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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 1151.PDF
Australian-builtCanbemnare^ i«, servicewith „,. ,,,,,f f w,ng, bosed ot Amber/e,, am, <,,ve the R.A.A.F. an excellent long-rangemedium bomber potential. In the not-too-distant future both Avon " ' ' ~ " ' ' A GROWING AIR POWER ... ing which is carried put for the purpose of maintaining a supplyof trained parachute instructors and paratroopers. Personnel are detached from various units for parachute training and there isno airborne formation as such. Also outside die jurisdiction of Training Command is die Fighter Leader School at Williamtown.Operational conversion is almost entirely carried out in die front- line units, so diat a newly trained pilot can be progressivelybrought up to operational standard by serving as second pilot on the multi-engined types or in a Citizen Air Force squadron, beforebeing posted to a Canberra or Avon-Sabre unit. Pre-wings fly- ing training is carried out at No. 1 Basic Flying Training Schoolat Uranquinty, N.S.W., and No. 1 Advanced Flying Training School at Point Cook. Here also is die R.A.A.F. College, at whichpilot, navigator and technical cadets take a four-year course for permanent commissions in the R.A.A.F. At die first of theseunits pilots are trained to elementary and basic flying standards on Winjeels and Wirraways. Some 130 Wirraways, all of diembuilt during die World War 2 period, are still in service widi die R.A.A.F. and of 62 Winjeels ordered, more dian 25 are alreadyin service. After passing through No. 1 B.F.T.S. pilot trainees go to No. 1A.F.T.S. where diey reach wings standard on either Wirraways or Vampire Trainers. About 30 of diese were supplied directfrom England and a further 68, designated Mk 33 or Mk 35, have been ordered from de Havilland Aircraft Pty. in Australia.Akhough a training sequence similar to die R.A.F.'s Provost/ Vampire scheme would appear to be developing in Australiaaround die Winjeel and Vampire Trainer, a new pilot-training syllabus has not yet been finalized in die R.A.A.F. Two experi-mental Wirraway/Vampire courses were recendy run with con- siderable success.For aircrew other than pilots there are at East Sale the Air Navigation School giving basic and advanced courses and the AirArmament School which still turns out the air gunners needed for die Lincolns and Neptunes. Also at East Sale is die R.A.A.F.Central Flying School which trains instructors. There is a train- ing establishment for ground crews at Wagga Wagga, N.S.W.,dealing widi all trades except radio, which is the responsibility of an establishment at Ballarat, Victoria.Each major city has an A.T.C. squadron for boys up to sixteen, while a National Service training scheme takes men for 22 weeksof continuous ground-trade training at one of seven National Service training units based on R.A.A.F. stations. Productiveservice is not expected of diese men but after this period diey remain available for mobilization for five years in die reserve. Inaddition about 200 National Service men are trained each year up to civil pilot's "A" Licence standard by aero clubs working underGovernment contract. After die 50 hr flying which diis requires, these men are encouraged to volunteer for further training in theCitizen Air Force squadrons, but their only obligation is five years' reserve service. In addition to die airfield construction unit previously men-tioned as operating at Butterwordi, Malaya, uiere is a second airfield-construction squadron currently engaged in rebuildingthe Darwin airport which is extensively used by civil and Service aircraft. These squadrons were also responsible for die build-ing of the runway in the Cocos Islands which was, incidentally, one of die major staging posts for the Canberras in the 1953England-to-New Zealand Air Race. Further units of the R A.A.f. include the Aviation Medicine School which has recently beenopened near Melbourne and die Aircraft Research and Develop- ment unit at Laverton which includes aviation medicine, technicaland aircraft sections. Work carried out here in past years has included development of the Jindivik pilodess aircraft, used exten-sively in the trials of guided weapons in Australia, a boundary- layer-control glider and rain-making experiments. One ot theAvro 707A research deltas is also at present mere. From this unit came the nucleus of the flying and technical staff of the Woomera rocket ranges and the R.A.A.F. is, in fact, responsiblefor die air support of all weapon trials in die Woomera area. A centralized flying unit, including some helicopters, is emergingat die new Edinburgh Field near Adelaide with R.A.F. participa- tion. This unit will be heavily engaged in next month's nuclear-weapon tests in the Maralinga area. Overall direction of die R.A.A.F. is vested in die AustralianMinister for Air, Mr. Athol Townley, who is also responsible for civil aviation in die country. The Chief of the Air Staff isAir Marshal Sir John McCauley, K.B.E., C.B. Of particular interest at present are the re-equipment plans forthe R.A.A.F. The production of the Canberra and particularly the successful extensive re-working of the American Sabrehavedemon-strated the Australian industry's capacity to produce military aircraft of world-wide significance. Last year an R.A.A.F. team,led by A.V-M. A. M. Murdoch, C.B.E., toured die aircraft plants of Britain and America and rendered a secret report which appar-endy listed die military aircraft types with which it was suggested die R.A.A.F. should in future be equipped. It seems, therefore,that die policy of buying some aircraft abroad and producing odiers in Australia may continue. Possibilities might include theLockheed F-104 as an intercepter, either the Victor or Vulcan as a strategic bomber and the Lockheed C-130 Hercules as a com-bined strategic and tactical transport. Sir Frederick Shedden, secretary of the Australian Defence Department, has recentlycriticized die cost and intricacy of British V-bombers. Giving evidence before a Parliamentary public accounts committee, hesaid mat the bombers cost £A1 million (£800,000 sterling) and were "so intricately constructed diat servicing had to be done atfactories." Sir Frederick also commented diat the R.A.A.F. would have to be re-equipped with new aircraft to replace its Sabres andCanberras, built in Australia under licence. There was still no decision by the Government on the types of aircraft to be bought. Whatever the future may hold, however, the R.A.A.F. is alreadywell set to take a major place in Pacific air power. NORTHERN ROUTE Continued from page 295) We came in across die Great West Road and touched downat London Airport at 8.20 p.m. From Vancouver the whole trip had taken us 22 hr 15 min. From Auckland, passengers hadtaken four days. Airport formalities soon completed, the passengers boardedthe airline coach, or were met by friends with cars. The young man about to marry, the tall and languid couple, the aviationwriter needing a shave. New Zealanders, Canadians, and Eng- lishmen. Already some had clearly slammed their minds shutbehind them on their Arctic Circle flight, and were hurrying back into dieir familiar routine environment. Odiers, I knew,had not closed the door on their thoughts, and were lagging behind a little. Perhaps as far as Sondrestrom, where we hadseen a polar bear—if only the one painted on the control tower. Perhaps even to Vancouver, where it was now five a.m. thefollowing day—but let us not start that son of time-wasting nonsense again. For us, as well as for die Canadian Pacific crews, die phrasewould now be "nordiern routine," and not northern route. We had completed a flight which was at once uneventful and yet ofabsorbing interest; relatively short in time and yet somehow spanning a long sector of new and varied experience. In ourwallets were the crisp, shiny cards which proclaimed our mem- bership of die Arctic Circle Club (whatever that might imply);while in my mind was the thought diat, even if 24 hours in Vancouver was too short a time, one could easity return therefrom London in an even briefer period.
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