Tame Amazonia aerial social project

We go deep into the Ecuadorian Amazon, to theí learn about the Tame Amazonia project promoted by the Ecuadorian Government with the support of Tame EP, for the benefit of the Amazon communityónica.

Tame Amazonia maintains its operating permitón valid and renewed in August 2018.

This social project's main objective is to offer connectivity toéarea to populations más far from the vast Ecuadorian Amazon, with regular service, of quality and at an affordable price for all residents of the areas covered with this noble idea.

Tame Amazonia

This ambitious project was officially born más from three toños, after the need generated by the Ecuadorian Government, which has always had as a pending issue the development of transportation toéregular prisoner in the m zonesáisolated s of the Ecuadorian Amazon, where previously to reach a city like Shell Mera (a 151 kilómeters from Quito) podíto take from 4 a 9 días, themselvesún weather conditions,  availability of river transport and the area where the trip begins.

For some time nowños, in the same way the Government together with the FAE, carries out partially regular flights to some airports or amazon runwaysóunique with the famous and reliable Twin Otter, these flights under the TAE modality (Transport AéEcon prisonersómonkeys) were temporarily the solutionón to serve communities, albeit in a limited way, Due to the type of aircraft, not all runways canístill be served and the humanitarian emergencies of the AmazóNicos couldn'títo be solved, putting the lives of settlers at risk, who seesíhave limited access in a way áagile to health centers, only available in major cities like Macas (a 347 kilómeters from Quito). These flights are currently operational., thanks tooén per monthón social of the FAE and the high demand for mobility in the Amazon sectorónico, where not only the FAE carries out these community flights.

Other companies, in this case private, They carry out flights on request or in some way tooén regular to more in-demand tracks like Taisha bass taxi toéreo, where your más de 18.000 inhabitants are an attraction for these companies, which operate with Cessna or Caravan aircraft, themselvesún the demand and the runway where they need to land. These services or companies are based at the main minor Amaz airport.ónico, Shell Mera, from which más de 40 daily flights are generated towards más de 200 tracks in the regionóprayerónica.

Shell Mere Airport

In all these projects, included Amazon Tame, the idea is the transport of people and cargo, is úlast as main source, or many cases única, income of the Amazigh inhabitantsónicos, those who move their agricultural products to the citiesítails or fishing for subsequent sale in local markets.

Given the complexity of the transfer as indicatedó formerly of people, emergencies séservices and products to and from the communities, he raised himselfó the need to generate a permanent service that benefits the entire Amazon, without restrictions and on a regular basis. Así nace Tame Amazonia, a response between the Government and Tame EP to reach the más deep in the Ecuadorian jungle, flying to prepared dirt runways, grass or gravel, regardless of dónde and always with the missionón to offer the best service to people más in need of the corners más distant and inaccessible.

¿Cóhow the project works?

For the beginning of the project, it was contemplatedó incorporate itón of 6 new North American aircraft Quest Kodiak 100, of which 3 They are already operating in the countryís. These aircraft comply with all certifications and technology.ínecessary to operate in the complex spaceéreo amazónico, where short slopes and climatic conditionsáadverse tics that change in questionón of minute are a constant and they test the 4 commanders who are currentlyán enabled in this project, based on Shell Mera and Macas.

The 3 early Quest Kodiak operate daily frequencies at at least 6 tracks, with regular schedules previously socialized and requested by the different communities as well as the destination, what monúIn the case and needs of each group it can be Macas or Shell Mera. These same communities are in charge of the constructionón of tracks, under guidelines provided by the airlineínea and by the DGAC, which supervises its constructionón and t aspectsécynics as resistance, material and dimensions. Since the project began, más de 10.000 people between the different airports and runways served weekly.

Daily flights also dependén of aircraft availability, which go through a rigorous maintenance process on weekends, since flights are offered úMonday to Friday only, in order to rest the crews and comply with the indicated maintenance. Flights are scheduled very early in the morning.ñAna and they have a rotationón on every track of no más de 15 minutes, to theí being able to meet the busy daily flight schedule on time, where a máximo of 45 minutes separates each runway from the main airports of Macas or Shell. When a flight is suspended, be it due to weather conditionsáethics or maintenance, Communities are alerted in time thanks to the communication systemón UHF that both parties have, from which information is transmittedón informs the flight commander about the weather and runway status. Due to the complexity of the operationón is that in each community a “flight attendant” who is responsible for transmitting and processing the list of 9 passengers like mámaximum per flight to the commander and alsoén to notify about any news or additional needs.

