Halcones History

The first aerobatic display team in Chilean Air Force was formed in 1958 from No 7 Squadron and flew four Lockheed F-80 Shooting Stars. This team was named "Condores de Plata" and it existed until 1966.

A tradition of aerobatic teams in Chile was revived in 1980, when the "Halcones" aerobatic team was established equipped with five newly arrived North American Pitts Special S2A biplanes. Officially, the team was formed on 14 January 1981 and was assigned to the Air Force Base at El Bosgue.

In 1989, the "Halcones" visited England and Belgium and this was the also the last year that the team uses Pitts biplanes. In 1990, the "Halcones" converted initially to purpose-built Extra 300 aircraft and later to the Extra 300L model.

In 1993, a solo aircraft, Halcone #5, crashed into the ocean, killing its pilot during a demonstration at Iquique. Then on 8 August, two of the team's aircraft, numbers 4 and 5, collided in mid-air during a practice flight. The cause of the incident was pilot error attributed to the #5 pilot.

On 20 July 2009, Halcon #4 - Lieutenant Eduardo Varas de la Fuente survived a crash during a demonstration at Santiago. The accident occurred at 14:15, when the Halcones' Extra 300L aircraft experienced engine problems. Lieutenant Eduardo Varas subsequent actions avoided further tragedy when he turned his aircraft away from a nearby fish terminal and instead crashed at side of the "Panamericana Sur" highway. The pilot was rendered unconsciousness with minor injuries and he was taken to hospital by a Chilean Air Force helicopter. After recovering from his injuries, Lieutenant Varas resumed his duties as a "Halcones" pilot.

On 9 November 2011 at about 2:30 pm, Lt. Cristian Andres Padilla Bravo died when his Extra 300L crashed during training flight at El Bosque Air Base, south of Santiago. Lieutenant Bravo had joined the "Halcones" in 2009 and his first air show was in 2010 flying as a solo pilot in Halcon #5. Lieutenant Varas, who was involved in the previous 2009 accident, replaced Lieutenant Bravo.

Since their creation, the "Halcones" have visited the following foreign countries: United States, England, France, Israel, Belgium, Ecuador and Peru.