Departure
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MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
El Trompillo Airport (SLET) is a historic city-centre airfield in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, once the sole gateway to the city and now home to military flying and general aviation. It sits close to the heart of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, offering a single long runway pair and a straightforward VFR environment for pilots familiar with the Viru Viru approach control area overhead.
El Trompillo Airport, also historically named Captain Horacio Vasquez Airport, lies in the southern part of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, only about 2 km from the city's central plaza. It was the city's principal airport for 65 years before Viru Viru International Airport opened in 1984, and it continues to serve the Bolivian Air Force, flying schools and general aviation traffic. For a simulator pilot, it offers an interesting contrast to the modern international field nearby: a compact, urban single-runway aerodrome with a long operational history and a strong military character.
El Trompillo sits in the south of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, close to the city's central 24 de Septiembre square, and operates beneath or adjacent to the airspace served by Viru Viru approach control. Traffic inbound or outbound should expect to coordinate with VIRU VIRU APP on 119.7 MHz given the airport's proximity to Santa Cruz's main international airport, Viru Viru.
El Trompillo has a single physical runway, 16/34, orientated broadly north-south. Runway 34 is 8412 ft long with a hard surface and lit, while the reciprocal direction, runway 16, is 7159 ft long, also hard-surfaced and lit. There is no ILS approach available. Field elevation is 1365 ft.
The airport operates as Trompillo Tower on 118.3 MHz for tower services. Ground movements are handled on 121.7 MHz. A radio frequency of 127.1 MHz is listed as Santa Cruz Radio. Approach control for the wider Santa Cruz area is provided by Viru Viru Approach on 119.7 MHz, which pilots operating in or near El Trompillo's airspace should expect to use when transiting the surrounding controlled airspace.
The airport is a useful visual reference in its own right, lying roughly 2 km south of Santa Cruz de la Sierra's central plaza, making the city centre itself a straightforward landmark for orientation when approaching from the north.
El Trompillo was established in 1920 with a modest runway of no more than 800 metres, and was named Captain Horacio Vasquez Airport in honour of a pilot who died in an accident flying from Argentina to La Paz; the name El Trompillo nonetheless became the airport's popular identity over time. For 65 years it was the only airport serving Santa Cruz, until the construction of Viru Viru International Airport in 1984 shifted international and most commercial traffic away. The first airlines to operate from the field were Lloyd Aereo Boliviano (LAB) and Panagra, and during the 1980-1985 period traffic increased owing to counter-narcotics operations. The airport was the scene of the so-called Pirate Airplane Incident on 29 July 1961, when a Lockheed Constellation was intercepted by the Bolivian Air Force after departing El Trompillo, a pursuit during which a Bolivian Air Force Mustang crashed with the loss of its pilot. On 13 October 1976 a Lloyd Aereo Boliviano Boeing 707 freighter crashed shortly after takeoff from El Trompillo and struck a school, killing all three crew and 88 people on the ground, one of Bolivia's worst air accidents. As of 2019 the airport no longer handles commercial passenger flights following the cessation of operations by the national carrier Transporte Aereo Militar.
El Trompillo continues to support Bolivian Air Force flying training alongside general aviation and smaller operators, with the type of activity reflecting its long-standing military and training role rather than scheduled airline service. Aerocon, a Bolivian carrier, maintained its head office at Hangar 93 on the airfield. Pilots planning a visit should note that prior permission is required.