Central Flying School RAAF
Encyclopedia
The Central Flying School RAAF is a Royal Australian Air Force
training establishment, based at RAAF Base East Sale
. It was formed in March 1913, and during the First World War it trained over 150 pilots, who fought in Europe
and the Middle East
.
After the First World War the unit was disbanded, only to be reformed in 1940, after which it was moved to New South Wales
. During the Second World War the unit produced more than 3,600 instructors. After the war, the unit was moved back to RAAF Base East Sale
.
From 1962 the unit was responsible for producing the RAAFs aerobatic display teams. The first formed was a team of four, called "The Red Sales", flying De Havilland Vampire
jet aircraft. A second team, "The Telstars" was formed in 1963 also flying Vampires. In April 1968, just after the unit took delivery of new Macchi MB326H
jet aircraft, The Telstars were disbanded due to a reduction in display flying.
In 1970 a third team, "The Roulettes", was formed, flying the Macchi MB326H. The Roulettes continued flying the Macchi until 1989 when they changed to Pilatus PC-9
aircraft.
Creation of Central Flying School 1909-1914
Central Flying School (CFS) was formed at Point Cook, Victoria, on 7 March 1913, and as such is the oldest military aviation unit in Australia and one of the oldest in the world. It is possible to trace the beginnings of CFS back to 1909, when the Department of Defence began to recognise the potential of developing aviation as an instrument of war.
In the hope of finding an aircraft suitable to equip an aviation corps the Government announced a competition on 8 September for the design of a military flying machine. The competition generated widespread public interest and attracted some forty entries, but none of the entries were considered suitable and the competition was later cancelled.
Notwithstanding the failure of the aircraft competition members of the public continued lobbying the Government to establish an Aviation Corps. The Aerial League of Australia can take much of the credit for generating public interest in military aviation. The League was formed in April 1909 with the aim of persuading the Government to establish a military aviation school and aviation flight. In late 1910 the League forwarded a proposal for an Australian Aviation Corps to the Military Board of the Department of Defence. The board deferred the plan on 17 January 1911 pending consultation with the British War Office.
In late 1911 the Minister for Defence, Senator Pearce, attended an Imperial Conference in London. During the visit the British War Office expressed interest in developing aviation within the Empire, and informed Senator Pearce of plans to establish military flying centres in Britain, France, America, and Germany. The Senator returned to Australia convinced of the need to develop an Australian Flying School and Aviation Corps, and was successful in securing political and financial support for the proposal. On 30 December 1911 the Commonwealth Gazette called for applications from "expert mechanists and aviators desirous of being appointed to the Defence Department". This notice was repeated in the British press. On 9 August 1912 the Chief of the General Staff, Brigadier General J.M. Gordon, submitted a proposal for a military flying school and corps to the Department of Defence. He recommended a site be established at Canberra near the Royal Military College, Duntroon. This proposal was approved by the Minister for Defence on 20 September 1912.
On 26 September Australian Army Order No 132/1912 was issued to establish an aviation flight consisting of four officers, seven warrant officers and sergeants, thirty-two mechanics, and four aircraft. The Government ordered two B.E.2 two-seater biplanes and two Deperdussin
single-seater monoplanes for the new aviation flight. The Defence Department were advised that these aircraft were not suitable for preliminary flying training, so a Bristol Boxkite
was added to the aircraft establishment on 6 December 1912.
The aviators who responded to the announcement in the Commonwealth Gazette were among the most celebrated aviation pioneers in Britain. After a series of deliberations Henry Petre
and Eric Harrison
were chosen as pilots. Petre was an English barrister who abandoned his legal practice to become a flying instructor. Harrison was an Australian pilot working for the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Petre was tasked with selecting a site for the flying school, and left England on 6 December 1912. Harrison stayed in England and hired four aircraft mechanics: R.H. Chester, G.A. Fonteneau, C.V. Heath, and H.E. Shortland. Harrison, Chester and Shortland departed for Australia on 25 April 1913, and were later followed by Heath and Fonteneau. Petre's first assignment was to inspect a 640 acres (2.6 km²) site at Duntroon. Petre claimed that the terrain, at 1600 feet (487.7 m), was too high, and that the surrounding hills would make flying dangerous. In addition he felt that Canberra was too isolated. Petre then inspected several sites in Victoria, and finally chose a property at Point Cook (originally spelt Cooke) on the shores of Port Phillip
near Werribee.
Point Cook offered both land and sea access, was close to Army Headquarters in Melbourne, and the flat terrain was ideal for flying training. The Government purchased 734 acres (3 km²) at the site for a total of 6 040/2/3 pounds. Petre became the first Australian aviator when he commissioned as an honorary Lieutenant on 6 August 1913. Harrison was commissioned on 16 September 1913. The four aircraft mechanics were enlisted as Sergeants.
The newly appointed Australian Aviation Instructional staff were tasked with establishing Central Flying School at Point Cook. By February 1914 tents had been organised to accommodate personnel and canvas hangars were being designed to house the aircraft. Nine locally enlisted mechanics joined the staff in late February. On 1 March 1914 Lieutenant Harrison made the first Military flight in Australia in a Bristol Boxkite registered as CFS 3. From March to August 1914 the school's five aircraft were test flown at Point Cook. During July 1914 applications were invited from unmarried Citizen Force officers between 20 and 25 to train as aircraft pilots at Central Flying School.
CFS During The Great War 1914-1918
By the time war began in Europe on 4 August 1914 Central Flying School had already programmed the first flying course for 17 August 1914. Four officers were selected for the first course: Lieutenant D. Manwell, Lieutenant G.P. Merz, Lieutenant R. Williams, and Captain T.W. White
. As there was a Captain on the course, Lieutenant Petre was promoted to Captain. Lieutenant Williams was the first student to qualify for his "wings" after flying solo for a total of 7 hours 27 minutes in the Bristol Boxkite. After an average of about 10 hours flying all four students had qualified for the issue of a pilot's licence.
Upon graduating from the 14 week course the pilots were issued with an aviation certificate from the Royal Aero Club, which was effectively an international civil aviation licence. Of the four officers who graduated from that first flying course, three were destined for notoriety. Lieutenant Williams went on to become Air Marshal Sir Richard Williams, first Chief of the Air Staff. Captain White, later Sir Thomas White, became a Federal Cabinet Minister and served a term as Australian High Commissioner in London. In July 1915 Lieutenant Merz became the first Australian airman to be killed in action. He was serving in Mesopotamia fighting the Turks when he was killed by Arabs after a forced landing.
A further eleven courses training a total of 1152 pilots were held at CFS between 1914–1918, but at the end of the Great War the Australian Flying Corps was disbanded and flying training in Australia was suspended.
Formation of No 1 Flying Training School 1918-1925
CFS continued to exist at Point Cook with its employees enlisted into the Australian Air Corps, but little if any flying training took place. When the Australian Air Force was formed on 31 March 1921 a military order renamed CFS as Flying Training School, and the school's aircraft were taken on charge by its successor. On 1 July 1925 Flying Training School was renamed No 1 Flying Training School.
Reformation of CFS During the Second World War 1940-1945
Following the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 there was a huge demand for aircrew. In order to meet the demand the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) was established to train 11,000 aircrew in Australia each year. There were only 27 flying instructors in Australia in 1939. To fill this void the Air Board reformed CFS on 29 April 1940 from ‘C' and ‘D' flights of No 1 Flying Training School in order to conduct Service Flying Instructor Courses. CFS lodged briefly at Point Cook before relocating to RAAF Station Camden in May 1940.
An advance party arrived in Camden on 14 May 1940 to prepare a camp for the arrival of the main party. The move to Camden was completed on 23 May 1940. On 28 March 1942 the Air Board directed CFS to vacate Camden to make room for a United States Air Force formation. Tamworth was eventually chosen as the next location for the school. A small road party drove to Tamworth in April 1942 to establish a camp and the School completed the move on 21 April 1942.
During 1943 concerns were raised at RAAF headquarters regarding the quality of flying instruction at operational training units. CFS produced a report on the subject and this led to a conference at RAAF HQ. At the conference it was decided that CFS should become involved in the supervision of instructor standards within operational training units. In order to perform this role effectively the school required operational types of aircraft. At the time the school was operating Avro Ansons, Wirraways and Oxfords. The airfield at Tamworth was considered unsuitable for heavier operational aircraft, and this led to the school's relocation to RAAF Station Parkes on 19 February 1944.
