02/12/2005. Remarks by Alfred Damen: "This machine, shown in new colors, is actually the ex RAF RA390, supplied to Argentina under export registration G-5-105 and accepted by the Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Argentina, FAA) on March 3, 1948.

This particular airplane seems to have been a bit "error-prone" because only nine days after it was accepted by the FAA it was involved in a complicated accident at Tandil AFB which kept it out of the air for three years! The next accident came at Rafael Castillo on October 14, 1958 and soon afterwards another accident occurred on March 20, 1959 at Mar del Plata. Despite these accidents, C-005 was one of the five Meteors that made the "farewell" flight over Buenos Aires in December 1970. The airframe was struck off charge December 30, 1970.

C-020 is shown here in the new ground attack color scheme. This machine is the ex RAF EE546, supplied to Argentina with 'Class B' marking G-5-120. It was accepted by the FAA on October 2, 1948, suffered one accident (January 19, 1961 at Moron AFB) and was struck off charge on May 12, 1970.

The Meteor Mk.IVs shown here are undergoing a major overhaul and being re-sprayed in the new camouflage scheme. No serials are visible on the airframes in the center of the photograph, but the one at the bottom shows C-062 on the right wing. This is the ex G-5-162, built specifically for the FAA and accepted by them on December 12, 1948. C-062 is somewhat of a mystery in this picture because it was involved in an accident in 1961 and seems to have been struck off charge in that year. The only explanation I can suggest is that it is in the process of being cannibalized of its spare parts to keep the other Meteors flying.

The pictured C-073 is undergoing a major overhaul before being re-sprayed in the new camouflage scheme. This aircraft is one of the custom built Mk.4s (ex G-5-173 and I-073) accepted by the Argentine AF on July 6, 1949. It was struck off charge December 30, 1970.

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The Argentine Meteor F.Mk.4 history is a nice tale.

To pay off the rather large debt to the Argentine government accumulated by the UK during WW II a deal was struck late 1947 to supply a serious number of airplanes to Argentina. Britain would supply fifty ex RAF Meteors and fifty specifically produced for the FAA, ten Avro Lancaster and twenty Avro Lincoln bombers and a whole bunch of smaller planes.

The transaction caused an uproar with the US Government, but somehow Attlee's socialist UK government bulldozed the deal through and the first Meteors were delivered to the FAA in March 1948.

The FAA gave the Meteors the type designation 'I' (for Interceptor). As no dual control Meteors had been included in the deal, pilot training proved to be something of a problem. The Argentine pilots selected to fly the jets had experience only on Curtiss 75 Hawk propeller fighters. A scheme was devised whereby they first learned to fly on Airspeed Oxfords (to learn dual engine flight), then on to the DH-104 Dove (for tricycle landing gear familiarization) and finally on to jets. Throughout the operational history of the type you'll see a large number of accidents involving collapse or other problems with the landing gear (...)

Only three times during their operational history have Argentine Meteors fired shots in anger. The first time was during the (unsuccessful) April 1955 uprising against Juan Peron. One of the Meteors shot down a rebel AT-6 (whose pilot bailed out successfully). During the September 1955 revolt, that swept away Juan Peron, they came into action again, this time on both loyalist and rebel sides. And the final time was during the 1962 political troubles.

In 1963 it was decided to buy F-86Fs as interceptors and to re-classify the Meteors as fighter-bombers. They were reserialed 'C' (for Caza) and re-sprayed in a camouflage pattern.

The Meteor's service life ended in 1970 when they were struck off-charge after a final fly-past of five machines that were still airworthy. They were replaced by F-86F Sabers, A-4D Skyhawks and ultimately Dassault Mirages. Some twenty seem to remain around the country as gate-guards and in museums."