^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Uruguayan Air Force flags

image by Miles Li and Francisco Gregoric, 11 August 2004

Presentation
Description of the flag
Air Force Rank Flags
- Air Force Group Commander
Air Force Ranks Flags in Navy ships
Aircraft markings

See also:

Other sites:

Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya website

Presentation

Forming the Escuela de Aviación Militar in 1913 was the first step in forming the Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya (officialy formed in 1935 as Aeronáutica Militar Uruguaya).
Dov Gutterman, 28 June 2004

Description of the flag

The flag is blue with the badge of the Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya, and a text with the name of the force.
Francisco Gregoric, 23 June 2004

The interesting detail of the Air Force flag is that the "circular Artigas' flag" in the Air Force emblem is sky blue, white and red; not blue, white and red like it is used commonly in Uruguay.

You can see a picture of the Air Force flag in an airport at the website of Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya.
Francisco Gregoric, 23 February 2004

A photo of the (recently replaced) FAU Commandant-in-Chief can still be found (along with the official photos of all the air force 'top brass' from the Americas) at this page. It takes quite some time to be loaded fully, but it worth the wait, because some of them were posed in front of a flag or two. As you can see, only part of the FAU flag can be seen.
Miles Li, 24 February 2004

Air Force Group Commander

image by Calvin Paige Herring, 11 June 1998

The flag of an Air Force Group Commander is a burgee with nine stripes colored exactly like those of the national flag. Centered upon the flag is the roundel of the Uruguayan Air Force. (Source: [bcr81])
Calvin Paige Herring, 11 June 1998

Aircraft markings

Uruguay Air force roundel & fin flash 1916-

images by Nozomi Kariyasu, 16 November 2024

The Uruguayan Air Force Roundel (also used by the Navy Aviation) is a circular version of Artigas' Flag.

Since 1916 it has used the same marking as today - a roundel made of a disc divided horizontly to blue white blue with red diagonal bar crossing it from up left to bottom right.
Dov Gutterman, 28 June 2004

This symbol has been used by the Uruguayan Army between 1916-1928.
Francisco Gregoric, 30 July 2004

The FAU uses a fin flash that is a square variation of the former naval jack.
Dov Gutterman, 12 October 1999

Nowadays the fin flash is not a square version of Artigas' Flag. The normal fin flash is a rectangular one. To see a lot of new pictures of Uruguayan Air force planes visit: the FAU website.
Francisco Gregoric, 30 January 2004

Rudder stripes (later a fin flash) where a rectangle variantion of the roundel. Most planes use today only the fin flash.
Dov Gutterman, 28 June 2004

Fin flash use on a plane

by Francisco Gregoric, 15 July 2004

The present day fin flash is a small Artigas’ flag (usually with a ratio 2:3). However sometimes there are little details changed from one squadron to another (for example the exact position of the red diagonal or the ratio). The fin flash is always used as a "normal side flag" on both sides of the plane. The "reverse" side of the flag is not used.
Francisco Gregoric, 15 July 2004

Old fin flash

by Francisco Gregoric, 15 Jul 2004

The older fin flash occupied the whole rudder of the tail. And the "normal" and "reverse" side of the "flag" were used on both sides of the plane. Sometimes this fin flash occupied the bottom half of the rudder instead of all of it.

This "rudder Artigas' flag" scheme was used in the times of the famous 1972 Andes' accident of an Uruguayan Air Force plane where an Uruguayan rugby team was travelling (shown in the movie Alive!).
Francisco Gregoric, 15 July 2004

Other sites with pictures of real planes showing roundels and fin flash:

Reported by Dov Gutterman, 28 June 2004