While located at Parkes CFS staff conducted Service Flying Instructor and Link Trainer Instructor courses, conversion courses, instrument flying and the tuition of pilots for operational training units. Between the 2–5 August 1944 the Commanding Officer GPCAPT R.E. Dupont (RAF) and the Chief Flying Instructor SQNLDR G. Eyres held discussions with RAAF Headquarters concerning the possible transfer of the School from Parkes to Point Cook. These discussions resolved that CFS could use the facilities at Point Cook to enhance its training courses, and in the interests of the school's development it would be of advantage to move from Parkes.
The School took about a month to move equipment and personnel by rail to Point Cook, with the main party leaving Parkes on 18 September 1944 and arriving in Melbourne the following day. Aside from conducting aircrew courses at Point Cook CFS established an Aviation Medicine Section in late 1944. The Section featured Night Vision Training Aids, and the medical staff later developed flying clothing for RAAF aircrew. This was the beginning of Aviation Medicine in the RAAF. The Section became a separate unit on 8 February 1956 when it was renamed the RAAF School of Aviation Medicine.
During November 1944 CFS staff were advised that in view of the permanent nature of the unit, approval had been given for representation to His Majesty the King for the grant of a badge, featuring the Australian continent, surmounted by an inflamed lamp of learning. The ancient lamp on the terrestrial globe suggests that the school's pupils operate all over the world. Approval was also granted for the school to adopt the motto "QUI DOCET DISCIT", which may be translated as "he who teaches learns himself". Between 1940 and 1945 CFS trained more than 3 600 instructors who in turn trained over 30 000 students, but the end of the Second World War brought about changes in flying training practices as the RAAF prepared for a peacetime role. CFS wound down its instructional duties and concentrated on other tasks such as research into pure flying matters.
Post-War Years 1947-1955
On 1 June 1947 the Commanding Officer CFS, WGCDR I.F. Rose, tested a system of cruise control designed by the school during a journey from Pearce to Point Cook in Lincoln A73-3. WGCDR Rose completed the journey in a record time of 6 hours and 8 minutes. On the same day FLTLT G. Tuck completed the same journey in Mosquito A52-183 in just 5 hours. Both flights represented the fastest time flown on route for each aircraft type.
In 1947 the RAAF drafted a plan for officer and pilot training in the Interim Air Force. This plan led to the relocation of CFS from Point Cook to East Sale to allow for the formation and development of a RAAF College
at Point Cook. On 18 November 1947 SQNLDR A.E. Mather led an advance party of seven airmen to East Sale to ensure a smooth relocation for the main detachment. On 26 November CFS ferried seven Tiger Moths, three Oxfords, a Lincoln and a Dakota from Point Cook to East Sale. A second wave of aircraft arrived two days later consisting of nine Wirraways, a Mustang and a Dakota. The main party arrived on 1 December and resumed training the following day.
The school was now under the command of RAAF Station East Sale, and all CFS maintenance personnel were posted to the station's maintenance wing. The first Flying Instructor's Course (FIC) commenced soon after. No 1 FIC graduated on 28 June 1948 after completing a nine month course. The course was scheduled to take six months, but the intake of 20 students greatly outnumbered the eight instructors who included the Commanding Officer WGCDR I.F. Rose AFC, and Chief Flying Instructor SQNLDR H.F. Moore.
The low serviceability rate of the Oxfords prevented the completion of Multi-Engine Night Flying and Instrument Flying phases of the course, but the students passed the remainder of the syllabus which included Elementary Flying Instruction, Single-Engine Flying Instruction, Basic Instrument Instruction, Link Instruction and Multi-Engine Flying Instruction. In addition to No 1 Flying Instructors Course the School conducted a Pilots Refresher Course, a Fighter Conversion Course and a Flying Instructors Refresher Course.
In May 1953 CFS introduced a Jet Instructors Course on the Dual Vampire. In March of the following year the School instituted an Advanced Flying Training Course under the control of the Jet Training Trials Flight. This was the RAAF's first attempt to use jet aircraft in the advanced flying stage of a pilots course and the trial was considered a success. The expansive learning program of CFS earned the school a reputation as the "university of flying with the sky as the classroom".
In June 1953 CFS provided aerial assistance to the Victorian Lands Department in a wild dog bait dropping operation. Sheep stations in the mountainous Lake Omeo District were contending with wild dogs which were attacking flocks of lambing ewes, and the Lands Department asked the RAAF to help cull the dogs. On 10 June the Commanding Officer, WGCDR Charles Read, captained a Dakota with three Bairnsdale graziers on board who acted as guides for the operation. The aircraft dropped 20,000 baits supplied by the Vermin Board.
The school suffered its first fatality from a Flying Instructors Course in July 1954. Pilot Officer A. Pritchard of No 12 course died in a Wirraway crash on 13 July at Pearsondale, three miles (5 km) south of the West Sale aerodrome. Just one week later another fatal accident occurred when a Tiger Moth crashed two miles (3 km) north of the West Sale aerodrome. Lieutenant E. Clay and Pilot Officer D. Doel, of the same course as the late Pilot Officer Pritchard, were killed instantly.
In January 1957 CFS expanded its instructional role with the inclusion of a ‘B' Flight to conduct Flying Refresher and assessing tasks. Soon after the school added Air Traffic Control training of its curriculum. No 20 Air Traffic Control (ATC) Course commenced at CFS on 12 March 1957. CFS hosted the first three Air Traffic Control courses between 1946–47, but relinquished this course to No 1 Flying Training School upon moving to East Sale. In 1948 ‘C' Flight was established to manage the ATC courses at CFS. The school continued to manage ATC training for the RAAF until the School of Air Traffic Control was established in 1981.
Introduction of the Winjeel 1955
The introduction of the Winjeel to CFS on 10 October 1955 heralded a change of trainer aircraft for the school. The Winjeel became the 27th different aircraft type to be flown at CFS since the early days at Point Cook in 1914. The Winjeel replaced the Wirraway in 1957. On 15 October 1957 the Commanding Officer, Wing Commander Vernon Sullivan, led a formation of seven Wirraways to RAAF Station Tocumwal where the aircraft were disposed from the RAAF.
By June 1959 a decade had passed since the first Flying Instructors Course graduated from CFS. In that month the School expanded its training syllabus to include an Antarctic Course for RAAF pilots posted to the RAAF Antarctic Flight at Mawson. FLGOFF G. Dyke from No 1 Antarctic Course later returned to East Sale as Group Captain Graham Dyke, Officer Commanding from January 1981 to July 1983.
On 17 November 1959 a tragic Vampire crash at East Sale resulted in the deaths of FLTLT H. Wilson and PLTOFF J. Franks. FLTLT Wilson had just returned from the Antarctic Flight at Mawson to join No 22 Flying Instructors Course. The Vampire's engine failed after takeoff and PLTOFF Franks made a circuit of the airfield before attempting to land on the runway. He landed about 600 yards short of the runway and the aircraft broke up as it hit an irrigation ditch. Several airmen approached the downed Vampire but were ordered back as its two 20-millimetre Hispano cannons were loaded for a firing practise sortie. Fortunately only a few rounds of ammunition were detonated in the crash.
The completion of N0 36 Flying Instructors Course in 1966 marked the end of an era at CFS, as it was thought this would be the last FIC course to train on the Winjeel. Winjeel is an aboriginal word meaning ‘young eagle'. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation built the aircraft to replace the Tiger Moth and the Wirraway. On 23 September 1966 No 36 Flying Instructors Corse farewelled the Winjeel with a formation flypast of 10 aircraft over Sale. The aircraft were then flown to Point Cook where they served as initial pilot trainers.
