02/12/2005. Remarks by Alfred
Damen: "This machine, shown in new colours, 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 9 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 3 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 colour scheme.
This machine is the ex RAF EE546, supplied to Argentina with export
registration 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.
This other photograph is showing
several Meteor Mk.IV's 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 show 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 it's spare
parts to keep the other Meteors flying.
The Argentine Meteor history is a nice tale.
Read about it."
