winged patrols over the Canal, but only in real good condition. Patrols were winged 3 clips a solar day over the Canal and in the coastal waters adjacent to the Atlantic gate to the Canal. The aircraft used had small or no navigational equipment, essentially a compass, and several aircraft were lost when the condition modified of a sudden.
The early voyages over the Canal Zone also do mapping missionary station and both the Canal Zone and the isthmus were exhaustively searched and charted. A bequest which got rather valuable to Army and Navy force allotted there in bring home the bacon decenniums.
With the finish of the conflict in November 1918, the wartime pressures of the United States were quickly demobbed. In June 1919, the bulk of adult male and aircraft of the seventh Aero Squadron were load up onto long-neck clams and returned place, going forth a little voyage for responsibility at France Field.
Inter-War Years, 1919-1939
During the early 1920s, France Field was spread out, as the defence of the Panama Canal was the major abroad touch of the Air Service (moreso than the defence of the Philippines or the defence of the Hawaiian Islands). Although the seventh Aero Squadron was cut down in size of it after World War I, the unit stay active agent in the Canal Zone, undergoing several redesignations in the 1920s and 1930s.
As a direct consequence of the lessons acquired during World War I in France, the Air service shake up its tactical components in 1922. Units were denominated "Pursuit", "Bombardment" or "Observation", depending on their allotted missionary post and the type of aircraft allotted. The seventh Aero Squadron got the seventh Observation Squadron on 25 January 1922. In addition, 2 additional units, the 24th Pursuit Squadron and 25th Bombardment Squadron were formed at France Field. All of these units were portioned to the Panama Canal Department, which was the senior United States Army Headquarters in the Canal Zone on 30 April 1922. However while formed, the squadrons did not really touch off until 25 January 1923.
The Army was related that France Field, being the only operational flying field in the Canal Zone, was vulnerable to potentiality aggressors, as good as to condition. In addition, France Field was remotely turn up from the Pacific gate to the Canal as good as the disposal constructions of the Panama Canal Department. A 2nd Army Airfield was evolved in 1924 near the Pacific gate to the Canal, ab initio known as Balboa Fill Landing Field. This was renamed in honour of 1LT Frank P. Albrook who had buy the farm in an aircraft accident, with Balboa being renamed Albrook Field.
By 1930, the spreading out Air Corps in the Canal Zone claimed a new organisation. The 19th Composite Wing was constituted at France Field on eight May 1929 to supply a central bid and command dominance. The Wing was set off on one Apr 1931. Units under the 19th Composite Wing were:
- sixth Composite Group (once 3d Observation Group)
- seventh Observation Squadron
- 44th Observation Squadron (travel to Albrook, 1932)
- 25th Bombardment Squadron
- 20th Pursuit Group (portioned to Mather Field, California, units deployed to France and Albrook Fields)
- 24th Pursuit Squadron (Active)
- 77th , 78th, 79th, 80th Pursuit Squadrons (clear, but inactive)
Notes:
- 77th Pursuit Squadron touch off on one Nov 1930 at Mather Field, California
- 78th Pursuit Squadron touch off on one Apr 1931 at France Field
- 79th Pursuit Squadron touch off on one Apr 1933 at Barksdale Field, Louisiana
- 80th Pursuit Squadron touch off on ten Jan 1942 at Mitchel Field, New York as division of the eighth Pursuit Group.
During the 1930s, France Field was overhauled and the installations upgraded over the decennium and the figure of allotted units increased as world stresses heightened. In 1935, the 1st monoplanes, Martin B-10s get, being portioned to the 25th Bomb Squadron. At the break of the day of the United States entry into World War II, the units at France Field dwell of the coming after:
- 32d Pursuit Group (allotted nine Dec 1941)
- 51st , 52d and 53d Pursuit Squadrons (P-40 Warhawks)
- sixth Bombardment Group
- 3d and 25th Bombardment Squadrons
- first Air Depot Group
- 20th Transport Squadron
During World War II, the missionary post of the units at France Field dwell of the protection of the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal, and to wing antisubmarine foreign missions over the Caribbean
With the finish of World War II France Airfield was cut down in range, with most units being travel to Albrook or Howard Fields. It was redesignated France Air Force Base on 26 March 1948, by the Department of the Air Force General Order Number 10.
Post armed forces use
France Air Force Base was demobilized on one November 1949 by the United States Air Force due to budgetary diminutions, and change state into a polite airport in the United States Canal Zone and renamed Colon Airport. The USAF, nevertheless, back up legal power over the airport until 31 December 1973, and it was now and then used as a artificial satellite field of Albrook AFB.
As Colon Airport, it was assisted by Boeing 307 Stratoliners and other early airliners winging Pan Am routes from Miami to Buenos Aires, Argentina via Havana, Cuba and Kingston, Jamaica into Cristobal and Colón, then elongating southward via Lima, Peru, into Buenos Aires. Being turn up near the center of this path and at the point where it crossed the Panama Canal do this place a utile 1 for north-south air hose services.
With the return of the Canal Zone to Panama on one October 1979, the airport was renamed for Enrique Adolfo Jiménez, who assisted as Panamanian president from 1945 to 1948.
In 1994, this airport was the going point for Alas Chiricanas Flight 00901, after downed by terrorists.
Original article.