Introduction of the Macchi 326H 1967
Plans to conduct ‘all through' jet training in the RAAF led the Commanding Officer CFS, Wing Commander Tom Meldrum, and an eight-man delegation to travel overseas to select a new jet trainer. The team evaluated a number of aircraft and eventually selected the Italian Macchi-326 as the most suitable replacement for the Winjeel and the Vampire. In 1967 CFS began its first ‘all through' jet Flying Instructors Course in preparation for the introduction of the Macchi as the RAAF's new elementary and advanced flying trainer. No 37 FIC were the first course to train solely on jet aircraft. The course flew Vampires as an interim measure before the introduction of the Macchi. From No 40 FIC onwards the Macchi became the sole jet trainer aircraft used for FIC instruction at CFS.
The first Macchi accident at East Sale occurred on 7 March 1968. Flight Lieutenant Ward Rayner had started a staff continuation training sortie with aerobatics when the Macchi's control column jammed. The pilot ejected safely from the aircraft before it crashed and disintegrated on impact on a farming property near East Sale. Flight Lieutenant Rayner received only minor injuries to both legs. On 15 April 1969 a second Macchi accident occurred when an aircraft crashed into a grazing property near Perry Bridge, about seven miles (11 km) from East Sale. The Macchi hit the ground during a low-level navigation exercise and burst into flames. Flight Lieutenant T. Spencer (RAF) and Flying Officer I. Cooper were killed instantly. Flight Lieutenant Spencer was an instructor at CFS and Flying Officer Cooper was a student on No 42 Flying Instructors Course. The aircraft sustained category five damage. Another tragic accident occurred on 22 July 1969 when a Macchi crashed one mile (1.6 km) from the East Sale tower. The crash occurred shortly after take off during touch and go circuits on a night flying exercise. Instructor Flight Lieutenant B. Newman ejected safely but Flying Officer H. Holsken failed to eject. He was killed when the Macchi struck the ground and burst into flames. Flight Lieutenant Newman was admitted to the Gippsland Base Hospital suffering shoulder and spinal injuries and was released two days later.
In 1974 the first five pilots of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force completed a CFS twin-engine instruction course on the Dakota. The Papua New Guinea Minister for Defence, Foreign Relations and Trade, Albert Maori Kiki, attended the course graduation ceremony on 20 November to present the pilots with their wings. Kiki said his government appreciated the co-operation of the Australian Government and the RAAF in arranging the training of their pilots.
On 9 July 1979 Squadron Leader Brian Synnott was instructing Flight Lieutenant Mike Lavercombe on single-engine flying in a Dakota when the right engine began to vibrate. Within 40 seconds the propeller separated from the engine and struck the right side of the fuselage. The propeller severed hydraulic and instrument lines and damaged the right-hand pilot's seat occupied by Squadron Leader Synnott. Fortunately neither pilot was hurt. Squadron Leader Synnott flew the aircraft slowly back to East Sale and managed to stop it on the runway without the use of brakes. A RAAF search party of 40 airmen later found the propeller on a farm about 22 kilometres south-east of East Sale.
Introduction of the CT-4 Airtrainer 1975
The arrival of CT-4 Airtrainers at East Sale on 30 August 1975 ensured that the Winjeels era at East Sale was definitely finished. Although CFS farewelled the Winjeel in 1966, the aircraft had been recalled to the school on several occasions. No 62 FIC was the first Flying Instructors Course to train on the CT-4.
CFS became involved in an unusual incident on 24 May 1976 when a CT-4 was tasked to search for a missing 500 pound bomb released prematurely from a F-111 strike aircraft from 1 Squadron. The armour piercing bomb landed between Lake Coleman and Lake Wellington, and contained 25 pounds of explosives which had failed to detonate. The Officer Commanding East Sale, Group Captain Hank Hurley, warned residents in the Dutson area of the potential danger. Local Ken Bramich echoed the thoughts of many other people in the area when he said "it could be buried in my backyard. It's not very reassuring when they say on the news that the release mechanism failed." The bomb has not been found to date.
CFS became involved in another unusual incident on 2 February 1977 when instructors reported a bright light to the north of the Base during a night flying instructional sortie. The light was reported to be a meteorite and an explosion was heard that evening in the Swifts Creek, Omeo area. Sale dairy farmer Col Ward watched the meteor's fall at 10 pm. He said that "The planes from the RAAF Base were flying at the time and I thought one exploded. Then I saw a red fireball flanked by red streaks." The next morning a large mud island appeared mysteriously near Pelican Point in Lake Victoria. Local residents connected this event with the meteorite sightings, but scientific evidence showed there was no connection between the two occurrences. Geologists stated that the island's appearance was due to an underground eruption of natural gas. The island gradually eroded into the lake.
While the people of East Gippsland were concerning themselves with missing bombs, meteorite showers and mud islands, the staff at CFS continued their busy instructional program. The CT-4 was ably fulfilling the School's training role. On 6 December 1977 a CT-4 at East Sale became the first of its type in the RAAF to fly 1,000 hours. The Chief Flying Instructor, Squadron Leader Ron Biddell, captained the flight with Group Captain Hurley sitting alongside him. Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s CFS conducted Macchi and CT-4 Flying Instructor Courses, and students made regular comparisons between the two aircraft. During one ‘knocking session' a student referred to the CT-4 as a ‘black and yellow noise-to-drag converter', while another student described the Macchi as an ‘orange and white dog whistle'.
Queen Elizabeth II approved the award of the Queen's Colours to CFS in June 1977 in recognition of the Unit's past achievements. Only three Colours were held in the RAAF and the Colours presented at East Sale took 600 man hours to make. the parade, a dual presentation with the School of Air Navigation (SAN), was held on 28 September 1978. The Governor General, Sir Zelman Cowen, attended the parade to present the colours. As Sir Zelman Cowen mounted the dais there was a royal salute and a formation flypast of Macchi, Dakota, CT-4 and HS748 aircraft. During the presentation of the CFS Colour a formation of Macchi, Dakota, and CT-4 aircraft again flew over the parade. As the colours left the parade ground the Roulettes presented an aerobatic display for the crowd of about 2,000. The ceremony was a distinguished occasion for the RAAF as it was the first time in Australian military history that the Queen's Colours were presented to two units on the same parade ground. On 13 December 1978 a CT-4 crashed at East Sale while carrying ‘Santa Claus' over a crowd of about 300 children at the annual base Christmas Treat. The children watched Santa wave as the CT-4 circled the oval, but on the second circuit the aircraft clipped a 10-metre pine tree, fell to the ground and slid for about 30 metres before bursting into flames near the Airwomens' Block. CFS instructor Flight Lieutenant Paul Derbyshire (RAF) was unhurt in the accident but Santa WOFF Tom Baker in disguise, received a fractured right leg and was taken to the Gippsland Base Hospital. WOFF Baker said, ‘I was waving to the kids and next thing I knew we'd hit the ground. When I saw the flames I thought I threw the beard and wig out, but I haven't been able to find my beard. Paul grabbed me, my right boot was stuck in the fuselage and some other RAAF blokes had me out in no time.' Many children on the oval became quite upset as they thought Santa had died in the crash and they wouldn't be getting any presents that Christmas, but event organisers calmed the children and announced that Santa had merely broken a leg. Santa said his injuries did not prevent the timely delivery of presents. ‘You should see all the cards I got from the children who had seen me in the paper,' he said. ‘I stopped counting at 137.' WOFF Baker had been base Santa for about 16 years and was the last remaining World War II aircrew Senior Non-Commissioned Officer in the RAAF. The following year he chose to make a more subdued entrance to the base Christmas Treat by riding in a fire truck.
The RAAF had flown CT-4 aircraft since 1975 and A19-057 was the first Airtrainer to be ‘written off'. The Papua New Guinea Defence continued its instructional association with CFS in 1979 when Lieutenant David Inau became the first Papuan pilot to fly solo in a jet aircraft. He was a student of No 72 Flying Instructors Course and graduated on 29 April as the first Qualified Flying Instructor from his country. CFS acquired its first Dakota in July 1945. Between 1945 and 1980 the School had operated a fleet of up to 11 Dakotas. The aircraft transported CFS staff on examining visits to military aerodromes across Australia and Papua New Guinea, and supported the duties of Headquarters Support Command.
