Today, Peruvian Air Force Day is celebrated with a national holiday, commemorating the self-sacrifice of FAP Captain Jose Abelardo Quiñones Gonzales, who gave his life in defense of the homeland during the war with Ecuador in 1941.
Law No. 31822, published in July 2023, declared Peruvian Air Force Day and a national holiday on July 23 every year.
The regulation stipulates that the national hero's remains will rest at the Main Square of Las Palmas Air Base in Lima, where they receive the honors from FAP members.
Similarly, it designates this military compound as "Base Aerea Las Palmas Capitan FAP Jose Abelardo Quiñones Gonzales" (Las Palmas Air Base, FAP Captain Jose Abelardo Quiñones Gonzales).
The national hero was born at the Port of Pimentel, in Chiclayo, northern Peru, on April 22, 1914.
He enrolled at Jorge Chavez Central Aviation Academy as a cadet in 1935 and was part of the Commander Jose L. Raguz Class.
When conflict with Ecuador began in 1941, Quiñones Gonzales was part of Peru's first light division.
He received the mission to bomb an Ecuadorian military post in the area known as Quebrada Seca. Amidst confrontation, his aircraft was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire, prompting him to steer his plane into a nosedive towards Ecuadorian forces.
Lieutenant Quiñones Gonzales died on July 23, 1941, at age 27, in a heroic act for the Peruvian Nation.