Thread: 100 years of Australian military flying

Well if the RAAF wasn't formed until 1921 who were they? You will try and tell me they were Navy next.

Originally Posted by carlschmid2002

Well if the RAAF wasn't formed until 1921 who were they? You will try and tell me they were Navy next.

I'll give you this. Point Cook was formed in 1913 as the Australian Army Central Flying School.However, it's first CO was a Solicitor from London, Henry Petre.It was Petre who selected Point Cook, because it was relatively flat ground. When the Royal Flying Corp requested Australia supply 200 pilots to the RFC, the resultant group of pilots and ground crew were called the Australian Flying Corp. [ to keep a National identity, and not be lost in the British formation] They served under the Command of the RFC, carrying out training in England. Not all were Australian, some were Australians serving in other Air corps[ eg, Oswald Watt was i/c of 2 squadron , AFC, formerly of the French Foreign Legion Air Corp.]

Regarding the RAN. Members of the RAN were flying in action before the AFC. ;

" A very neglected area of Australian Naval history is the contribution made by Australians who served in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) during World War I. There is no known record of all Australians in the RNAS but so far research has turned up nearly 100 names. Many distinguished themselves during the war. whilst others who survived the conflict became well known in later occupations. It was the pilots, particularly the fighter pilots, whose achievements were better recorded and rewarded with decorations who were easier to trace whilst the other aircrew and maintainers ? the vast majority ? have tended to fade into oblivion.

Later parts of these articles will give more details of the lives and careers of selected individuals, but to briefly mention a few:

R.A. LITTLE DSO,* DSC,* C de G. Top scoring Australian ace of any conflict with 47 victories.
R.S. DALLAS DSO, DSC,* C de G Second highest Australian ace with at least 32 victories.
S.J. GOBLE CBE, DSO, DSC, C de G Later Air Vice Marshal RAAF who acted as Chief of Air Staff for three periods.
H.J.L. HINKLER AFC, DSM The famous "Bert" of trail blazing flying exploits post WWI.
R.F. MINFIE DSC** Achieved 21 victories before being taken Prisoner of War
B.C. BELL DSO, DSC, C de G Commanded a squadron which accounted for 321 enemy aircraft.
L.G.A. HOOKE ? Airship pilot. Later knighted and became Chairman of Amalgamated Wireless of Australia.
A.M. LONGMORE and D.C.S. EVILL Both later knighted and became Air Chief Marshalls."

Last time I checked the Army have Corps. One of the great chapters of Australian Military Flying was the RAN Huey Squadron in Vietnam.