After the last Papuan students finished flying the Dakotas with CFS in late 1979 the RAAF directed that the Dakotas be phased out of service. On 16 March 1980 pilots from CFS and the School of Air Navigation flew three Dakotas in formation over the Gippsland region. The Gippsland Times reported the formation as a ‘funeral procession' of three Dakotas with six Macchis, four CT-4 and three HS748 aircraft acting as the ‘pall bearers'. The scene on the base after the flypast was described as follows: ‘Then the wake at the Base Tavern ... ground crew in mourning coats, top hats, the casket, a nose of a Dakota salvaged from Cyclone Tracey. Sad eyes painted on the windshield, tears trickling a skeleton covered by an old RAAF great coat and the epitaph "lest we forget". At the rear a giant unserviceability tag signatured "Nostradamus". Flight Lieutenant Bob Graham, CFS instructor and organiser of the final flight, described the day's events as ‘a glorious end to a flying era for an aeroplane which has survived many theatres of war.
On 9 September 1983 CFS celebrated the 70th anniversary of its formation at Point Cook with a reunion at East Sale. An afternoon function was held for past and present CFS members followed by aerobatic displays featuring the Roulettes, a solo Macchi and a CT-4. The reunion culminated in a dining-in of 91 officers held in the Officers' Mess with the Chief of the Air Staff, AM David Evans, attending as guest speaker.
Up until the mid-1980s CFS staff occupied the same flight building that the school had manned in 1947. On 25 August 1986 CFS began upgrading its accommodation and staff were relocated from the Unit Headquarters in Battle Avenue and ‘A' and ‘B' flights in Beaufort Avenue to building 284 in Wirraway Street. The school remained in building 284 for almost a year while the new CFS building was under construction in Beaufort Avenue.
On 3 August 1987 the RAAF and civil agencies combined to rescue CFS instructor FLTLT Dennis Hume and student FLTLT Brendan Heslen after they ejected from a Macchi into dense scrub near Barrington Tops north-west of RAAF Williamstown. The Macchi's engine had failed five minutes after the pilots aborted a low level navigational sortie due to reduced visibility. The pilots mayday transmission alerted Air Traffic Control at Williamtown and a National Safety Council Bell 212 helicopter was dispatched. An emergency transponder code guided the helicopter to the Macchi's position and an F/A 18 Hornet then used its UHF direction finding system to identify the location of the pilots. A swift rescue of the pilots quickly became paramount as a severe weather front swept through the region bringing snow, sleet and wind gust up to 50 knots (98 km/h). The helicopter landed with a ground party that sighted the pilots after one fired a pencil flare. FLTLT Heslin had made a tepee out of his parachute. FLTLT Hume had freed himself from the harness but was stranded on a tree branch 35 feet (10.7 m) above ground. The ground party constructed a 40 feet (12.2 m) bush ladder and pararescuer Phil Peel climbed the ladder, tied a rope to FLTLT Hume and winched him to the ground. Both pilots sustained spinal injuries from the ejection and were suffering from hypothermia after almost six hours exposure to freezing conditions.
Introduction of the Pilatus PC9/A 1987
On 24 November 1987 the Air Officer Commanding Support Command, AVM Alan Reed said, ‘we have just witnessed history for the RAAF. The new arrival here today of the first PC9 signifies the beginning of a new era of RAAF pilot training.' AVM Reed was at East Sale for a ceremony to herald the delivery if the first PC9/A aircraft at a RAAF unit for operational duties. CFS received the first PC9's for instructor conversion training and to allow for a comprehensive review of the aircraft's flying training syllabus.
The two PC9 aircraft on display for the ceremony were assembled in Switzerland but the other 65 aircraft on order from Pilatus would be built at Hawker de Havilland in Bankstown. A CT-4 and a Macchi escorted the two PC9 aircraft over the airfield and AVM Reed announced, ‘we have decided to retain the CT-4 and the Macchi. We will have a three-aircraft training solution for our pilot courses into the future.' The additional PC9 aircraft would reduce jet hours on the Macchi from 150 to 60-80 and extend the life of that aeroplane and the CT-4 for another 10 years if required.
On August 1989, Flight Lieutenant Peter Szypula and Flying Officer Steve Jackson ejected from a Macchi after hearing radio warnings that smoke was streaming from the engine. The Macchi was conducting touch and go landings and takeoffs when the Commanding Officer, Wing Commander John Simmonds, who was flying nearby and an air traffic controller warned the Macchi crew by radio. After ejecting, the two pilots parachuted to the ground and the aircraft crashed into a Somerton Park Estate property about one kilometre north of the Base. The property's owner, Frank Simmonds, recounted his observations to an Age reporter: ‘We (Frank and Dot Simmonds) heard two bangs, looked up and the jet's motor had cut out. Three seconds later it hit the ground and there was a huge ball of flame. The pilots were very lucky they missed the power lines and landed in a soft wet spot. We're just thanking our lucky stars because we were standing in the same spot where it (the aircraft) came down three minutes earlier'. Twelve cows had been standing about six metres from the site of the crash and they stampeded through an electric fence which resulted in the herd calving prematurely. Mr Simmonds recalled that wreckage from a Roulettes' crash fell in a neighbouring paddock last year. ‘I think it's time the RAAF looked elsewhere to do their aerobatics because it's getting too populated around here,' he said.
Shortly after the accident the Macchi's were phased out of service at CFS. The school farewelled the jet trainer with a flypast over the base on 1 December 1989. CFS experienced its first PC9 accident on 5 August 1991. The PC9 had completed nine circuits before departing the area for a TACAN approach to runway 27. After gaining clearance from the Air Traffic Control tower the aircraft crashed to the ground without any further radio transmission or an attempt by either of the two pilots to eject. The PC9 disintegrated on impact and instructor SQNLDR Malcolm Cotterell and Malaysian student CAPT Mohamed Tahjudin were killed as a result of the impact and subsequent fire.
CFS farewelled the CT-4 Airtrainer on 10 December 1991 with an eight aircraft flypast over Stratford, Maffra, Sale and the Base. The next morning the Commanding Officer, Wing Commander John Smith, led the CT-4 fleet on a ferry flight to Point Cook where the aircraft were transferred to No 1 Flying Training School. During 1992 No 111 Flying Instructors Course became the first FIC course to train from the new PC9 syllabus. The 17 week course ran a week longer than previous Flying Instructor Courses, and the syllabus included 105 flying hours in a PC9, aircraft familiarisation, basic instructional techniques and applied instructional techniques. Flight Lieutenant Robyn Williams won the Wilson Trophy as the student who gained the highest marks in ground school phase. She was the first female in the 45-year history of the Flying Instructor Course to graduate as a Qualified Flying Instructor. This award added to her past achievement of receiving the Hawker de Havilland Aircraft Australian Trophy as the Dux of No 144 Pilots' Course. The ground school phase of the Flying Instructors Course had changed markedly since the early courses. In November 1952 No 8 Flying Instructors Course were taught briefing skills by Professor Brown, Dean of the Faculty of Education at Melbourne University, and he spoke to the course on the "art of lecturing and public speaking". In August 1965 the course book for No 34 Flying Instructors Course related their experience of instructional technique: "To assist us in developing a technique of our own, we have started giving a series of 20 minute talks on any subject within the scope of the Flying Instructors Course syllabus, as at its current state of perpetual amendment. Some of the students are very gifted at this business, while others can't be heard for the rattling of kneecaps." Most students prepared thoroughly for their briefs but Flight Lieutenant Kev Mackenzie from No 79 FIC, with perhaps an eye on the Wilson Trophy, carefully washed the blackboard on which he would conduct his ‘pretty' brief and then blow dried the board with a fan heater.
Today much time is devoted to instructional technique which culminates in a 50 minute assessed mass brief. The Flying Instructors Course allocates 70 per cent of the marks on flying assessment and there are 100 sorties for the student to fly. Of these sorties, about five are flown at night. Upon the successful completion of the Instructor Categorisation the FIC student graduates as a Qualified Flying Instructor D Category on the PC9. To many pilots the Flying Instructor Course is perceived as the next challenge that awaits them after passing pilots' course and the joining instructions mailed to each student reinforces this perception: ‘Upon graduation, you will know a great deal more about flying and your personal standards will have improved considerably. The title of "Qualified Flying Instructor" carries with it a level of responsibility that is not often shared by many junior officers and has many rewards, both personal and service wide.'
