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Costa Rica - Aircraft Marking

Last modified: 2004-07-03 by dov gutterman
Keywords: costa rica | roundel |
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Obsolete (?)
by Zeljko Heimer, 1 june 2001



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Aircraft Marking

From Album 2000 [pay00] - Aircraft Marking - Roundel of blue-white-red with diameters approximately 42:25:15. In the blue stripe is inscribed in white letters MINISTERIO DE SEGURIDAD PU'BLICA in upper arc and SECCIO'N AERE'A on lower arc.
Zeljko Heimer, 1 june 2001 and Santiago Dotor, 4 june 2001

The image in [cos98] shows "GMNMMVMMMIPB HINGGGG NHHIPNNNGNNNUA" in the upper arc, and "GMIPB HINGGGG" upside down in the upper arc! (although it's hardly readable without a magnifying glass).
Mark Sensen, 4 june 2001

The last word is AE'REA (AÉREA) not AERE'A (AERÉA).
Santiago Dotor, 5 june 2001

The Album 2000 is clear here having the acute over the last E. The corr. 30 to previous issue has it too.
Zeljko Heimer, 5 june 2001

I checked my source, Australian Airforce website, it wrongly puts AERE'A.
Armand du Payrat (author of [pay00] ), 5 june 2001

Fuerza Aérea Militar were formed in 1948 and lasted only less then a year. Its roundel is 1948-1949 Roundel. plate at <www.skytamer.com>.
Aeroflight report: "The first national marking used was a roundel based on the pre-WW2 United States insignia, with the colours reversed. This marking was carried on the fuselage sides and on the starboard upper and port lower wings. There was no tail insignia."
Next step was forming Fuerza Aérea Costarricense in 1955. This time there were only national colors stripes on wings, fusalage and rudder. Plate at <www.skytamer.com>. Aeroflight report: "1955-1974 - After the air force was revived in 1955, the aircraft were marked with an elongated version of the national flag on the fuselage and on the port upper and starboard lower wings. Stripes in the national colours were also displayed on the rudder."
However, Insignia show it more like a bar and report that: "The Costa Rican national colours on the rudder are horizontal bars of (from top) Blue, White, Red, White and Blue. National markings appear to be partly based on the USAF roundel, in Red, White and Blue, and appear on the upper port and lower starboard wings as well as both fuselage sides."
In 1964 the air force was replaced by Seccion Aérea del Ministerio de Seguridad Publica. It was followed in 1974 with a new roundel (used also as fin flash) as seen in above. See plate at <www.skytamer.com> Aeroflight report: "In the 1970s a new blue/white/red roundel was introduced, having very similar proportions to the marking used by the Royal Air Force. The inscription 'MINISTERIO DE SEGURIDAD PUBLICA SECCION AEREA', was featured in white on the outer blue ring. This marking was displayed on the tailfin and above and below each wing. No fuselage insignia was displayed."
Aeroflight keep reporting: "199?-Present - In the 1990s, the national insignia reverted back to stripes in the national colours. This either took the form of continuous stripes along the fuselage side and chordwise stripes around the outer wings, or as a version of the of the national flag on the tailfin or fuselage. The style of markings on the wings is not known. Usually the inscription "FUERZA PUBLICA" is written on the fuselage sides."
Scramble show the roundel asabove but there are two photos in this website that indeed show only "national" stripes on fusalage and wingtips (and also small flag on fin). No roundel seen, only an emblem of some kind. It also said that the name is now "Servicio de Vigilancia Aérea - Fuerza Publica".
Indeed, there is no "Ministerio de Seguridad Pública" anymore but Ministerio de Gobernación y Policía. Seems that the roundel is now out of use.
Dov Gutterman, 15 June 2004


1948-1949 Roundel


by Ferenc Gy. Valoczy, 2 July 2003