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Translated from an email from Miguel in Durazno, Uruguay:
Dear Tim:
After 1941, when the law of Promotion of Civil Aviation went into effect, American airplanes were imported into Uruguay .
Until then, the majority of the airplanes were British (AVRO 504, AVIAN, DeHavilland Moth, Plus Moth, Miles), French (Potez Farman, Morane Saulnier, Latecoere, Caudron), German (Junker, Bucker), a beautiful Italian Breda 78, Czechoslovakian Zlin XII, and some Taylor J-2’s.
After the new law, the country began filling with American airplanes, and hundreds of pilots began forming.
In this way, Aeronca Chiefs and Champions, Pipers J-3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20 and 22, B-Series Taylorcrafts (BC-65, BC(L, F)12-65, BC12D and some DC-65, Luscombe 8, Ercoupe, Globe Swift, Cessna 140, Stinson 10A and 108 arrived and at the end of the ‘40s, also the N:A and Ryan Navion, Beech Bonanza and Cessna 170 arrived.
Later, by the year 1956, the Cessna 172’s, 180’s and 182’s began to arrive and with them, the passion for all-metal airplanes and tricycle landing gear.
In this period, fabric-covered airplanes, which were considered antiquated, began to be abandoned, and were left relegated to the trash because no one remained who wanted to repair them nor was there anyone that wanted to do so because of the cost of repairs.
A few years ago, a surge in interest in fabric-covered airplanes has started and many have been restored and are already flying again.
Relative to the Taylorcrafts, I told you that after 1941 until more-or-less 1950, 33 B-Series Taylorcrafts and two DC-65 were imported. The lowest serial number was 2391 from a Taylorcraft BC that was registered CX-ACD, and the highest serial number was 7745 for a Taylorcraft BC12D that used to carry the registration CX-AHC.
In their time, the Taylorcrafts were used for Uruguayan Aero-clubs for instruction and for training the pilots (not for all, but yes for many) and for private owners, principally ranchers who used them to go from the city, where they lived, to their ranches and to the cattle sales.
In my particular case, I bought my airplane in 1964 from a rancher friend, and I flew it for seven years for training and for pleasure flights to specific places of Uruguay. Also, my pilot friends flew it because the Durazno Aero Club remained without an airplane.
When my airplane first arrived in Uruguay, it was used primarily for the Aero Club of Uruguay, in the city of Montevideo, having passed through various owners before it arrived with me.
Finally, in 1971, as the fabric was in bad condition, I took it out of service to recover it, and for different reasons, I have kept it until now, to have sufficient time to restore it.
I’m sending you some antique photos of my Taylorcraft from 1964 to 1967, and a photo of the only Taylor J.2 that has remained of the three that were here, and of a friend that also has the J-3 that is in the photo, and who is restoring another J-3 and a PA12.
I hope that the information is useful to you, from an aeronautical point-of-view and the point-of-view of Spanish practice.
Cheers,
Miguel Lafon
Durazno, Uruguay.
Dear Tim:
After 1941, when the law of Promotion of Civil Aviation went into effect, American airplanes were imported into Uruguay .
Until then, the majority of the airplanes were British (AVRO 504, AVIAN, DeHavilland Moth, Plus Moth, Miles), French (Potez Farman, Morane Saulnier, Latecoere, Caudron), German (Junker, Bucker), a beautiful Italian Breda 78, Czechoslovakian Zlin XII, and some Taylor J-2’s.
After the new law, the country began filling with American airplanes, and hundreds of pilots began forming.
In this way, Aeronca Chiefs and Champions, Pipers J-3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20 and 22, B-Series Taylorcrafts (BC-65, BC(L, F)12-65, BC12D and some DC-65, Luscombe 8, Ercoupe, Globe Swift, Cessna 140, Stinson 10A and 108 arrived and at the end of the ‘40s, also the N:A and Ryan Navion, Beech Bonanza and Cessna 170 arrived.
Later, by the year 1956, the Cessna 172’s, 180’s and 182’s began to arrive and with them, the passion for all-metal airplanes and tricycle landing gear.
In this period, fabric-covered airplanes, which were considered antiquated, began to be abandoned, and were left relegated to the trash because no one remained who wanted to repair them nor was there anyone that wanted to do so because of the cost of repairs.
A few years ago, a surge in interest in fabric-covered airplanes has started and many have been restored and are already flying again.
Relative to the Taylorcrafts, I told you that after 1941 until more-or-less 1950, 33 B-Series Taylorcrafts and two DC-65 were imported. The lowest serial number was 2391 from a Taylorcraft BC that was registered CX-ACD, and the highest serial number was 7745 for a Taylorcraft BC12D that used to carry the registration CX-AHC.
In their time, the Taylorcrafts were used for Uruguayan Aero-clubs for instruction and for training the pilots (not for all, but yes for many) and for private owners, principally ranchers who used them to go from the city, where they lived, to their ranches and to the cattle sales.
In my particular case, I bought my airplane in 1964 from a rancher friend, and I flew it for seven years for training and for pleasure flights to specific places of Uruguay. Also, my pilot friends flew it because the Durazno Aero Club remained without an airplane.
When my airplane first arrived in Uruguay, it was used primarily for the Aero Club of Uruguay, in the city of Montevideo, having passed through various owners before it arrived with me.
Finally, in 1971, as the fabric was in bad condition, I took it out of service to recover it, and for different reasons, I have kept it until now, to have sufficient time to restore it.
I’m sending you some antique photos of my Taylorcraft from 1964 to 1967, and a photo of the only Taylor J.2 that has remained of the three that were here, and of a friend that also has the J-3 that is in the photo, and who is restoring another J-3 and a PA12.
I hope that the information is useful to you, from an aeronautical point-of-view and the point-of-view of Spanish practice.
Cheers,
Miguel Lafon
Durazno, Uruguay.
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