Aside from the Flying Instructors Course, CFS conducts flying refresher training courses, tests Instrument Rating Examiners throughout the RAAF and assesses Air Force flying instructors. Through the flying instructional and examining roles, the School is responsible for the maintenance of pure flying standards in the RAAF. Several thousand personnel have passed through CFS as students or staff since the formation of the School in 1913 and in 80 years the School has operated almost 50 different types of aircraft.
The Aerobatics from Central Flying School
Since 1962, Central Flying School (CFS) has formed three separate formation aerobatic teams. These teams, known respectively as the Red Sales, Telstars and Roulettes, have presented aerobatic displays at hundreds of events across Australia seen by almost two million people.
The Red Sales flew four de Havilland Vampire Mk35 and their first public display was at the Royal Hobart Regatta in February 1962. The team also performed at Wagga Wagga. However, in August the four aircraft crashed during low level formation aerobatics practice seven miles (11 km) south-west of the East Sale aerodrome. The formation struck the ground during recovery from a barrel roll and disintegrated on impact and all six occupants in the aircraft were killed.
Six months later, a new team known as the Telstars flew four Vampires in formation at a School of Air Navigation (SAN) course graduation at RAAF Base East Sale. The Commanding Officer of CFS at the time, Wing Commander Edward Plenty, said "the Telstars gave a highly polished display on their first public appearance."
In February 1968, the Telstars conducted their first public display in the Italian designed Aermacchi MB326H at a SAN course graduation. The Macchi was an agile aircraft and its fine handling made it eminently suitable for aerobatic work. However, the Telstars only flew this aircraft until April when the team was temporarily disbanded due to an overall RAAF wide reduction in display flying. The new decade heralded the most enduring aerobatic team of the trio. The Roulettes flew their first public display in December 1970 at RAAF Base Point Cook and this demonstration was a prelude to their displays for the 1971 RAAF Golden Jubilee celebrations.
The first team performed an eight-minute sequence of wingovers, loops and barrel rolls with formation changes such as box, tee, line astern, square and swan. Included in the sequence was a synchronised pairs cross-over, or Roulette manoeuvre which the team adopted as their name.
From 1972-1973 the Roulettes performed mainly at RAAF bases with four aircraft but occasionally a fifth aircraft flew during late 1973 to early 1974. The fifth member mostly flew a solo display in addition to the four-aircraft formation. The display now included synchronised manoeuvres between a solo aircraft, two formation pairs and the main four-aircraft formation.
The Roulettes first flew their new five-aircraft display for the public at a RAAF Academy graduation parade at Point Cook in March 1974. The team then regularly performed the five-aircraft formations of card five, rhombus, kings cross, leaders benefit, vic, swan five and line abreast.
In 1975, the residents of Port Moresby, Kerema, Law and Goroka viewed Roulette displays for the first time when the team deployed to Papua New Guinea for that nation's independence celebrations.
Later that year, the Roulettes introduced a wine glass formation, upwards bomb burst and an opposition loop with a five-aircraft crossover at the bottom.
Then in 1976, the team added a ‘thread the needle' manoeuvre that involved a head-on pass between the solo aircraft and the remaining four-aircraft formation. The choreography then barely changed until the next decade.
The Roulettes temporarily expanded to seven aircraft in 1981 and performed a 16-minute display for the RAAF's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The seven-aircraft formation included the southern cross arrowhead, hexagon jubilee and donut and solo and synchronised manoeuvres. The latter team performed in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales but the premier jubilee event was at RAAF Base Amberley in April. After that performance, the team reverted to the five-aircraft compliment.
Roulette Leader, Squadron Leader Brent Espeland said the development from five to seven aeroplanes had doubled the complexity of the performance and required unerring anticipation from team members to maintain a tight formation. Wing Commander Ron Biddell, Commanding Officer of CFS said the Unit also did not have the time, manpower or aircraft resources to maintain a seven-aircraft team.
A fatal accident involving the Roulettes occurred in December 1983 at East Sale, when Roulettes 2 and 3 collided head-on during aerobatic practice at 2000 ft (609.6 m). Flight Lieutenants Stephen Carter and Graeme Brooks were killed.
For the Bicentennial year of 1988, the Roulettes planned to participate in about 25 events but a mid-air collision in March that year between Roulettes 4 and 1 postponed their public displays until August. The incident occurred during aerobatic practice at East Sale and Roulette 4 ejected safely while Roulette 1 carried out a successful 'wheel up' landing.
The Roulettes formed a new team and later resumed their schedule for 1988. In October, the team participated in the aviation spectacle of Australia's bicentenary with a five-aircraft display at the Bicentennial Air Show at RAAF Base Richmond.
From January to June 1989, a pair of Macchis presented displays in Victoria and Queensland as CFS staff converted to the Swiss designed Pilatus PC9/A. The Roulette synchronised pair flew their first public display in April at the Phillip Island Motorcycle Grand Prix and in June, the Roulettes five-aircraft team presented their final display in Macchis which was at Lakes Entrance.
In July, CFS started to form a Roulette team for the PC9 aircraft but in the interim, formation pairs displays were presented and the PC9 synchronised pair flew their first public display in August at Ayr. A Roulette team training program in October and November let to a five-aircraft display at East Sale in December.
During the ensuing months, the team was expanded to six aircraft to partially compensate for the reduced noise impact of the turboprop PC9 in comparison to the jet engined Macchi.
In 1991 the Roulettes were again at the forefront of RAAF commemorations when the team provided displays at the Presentation of the Governor Generals's Banner to 3 Telecommunications Unit at RAAF Base Pearce in February, and at the RAAF 70th Anniversary Concert at Canberra in March. Later that year, the Roulettes celebrated their 20th anniversary since the team's inception and staged a reunion of past and present members at East Sale.
For the first time in the Roulettes history, the team presented aerobatic displays in the Northern Hemisphere with a series of displays at the sixth Asian Aerospace exhibition, Conference and Airshow at the Changi International Exhibition and Conference Centre in Singapore between February and March 1992. A further notable overseas deployment took place in 1996 when the Roulettes performed a number of displays in Indonesia. They were one of several aerobatic teams, including the Red Arrows to display at the International Aerobatic Festival during Indonesia Airshow '96. In addition to the Indonesian deployment the Roulettes displayed for the first time at Norfolk Island during the ANZAC weekend.
The 75th anniversary of the RAAF also fell in 1996 and the team were kept very busy throughout that year, They made a significant contribution to the celebrations, displaying at over 50 venues and achieved the notable mark of displaying at all of the RAAF airfields. This considerable task required the team to give up much of their own time and would have been impossible without the invaluable work of the Engineering tradesmen and administrative staff of Central Flying School.
CFS has now provided formation aerobatic teams that have spanned four decades. The era of the Roulettes has generated great exposure for the RAAF among the people of Australia and overseas and each display demonstrates the high level of skills that a military pilot can attain.
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
training establishment, based at RAAF Base East Sale
RAAF Base East Sale
RAAF Base East Sale is one of the main training establishments of the Royal Australian Air Force, including where Australian Air Force Cadets have their annual General Service Training. It is home to the Roulettes aerobatic team. It is also now the home of the RAAF's Officers' Training School ...
. It was formed in March 1913, and during the First World War it trained over 150 pilots, who fought in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
After the First World War the unit was disbanded, only to be reformed in 1940, after which it was moved to New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. During the Second World War the unit produced more than 3,600 instructors. After the war, the unit was moved back to RAAF Base East Sale
RAAF Base East Sale
RAAF Base East Sale is one of the main training establishments of the Royal Australian Air Force, including where Australian Air Force Cadets have their annual General Service Training. It is home to the Roulettes aerobatic team. It is also now the home of the RAAF's Officers' Training School ...
.
From 1962 the unit was responsible for producing the RAAFs aerobatic display teams. The first formed was a team of four, called "The Red Sales", flying De Havilland Vampire
De Havilland Vampire
The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...
jet aircraft. A second team, "The Telstars" was formed in 1963 also flying Vampires. In April 1968, just after the unit took delivery of new Macchi MB326H
Aermacchi MB-326
The Aermacchi or Macchi MB-326 is a light military jet aircraft designed in Italy. Originally conceived as a two-seat trainer, there have also been single and two-seat light attack versions produced. It is one of the most commercially successful aircraft of its type, being bought by more than 10...
jet aircraft, The Telstars were disbanded due to a reduction in display flying.