Flights having a social purpose are subsidized, so every flight, regardless of its durationón and destination, for the people of the communities and personal médico has a value of $15 dóAmerican homes who can carry up 2 niñthose in arms or less than 5 añyou by flight and 30 load pounds each, what benefits your economic activityómica. For other Ecuadorian or foreign passengers this cost increases up to $60 dóhomes. These values ​​have been agreed to be able to maintain an operationón regulate and shorten the gap as much as possibleás possible between an operationón profitable under the modality of social or community flights.

The technologyíThe Kodiak is top-of-the-line, which allows them to operate in the changing climate conditions of the Amazon. Equipped with navigation equipmentón Kid G1000, pilots can safely navigate hundreds of tracks in eastern Ecuador. Hereí a sample of cóWhat are the inside of the airplanes and the different navigation systems?ón in the cockpit:

Currently, Tame Amazonia flights are developed in conjunction with the Institute for Regional Ecodevelopment Amazónico – Ecorae to keep flights subsidized.

The Kodiak Quest 100 HC-CPF is without flying from the 5 of January of 2017 when I sufferedó an incident in Wachir also, Morona-Santiago. at the time of take off, given the track conditions you haveíto accumulateón of water, the front end of «keyó» in a hole, causing the train to collapse and giveñthe engine. It is unknown if the avióto beá fixed up.

We live the experience

After a car trip 5 hours covering something más de 150 kilómeters we arrive at the flagship airport of the Amazon, from which más de 100 civil-military flights, which positions it as one of the airports máimportant s of the país, despite its sizeño and limited infrastructure.

At 9 from meñAna the adventure beganó on the facilities and operations center of Tame Amazonia. La misión for díto was to fly to 3 new amaz tracksóunique, for which it is dueíto previously carry out the well-known inspection flightsón, in which the quality of the track is determined, tests are carried out and finally the community is informed about the new flights and their frequencies.

The runways assigned for reconnaissance were Ipiak, Juyukamentsa y Kapirna, the three located in the southeastern zone of Ecuador, a few kiloómeters from the borderítrophies with Perú, province of Pastaza and Morona Santiago. the grandfatherón assigned for día was the HC-CPG “hummingbirdí”, the más new of the 3 first Kodiak. Once ready with the missionón of día and security details, we board the planeón, its comfort and technologyíwere noticed immediately.

Each community is única and its especially friendly inhabitants. In the 3 planned visits it was possible to see the hard work carried out by each one of them to have each of the tracks in the best possible condition. The care for details mark the nobleness of the project, where every centítrack meter is checked daily by the inhabitants, to theí ensure the continuity of flights that are so important for these communities.

The first stop was in Ipiak, Its dirt track with mixed parts of grass welcomed us with the community that very kindly gave usó an exótico lunch and offerings in gratitude for the start of flights to this community. Flights for this community will be carried outíEven on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. towards Macas at the request of the community members.

our next stop, y la más brief of all, it was in Juyukamentsa, located just 3 flight minutes south of Ipiak. After a ráI ask for a flight, where always before each landing the crewón performs a flyover to check the condition of the runway at búdrying puddles of water, animals or people that could put the operation at riskón and also alert the community of the arrival of the planeón, so that theí spaghettién they from the ground help to inspect that everything isé in order for landing. your clue, the best of 3 visited, of very well compacted earth ensuredó the soon start of a weekly flight to Shell Mera the días Friday at 10:00.

The úLast community to be visited was Kapirna, a few minutes from the border with Peruú, where we were very well received with a spectacular lunch 100% it isónico, which includedó the famous catfish fish, glove, madura, yucca, Chinese potato and más. Its dirt track in good condition ensuredó spaghettién the start of flights to be carried out oníThursday at 4:00 p.m..

The project in all its sense shows the más noble of aviationón, which is to serve the community, leaving behindás a profitability that in this case is distant, but that fulfills the social objective for which it was created. If it arouses the painón of pilots on each flight, to whom we thank for their invitationón and collaborationón, napeñI bring to the communities the benefits of flights for everyone, sharing with them and being part as one, looking for everyone's progress. The work of the communities, every dayía más adapted to technologyía actual, thanks to your collaborationón and necessity make it possible for this project to stand out above any otherún another, like the project más noble that we have been able to know until todayífrom today, where the warmth of the people who make it up make it úunique and worth spreading.

You can see the whole adventure in the next vídeo available on Youtube étime of Tame Virtual: