Departure
99%
vs 95% ▲ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Natal Air Force Base (SBNT), known historically as Parnamirim Field, is a Brazilian Air Force installation at Parnamirim, close to Natal in Rio Grande do Norte. It played a pivotal role in Allied trans-Atlantic air operations during the Second World War and today remains an active military airfield hosting a range of Brazilian Air Force squadrons.
Natal Air Force Base, designated ALA10 by the Brazilian Air Force, sits at Parnamirim on the outskirts of Natal in Rio Grande do Norte. It is not open to the public, but for a simulator pilot it offers a fascinating destination: a long, well-equipped military field with a deep Second World War heritage and a busy, varied modern flying programme of fighters, trainers, helicopters and transports.
The base lies in Parnamirim, about 18 kilometres from downtown Natal. It once shared its runway infrastructure with the civilian Augusto Severo International Airport, a joint arrangement that ended on 31 May 2014 when commercial traffic moved to the new Greater Natal International Airport at São Gonçalo do Amarante.
The base has three physical runways. The main runway, 16L/34R, is 8,506 feet long with a hard surface, lit, and served by an ILS. A second parallel runway, 16R/34L, is 5,874 feet long, hard-surfaced and lit. The third runway, 12/30, is 5,935 feet long, also hard-surfaced and lit.
Natal Approach operates on 119.3 MHz, with Natal Tower on 118.7 MHz and Ground on 121.9 MHz. Natal Ops can be reached on 122.5 MHz, and the ATIS broadcasts on 132.65 MHz. An ILS is available for the main runway, 16L/34R.
Originally established as Parnamirim Airport in the early 1940s, the base assumed major strategic importance during the Second World War as a hub for aircraft transiting between South America and West Africa. Between 1943 and 1945 it was used jointly by the Brazilian Air Force, the United States Army and Navy, the Royal Air Force, and commercial airlines, with maintenance and security installations built by the US Army in the South Atlantic. At its wartime peak the field handled aircraft movements at intervals of only a few minutes, and its all-season flying conditions made it a vital link in Allied air routes at a time when the alternative northern route via Canada and Greenland was closed by winter weather. The base has also seen a number of serious accidents over the decades, including the loss of a Douglas C-47 on approach in 1961 and two Embraer C-95 Bandeirante crashes in 1977.
Natal Air Force Base remains an active Brazilian Air Force station and is not open to the public. Units based there include the 1st and 2nd Squadrons of the 5th Aviation Group flying the C-95 Bandeirante and A-29A Super Tucano, the 1st Squadron of the 8th Aviation Group with the H-36 Caracal helicopter, the 1st Squadron of the 11th Aviation Group with the H-50 Esquilo, the 2nd Squadron of Air Transportation operating Bandeirante, Brasilia and Caravan types, and the 3rd Squadron of the 1st Communications and Control Group, which provides radar and air defence equipment. As a military installation, prior permission is required for any visiting flight.