In 1970 a third team, "The Roulettes", was formed, flying the Macchi MB326H. The Roulettes continued flying the Macchi until 1989 when they changed to Pilatus PC-9
Pilatus PC-9
The Pilatus PC-9 is a single-engine, low-wing tandem-seat turboprop training aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland.-Design and development:...
aircraft.
History
CFS Unit historyCreation of Central Flying School 1909-1914
Central Flying School (CFS) was formed at Point Cook, Victoria, on 7 March 1913, and as such is the oldest military aviation unit in Australia and one of the oldest in the world. It is possible to trace the beginnings of CFS back to 1909, when the Department of Defence began to recognise the potential of developing aviation as an instrument of war.
In the hope of finding an aircraft suitable to equip an aviation corps the Government announced a competition on 8 September for the design of a military flying machine. The competition generated widespread public interest and attracted some forty entries, but none of the entries were considered suitable and the competition was later cancelled.
Notwithstanding the failure of the aircraft competition members of the public continued lobbying the Government to establish an Aviation Corps. The Aerial League of Australia can take much of the credit for generating public interest in military aviation. The League was formed in April 1909 with the aim of persuading the Government to establish a military aviation school and aviation flight. In late 1910 the League forwarded a proposal for an Australian Aviation Corps to the Military Board of the Department of Defence. The board deferred the plan on 17 January 1911 pending consultation with the British War Office.
In late 1911 the Minister for Defence, Senator Pearce, attended an Imperial Conference in London. During the visit the British War Office expressed interest in developing aviation within the Empire, and informed Senator Pearce of plans to establish military flying centres in Britain, France, America, and Germany. The Senator returned to Australia convinced of the need to develop an Australian Flying School and Aviation Corps, and was successful in securing political and financial support for the proposal. On 30 December 1911 the Commonwealth Gazette called for applications from "expert mechanists and aviators desirous of being appointed to the Defence Department". This notice was repeated in the British press. On 9 August 1912 the Chief of the General Staff, Brigadier General J.M. Gordon, submitted a proposal for a military flying school and corps to the Department of Defence. He recommended a site be established at Canberra near the Royal Military College, Duntroon. This proposal was approved by the Minister for Defence on 20 September 1912.
On 26 September Australian Army Order No 132/1912 was issued to establish an aviation flight consisting of four officers, seven warrant officers and sergeants, thirty-two mechanics, and four aircraft. The Government ordered two B.E.2 two-seater biplanes and two Deperdussin
Deperdussin Monocoque
- References :*Wayne Biddle - Barons of the Sky: From Early Flight to Strategic Warfare. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001. ISBN 0801868289.*Émile Auguste Duchêne - Flight Without Formulae: Simple Discussions on the Mechanics of the Aeroplane. Longmans, Green and co., 1914....
single-seater monoplanes for the new aviation flight. The Defence Department were advised that these aircraft were not suitable for preliminary flying training, so a Bristol Boxkite
Bristol Boxkite
-Military operators:* Australian Flying Corps** Central Flying School AFC at Point Cook, Victoria.* Union Defence Forces - South African Air Force Kingdom of Spain* Royal Flying Corps* Royal Naval Air Service** No. 3 Squadron RFC-References:...
was added to the aircraft establishment on 6 December 1912.
The aviators who responded to the announcement in the Commonwealth Gazette were among the most celebrated aviation pioneers in Britain. After a series of deliberations Henry Petre
Henry Petre
Henry Aloysius Petre DSO, MC was an English solicitor who became Australia's first military aviator, and a founding member of the Australian Flying Corps, predecessor of the Royal Australian Air Force...
and Eric Harrison
Eric Harrison
Sir Eric John Harrison KCMG KCVO was an Australian politician who became the first Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia....
were chosen as pilots. Petre was an English barrister who abandoned his legal practice to become a flying instructor. Harrison was an Australian pilot working for the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Petre was tasked with selecting a site for the flying school, and left England on 6 December 1912. Harrison stayed in England and hired four aircraft mechanics: R.H. Chester, G.A. Fonteneau, C.V. Heath, and H.E. Shortland. Harrison, Chester and Shortland departed for Australia on 25 April 1913, and were later followed by Heath and Fonteneau. Petre's first assignment was to inspect a 640 acres (2.6 km²) site at Duntroon. Petre claimed that the terrain, at 1600 feet (487.7 m), was too high, and that the surrounding hills would make flying dangerous. In addition he felt that Canberra was too isolated. Petre then inspected several sites in Victoria, and finally chose a property at Point Cook (originally spelt Cooke) on the shores of Port Phillip
Port Phillip
Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
near Werribee.
Point Cook offered both land and sea access, was close to Army Headquarters in Melbourne, and the flat terrain was ideal for flying training. The Government purchased 734 acres (3 km²) at the site for a total of 6 040/2/3 pounds. Petre became the first Australian aviator when he commissioned as an honorary Lieutenant on 6 August 1913. Harrison was commissioned on 16 September 1913. The four aircraft mechanics were enlisted as Sergeants.
The newly appointed Australian Aviation Instructional staff were tasked with establishing Central Flying School at Point Cook. By February 1914 tents had been organised to accommodate personnel and canvas hangars were being designed to house the aircraft. Nine locally enlisted mechanics joined the staff in late February. On 1 March 1914 Lieutenant Harrison made the first Military flight in Australia in a Bristol Boxkite registered as CFS 3. From March to August 1914 the school's five aircraft were test flown at Point Cook. During July 1914 applications were invited from unmarried Citizen Force officers between 20 and 25 to train as aircraft pilots at Central Flying School.
CFS During The Great War 1914-1918
By the time war began in Europe on 4 August 1914 Central Flying School had already programmed the first flying course for 17 August 1914. Four officers were selected for the first course: Lieutenant D. Manwell, Lieutenant G.P. Merz, Lieutenant R. Williams, and Captain T.W. White
Thomas White (Australian politician)
Sir Thomas Walter White KBE DFC was an Australian politician.-Early life and World War I:White was born at Hotham, North Melbourne, Victoria and educated at Moreland State School. In August 1914, he began training as an officer in the Australian Flying Corps at Point Cook...
. As there was a Captain on the course, Lieutenant Petre was promoted to Captain. Lieutenant Williams was the first student to qualify for his "wings" after flying solo for a total of 7 hours 27 minutes in the Bristol Boxkite. After an average of about 10 hours flying all four students had qualified for the issue of a pilot's licence.
Upon graduating from the 14 week course the pilots were issued with an aviation certificate from the Royal Aero Club, which was effectively an international civil aviation licence. Of the four officers who graduated from that first flying course, three were destined for notoriety. Lieutenant Williams went on to become Air Marshal Sir Richard Williams, first Chief of the Air Staff. Captain White, later Sir Thomas White, became a Federal Cabinet Minister and served a term as Australian High Commissioner in London. In July 1915 Lieutenant Merz became the first Australian airman to be killed in action. He was serving in Mesopotamia fighting the Turks when he was killed by Arabs after a forced landing.
A further eleven courses training a total of 1152 pilots were held at CFS between 1914–1918, but at the end of the Great War the Australian Flying Corps was disbanded and flying training in Australia was suspended.
Formation of No 1 Flying Training School 1918-1925
CFS continued to exist at Point Cook with its employees enlisted into the Australian Air Corps, but little if any flying training took place. When the Australian Air Force was formed on 31 March 1921 a military order renamed CFS as Flying Training School, and the school's aircraft were taken on charge by its successor. On 1 July 1925 Flying Training School was renamed No 1 Flying Training School.
Reformation of CFS During the Second World War 1940-1945
Following the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 there was a huge demand for aircrew. In order to meet the demand the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) was established to train 11,000 aircrew in Australia each year. There were only 27 flying instructors in Australia in 1939. To fill this void the Air Board reformed CFS on 29 April 1940 from ‘C' and ‘D' flights of No 1 Flying Training School in order to conduct Service Flying Instructor Courses. CFS lodged briefly at Point Cook before relocating to RAAF Station Camden in May 1940.
