On a grey Monday morning, 4 April 2011, six Dutch F-16s departed Volkel Air Base on their journey to their new home with the Chilean Air Force. All six Vipers were flown by Dutch pilots and still carried Dutch roundels. Their Dutch serial numbers were retained, covering the Chilean serial numbers underneath. The vertical tails had already been painted in Chilean blue, although the white star of the Chilean Air Force had yet to be added. A Dutch KDC-10 provided air-to-air refuelling support during the three-leg journey. The first stop was Gando Air Base on Gran Canaria, followed by Air Base Salvador on the east coast of Brazil. The final leg took the aircraft to Cerro Moreno Air Base in Antofagasta, Chile.

36 Dutch Vipers for Chile
In December 2005, a contract was signed between the Dutch and Chilean governments for the delivery of 18 surplus Dutch Vipers to Chile. These aircraft became available following the closure of Twente Air Base, which had been home to the Dutch F-16 fleet based there. The first 18 aircraft were delivered in three batches of six. These batches departed the Netherlands on 4 September 2006, 5 April 2007 and 3 July 2007.
In 2008, major cuts in the Dutch defence budget were announced, resulting in a further 18 F-16s being offered for sale. The Chilean government was again interested and purchased the additional aircraft. As with the first sale, the second batch of 18 Vipers was delivered in three groups of six. The first batch departed on 4 November 2010, followed by the second on 4 April 2011. The final batch was scheduled to leave on 29 August 2011.

The J-627 was struggling to leave
Six Vipers departed Volkel on that early Monday morning in April. However, the J-627 developed serious hydraulic problems during the flight. Despite the technical difficulties, the aircraft managed to reach Gando Air Base, where it made an emergency landing. Its journey to Chile was over before it had really begun. The J-627 was replaced by the J-058, which departed the following day. Meanwhile, the J-627 was repaired at Gando and flew back to the Netherlands the following week. When the final batch of six Vipers was due to leave Volkel on 29 August 2011, the J-627 was once again among the aircraft scheduled for delivery to Chile. Unfortunately, history repeated itself: the aircraft suffered another technical problem, this time just before departure. As a result, only five Vipers left Volkel that day. After another repair, the J-627 finally departed the following day, beginning its journey to Chile and the remainder of its operational career with the Chilean Air Force.