Flight Simulator Flights at SESA General Ulpiano Paez Airport

General Ulpiano Paez Airport (SESA/SNC) serves the coastal resort town of Salinas on Ecuador's Santa Elena Peninsula, sharing its runways between civil airline traffic and a military presence. Its long primary runway and ILS approach make it a straightforward destination for simulator pilots exploring the Ecuadorian Pacific coast.

Overview

General Ulpiano Paez Airport is a joint-use public and military aerodrome serving Salinas, a resort city on a peninsula that projects into the Pacific Ocean in Santa Elena Province, Ecuador. It combines a substantial hard-surfaced main runway equipped with an ILS with a shorter secondary strip, and its history as a wartime anti-submarine base gives it a character beyond its present-day role as a regional airline gateway.

Airspace & Location

The airport sits on the Santa Elena Peninsula at Salinas, on Ecuador's Pacific coast, with the city and its beaches immediately adjacent to the field. Air traffic in the area is worked by Guayaquil Control for en-route service, with dedicated Salinas approach, radio and tower positions providing local air traffic services around the aerodrome itself.

Runways

The airport has two physical runways. The main runway, 13/31, is a hard-surfaced, lit strip approximately 7,971-7,972 feet long, with an ILS serving runway 31. A shorter cross runway, 08/26, is also hard-surfaced and lit, at roughly 3,497-3,498 feet in length.

Radio & Navigation

Guayaquil Control provides area control on 128.3 MHz. Locally, Salinas Approach operates on 124.1 MHz, with Salinas Radio on 126.9 MHz and Salinas Tower on 122.4 MHz. A non-directional beacon serving the field carries the identifier SLS, and an ILS is available for runway 31.

Visual Reference Points

The airfield lies on the Santa Elena Peninsula with Salinas and its coastline immediately to seaward, giving pilots a clear coastal reference for locating the field when approaching from over the Pacific or along the peninsula.

History

During the Second World War the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Forces Sixth Air Force as part of the defence of the South American coastline and the approaches to the Panama Canal against Japanese submarine activity. Units based here included the 25th Bombardment Squadron flying B-24 Liberators from January 1942 to May 1943, the 3d Bombardment Squadron with B-17 Flying Fortresses in mid-1943, and the 51st Fighter Squadron flying P-40 Warhawks over the winter of 1942 to 1943.

The Airfield Today

The airport continues to operate as a joint public and military facility, providing airline service to Salinas alongside its military function.