An advance party arrived in Camden on 14 May 1940 to prepare a camp for the arrival of the main party. The move to Camden was completed on 23 May 1940. On 28 March 1942 the Air Board directed CFS to vacate Camden to make room for a United States Air Force formation. Tamworth was eventually chosen as the next location for the school. A small road party drove to Tamworth in April 1942 to establish a camp and the School completed the move on 21 April 1942.
During 1943 concerns were raised at RAAF headquarters regarding the quality of flying instruction at operational training units. CFS produced a report on the subject and this led to a conference at RAAF HQ. At the conference it was decided that CFS should become involved in the supervision of instructor standards within operational training units. In order to perform this role effectively the school required operational types of aircraft. At the time the school was operating Avro Ansons, Wirraways and Oxfords. The airfield at Tamworth was considered unsuitable for heavier operational aircraft, and this led to the school's relocation to RAAF Station Parkes on 19 February 1944.
While located at Parkes CFS staff conducted Service Flying Instructor and Link Trainer Instructor courses, conversion courses, instrument flying and the tuition of pilots for operational training units. Between the 2–5 August 1944 the Commanding Officer GPCAPT R.E. Dupont (RAF) and the Chief Flying Instructor SQNLDR G. Eyres held discussions with RAAF Headquarters concerning the possible transfer of the School from Parkes to Point Cook. These discussions resolved that CFS could use the facilities at Point Cook to enhance its training courses, and in the interests of the school's development it would be of advantage to move from Parkes.
The School took about a month to move equipment and personnel by rail to Point Cook, with the main party leaving Parkes on 18 September 1944 and arriving in Melbourne the following day. Aside from conducting aircrew courses at Point Cook CFS established an Aviation Medicine Section in late 1944. The Section featured Night Vision Training Aids, and the medical staff later developed flying clothing for RAAF aircrew. This was the beginning of Aviation Medicine in the RAAF. The Section became a separate unit on 8 February 1956 when it was renamed the RAAF School of Aviation Medicine.
During November 1944 CFS staff were advised that in view of the permanent nature of the unit, approval had been given for representation to His Majesty the King for the grant of a badge, featuring the Australian continent, surmounted by an inflamed lamp of learning. The ancient lamp on the terrestrial globe suggests that the school's pupils operate all over the world. Approval was also granted for the school to adopt the motto "QUI DOCET DISCIT", which may be translated as "he who teaches learns himself". Between 1940 and 1945 CFS trained more than 3 600 instructors who in turn trained over 30 000 students, but the end of the Second World War brought about changes in flying training practices as the RAAF prepared for a peacetime role. CFS wound down its instructional duties and concentrated on other tasks such as research into pure flying matters.
Post-War Years 1947-1955
On 1 June 1947 the Commanding Officer CFS, WGCDR I.F. Rose, tested a system of cruise control designed by the school during a journey from Pearce to Point Cook in Lincoln A73-3. WGCDR Rose completed the journey in a record time of 6 hours and 8 minutes. On the same day FLTLT G. Tuck completed the same journey in Mosquito A52-183 in just 5 hours. Both flights represented the fastest time flown on route for each aircraft type.
In 1947 the RAAF drafted a plan for officer and pilot training in the Interim Air Force. This plan led to the relocation of CFS from Point Cook to East Sale to allow for the formation and development of a RAAF College
RAAF College
The Royal Australian Air Force College is the Royal Australian Air Force training and education academy which is responsible for all the Air Force's initial, career development, promotion and leadership training...
at Point Cook. On 18 November 1947 SQNLDR A.E. Mather led an advance party of seven airmen to East Sale to ensure a smooth relocation for the main detachment. On 26 November CFS ferried seven Tiger Moths, three Oxfords, a Lincoln and a Dakota from Point Cook to East Sale. A second wave of aircraft arrived two days later consisting of nine Wirraways, a Mustang and a Dakota. The main party arrived on 1 December and resumed training the following day.
The school was now under the command of RAAF Station East Sale, and all CFS maintenance personnel were posted to the station's maintenance wing. The first Flying Instructor's Course (FIC) commenced soon after. No 1 FIC graduated on 28 June 1948 after completing a nine month course. The course was scheduled to take six months, but the intake of 20 students greatly outnumbered the eight instructors who included the Commanding Officer WGCDR I.F. Rose AFC, and Chief Flying Instructor SQNLDR H.F. Moore.
The low serviceability rate of the Oxfords prevented the completion of Multi-Engine Night Flying and Instrument Flying phases of the course, but the students passed the remainder of the syllabus which included Elementary Flying Instruction, Single-Engine Flying Instruction, Basic Instrument Instruction, Link Instruction and Multi-Engine Flying Instruction. In addition to No 1 Flying Instructors Course the School conducted a Pilots Refresher Course, a Fighter Conversion Course and a Flying Instructors Refresher Course.
In May 1953 CFS introduced a Jet Instructors Course on the Dual Vampire. In March of the following year the School instituted an Advanced Flying Training Course under the control of the Jet Training Trials Flight. This was the RAAF's first attempt to use jet aircraft in the advanced flying stage of a pilots course and the trial was considered a success. The expansive learning program of CFS earned the school a reputation as the "university of flying with the sky as the classroom".
In June 1953 CFS provided aerial assistance to the Victorian Lands Department in a wild dog bait dropping operation. Sheep stations in the mountainous Lake Omeo District were contending with wild dogs which were attacking flocks of lambing ewes, and the Lands Department asked the RAAF to help cull the dogs. On 10 June the Commanding Officer, WGCDR Charles Read, captained a Dakota with three Bairnsdale graziers on board who acted as guides for the operation. The aircraft dropped 20,000 baits supplied by the Vermin Board.
The school suffered its first fatality from a Flying Instructors Course in July 1954. Pilot Officer A. Pritchard of No 12 course died in a Wirraway crash on 13 July at Pearsondale, three miles (5 km) south of the West Sale aerodrome. Just one week later another fatal accident occurred when a Tiger Moth crashed two miles (3 km) north of the West Sale aerodrome. Lieutenant E. Clay and Pilot Officer D. Doel, of the same course as the late Pilot Officer Pritchard, were killed instantly.
In January 1957 CFS expanded its instructional role with the inclusion of a ‘B' Flight to conduct Flying Refresher and assessing tasks. Soon after the school added Air Traffic Control training of its curriculum. No 20 Air Traffic Control (ATC) Course commenced at CFS on 12 March 1957. CFS hosted the first three Air Traffic Control courses between 1946–47, but relinquished this course to No 1 Flying Training School upon moving to East Sale. In 1948 ‘C' Flight was established to manage the ATC courses at CFS. The school continued to manage ATC training for the RAAF until the School of Air Traffic Control was established in 1981.
Introduction of the Winjeel 1955
The introduction of the Winjeel to CFS on 10 October 1955 heralded a change of trainer aircraft for the school. The Winjeel became the 27th different aircraft type to be flown at CFS since the early days at Point Cook in 1914. The Winjeel replaced the Wirraway in 1957. On 15 October 1957 the Commanding Officer, Wing Commander Vernon Sullivan, led a formation of seven Wirraways to RAAF Station Tocumwal where the aircraft were disposed from the RAAF.
By June 1959 a decade had passed since the first Flying Instructors Course graduated from CFS. In that month the School expanded its training syllabus to include an Antarctic Course for RAAF pilots posted to the RAAF Antarctic Flight at Mawson. FLGOFF G. Dyke from No 1 Antarctic Course later returned to East Sale as Group Captain Graham Dyke, Officer Commanding from January 1981 to July 1983.
On 17 November 1959 a tragic Vampire crash at East Sale resulted in the deaths of FLTLT H. Wilson and PLTOFF J. Franks. FLTLT Wilson had just returned from the Antarctic Flight at Mawson to join No 22 Flying Instructors Course. The Vampire's engine failed after takeoff and PLTOFF Franks made a circuit of the airfield before attempting to land on the runway. He landed about 600 yards short of the runway and the aircraft broke up as it hit an irrigation ditch. Several airmen approached the downed Vampire but were ordered back as its two 20-millimetre Hispano cannons were loaded for a firing practise sortie. Fortunately only a few rounds of ammunition were detonated in the crash.
