SUBJECTS >> OPERATIONS >> South America
AIRCRAFT >> OBSERVATION >> U-10
Catalog Number:
1963.027
Location:
1405
Description:
Chimon, A Tiny Village At The Mouth Of The Rio Boca Bien River, Panama, Unreachable Either By Rail Or By Road, Was Selected By The USAF As A Possible Site For An Airstrip. Early In February 1963, A Small USAF Plane, U-10a, With Loud Speaker Equipment On Board, Contacted The Village Of 3,000 Inhabitants Requesting Their Cooperation In The Building Of An Airstrip So That Planes Could Land. Their Response To The Request Was Written On The Ground And Became Known As Operation Pista. Day-By-Day, Instructions In Spanish Were Relayed From The Air To Them By A Teacher And Social Worker Who Was In The Area. Tools And Equipment Were Dropped As Needed Until The Airstrip Was Constructed. It Was On March 30, 1963, That The People Of Chimon Awaited The Arrival Of The First Plane Which Opened That Way For Commercial Transportation And Linked Them Wtih The World About Them.