Affairs
Americas Briefing

Happy Chopper

Preface

Chilean president Sebastián Piñera appears addicted to movement.

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Aeroplanes
Eight years ago, the Chilean Air Force purchased a Boeing 737-500 with extra fuel tanks, allowing for fewer stops on international journeys from Santiago, the far-flung capital. As a result of high-profile mechanical breakdowns on the previous presidential plane (an aged Boeing 707 that routinely failed to provide transport that was either secure or reliable), the Chilean government purchased a backup plane in 2008, a Boeing 767-300ER.

Helicopter
The presidential chopper is a zippy Bell 412SP with a top speed of 161mph (259km/hr) and a range of 463 miles (745km).

Ceremonial convertible
A black 1967 Ford Futura is often used for parades. Open-topped and shiny, the Futura evokes Kennedy-style government.

Cars
For the past four years, the Chilean president’s personal car for daily transport around town has been a tinted-window Peugeot 607, sandwiched between a pair of Hyundai Azeras and followed by a Dodge Durango. All the security cars have the windows half down, eagle-eyed bodyguards scouting the horizon, although guns are never in sight.

The newly elected billionaire is often seen walking full stride, his aides running behind like a harried entourage, as he dashes through lanes of traffic or into the cockpit of his favourite toy – his helicopter.

While past Chilean presidents have used the presidential chopper sparingly, Piñera is likely to change that, given his love of piloting his own helicopters. While security and safety experts question the wisdom of allowing a president to sit at the controls, Piñera spent the weeks before his inauguration flying his own helicopter, dropping friends at ranches, picking them up for tennis matches.

Closer to the ground there are rumours that Piñera may trade in the presidential Peugeot 607 for a car without tinted windows as part of his efforts to provide a sense of openness and transparency in government. Given the minimal security risks in Chile (presidential protection is so relaxed that tourists can enter the palace with a smile and a laminated ID of any provenance), that’s an option that would make many presidents jealous. But for now you can tell when he’s approaching on a Santiago street because a path will be opened up by a pair of hyperactive presidential escorts – Carabineros de Chile, the national police – on Harley-Davidsons.