The completion of N0 36 Flying Instructors Course in 1966 marked the end of an era at CFS, as it was thought this would be the last FIC course to train on the Winjeel. Winjeel is an aboriginal word meaning ‘young eagle'. The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation built the aircraft to replace the Tiger Moth and the Wirraway. On 23 September 1966 No 36 Flying Instructors Corse farewelled the Winjeel with a formation flypast of 10 aircraft over Sale. The aircraft were then flown to Point Cook where they served as initial pilot trainers.
Introduction of the Macchi 326H 1967
Plans to conduct ‘all through' jet training in the RAAF led the Commanding Officer CFS, Wing Commander Tom Meldrum, and an eight-man delegation to travel overseas to select a new jet trainer. The team evaluated a number of aircraft and eventually selected the Italian Macchi-326 as the most suitable replacement for the Winjeel and the Vampire. In 1967 CFS began its first ‘all through' jet Flying Instructors Course in preparation for the introduction of the Macchi as the RAAF's new elementary and advanced flying trainer. No 37 FIC were the first course to train solely on jet aircraft. The course flew Vampires as an interim measure before the introduction of the Macchi. From No 40 FIC onwards the Macchi became the sole jet trainer aircraft used for FIC instruction at CFS.
The first Macchi accident at East Sale occurred on 7 March 1968. Flight Lieutenant Ward Rayner had started a staff continuation training sortie with aerobatics when the Macchi's control column jammed. The pilot ejected safely from the aircraft before it crashed and disintegrated on impact on a farming property near East Sale. Flight Lieutenant Rayner received only minor injuries to both legs. On 15 April 1969 a second Macchi accident occurred when an aircraft crashed into a grazing property near Perry Bridge, about seven miles (11 km) from East Sale. The Macchi hit the ground during a low-level navigation exercise and burst into flames. Flight Lieutenant T. Spencer (RAF) and Flying Officer I. Cooper were killed instantly. Flight Lieutenant Spencer was an instructor at CFS and Flying Officer Cooper was a student on No 42 Flying Instructors Course. The aircraft sustained category five damage. Another tragic accident occurred on 22 July 1969 when a Macchi crashed one mile (1.6 km) from the East Sale tower. The crash occurred shortly after take off during touch and go circuits on a night flying exercise. Instructor Flight Lieutenant B. Newman ejected safely but Flying Officer H. Holsken failed to eject. He was killed when the Macchi struck the ground and burst into flames. Flight Lieutenant Newman was admitted to the Gippsland Base Hospital suffering shoulder and spinal injuries and was released two days later.
In 1974 the first five pilots of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force completed a CFS twin-engine instruction course on the Dakota. The Papua New Guinea Minister for Defence, Foreign Relations and Trade, Albert Maori Kiki, attended the course graduation ceremony on 20 November to present the pilots with their wings. Kiki said his government appreciated the co-operation of the Australian Government and the RAAF in arranging the training of their pilots.
On 9 July 1979 Squadron Leader Brian Synnott was instructing Flight Lieutenant Mike Lavercombe on single-engine flying in a Dakota when the right engine began to vibrate. Within 40 seconds the propeller separated from the engine and struck the right side of the fuselage. The propeller severed hydraulic and instrument lines and damaged the right-hand pilot's seat occupied by Squadron Leader Synnott. Fortunately neither pilot was hurt. Squadron Leader Synnott flew the aircraft slowly back to East Sale and managed to stop it on the runway without the use of brakes. A RAAF search party of 40 airmen later found the propeller on a farm about 22 kilometres south-east of East Sale.
Introduction of the CT-4 Airtrainer 1975
The arrival of CT-4 Airtrainers at East Sale on 30 August 1975 ensured that the Winjeels era at East Sale was definitely finished. Although CFS farewelled the Winjeel in 1966, the aircraft had been recalled to the school on several occasions. No 62 FIC was the first Flying Instructors Course to train on the CT-4.
CFS became involved in an unusual incident on 24 May 1976 when a CT-4 was tasked to search for a missing 500 pound bomb released prematurely from a F-111 strike aircraft from 1 Squadron. The armour piercing bomb landed between Lake Coleman and Lake Wellington, and contained 25 pounds of explosives which had failed to detonate. The Officer Commanding East Sale, Group Captain Hank Hurley, warned residents in the Dutson area of the potential danger. Local Ken Bramich echoed the thoughts of many other people in the area when he said "it could be buried in my backyard. It's not very reassuring when they say on the news that the release mechanism failed." The bomb has not been found to date.
CFS became involved in another unusual incident on 2 February 1977 when instructors reported a bright light to the north of the Base during a night flying instructional sortie. The light was reported to be a meteorite and an explosion was heard that evening in the Swifts Creek, Omeo area. Sale dairy farmer Col Ward watched the meteor's fall at 10 pm. He said that "The planes from the RAAF Base were flying at the time and I thought one exploded. Then I saw a red fireball flanked by red streaks." The next morning a large mud island appeared mysteriously near Pelican Point in Lake Victoria. Local residents connected this event with the meteorite sightings, but scientific evidence showed there was no connection between the two occurrences. Geologists stated that the island's appearance was due to an underground eruption of natural gas. The island gradually eroded into the lake.
While the people of East Gippsland were concerning themselves with missing bombs, meteorite showers and mud islands, the staff at CFS continued their busy instructional program. The CT-4 was ably fulfilling the School's training role. On 6 December 1977 a CT-4 at East Sale became the first of its type in the RAAF to fly 1,000 hours. The Chief Flying Instructor, Squadron Leader Ron Biddell, captained the flight with Group Captain Hurley sitting alongside him. Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s CFS conducted Macchi and CT-4 Flying Instructor Courses, and students made regular comparisons between the two aircraft. During one ‘knocking session' a student referred to the CT-4 as a ‘black and yellow noise-to-drag converter', while another student described the Macchi as an ‘orange and white dog whistle'.
Queen Elizabeth II approved the award of the Queen's Colours to CFS in June 1977 in recognition of the Unit's past achievements. Only three Colours were held in the RAAF and the Colours presented at East Sale took 600 man hours to make. the parade, a dual presentation with the School of Air Navigation (SAN), was held on 28 September 1978. The Governor General, Sir Zelman Cowen, attended the parade to present the colours. As Sir Zelman Cowen mounted the dais there was a royal salute and a formation flypast of Macchi, Dakota, CT-4 and HS748 aircraft. During the presentation of the CFS Colour a formation of Macchi, Dakota, and CT-4 aircraft again flew over the parade. As the colours left the parade ground the Roulettes presented an aerobatic display for the crowd of about 2,000. The ceremony was a distinguished occasion for the RAAF as it was the first time in Australian military history that the Queen's Colours were presented to two units on the same parade ground. On 13 December 1978 a CT-4 crashed at East Sale while carrying ‘Santa Claus' over a crowd of about 300 children at the annual base Christmas Treat. The children watched Santa wave as the CT-4 circled the oval, but on the second circuit the aircraft clipped a 10-metre pine tree, fell to the ground and slid for about 30 metres before bursting into flames near the Airwomens' Block. CFS instructor Flight Lieutenant Paul Derbyshire (RAF) was unhurt in the accident but Santa WOFF Tom Baker in disguise, received a fractured right leg and was taken to the Gippsland Base Hospital. WOFF Baker said, ‘I was waving to the kids and next thing I knew we'd hit the ground. When I saw the flames I thought I threw the beard and wig out, but I haven't been able to find my beard. Paul grabbed me, my right boot was stuck in the fuselage and some other RAAF blokes had me out in no time.' Many children on the oval became quite upset as they thought Santa had died in the crash and they wouldn't be getting any presents that Christmas, but event organisers calmed the children and announced that Santa had merely broken a leg. Santa said his injuries did not prevent the timely delivery of presents. ‘You should see all the cards I got from the children who had seen me in the paper,' he said. ‘I stopped counting at 137.' WOFF Baker had been base Santa for about 16 years and was the last remaining World War II aircrew Senior Non-Commissioned Officer in the RAAF. The following year he chose to make a more subdued entrance to the base Christmas Treat by riding in a fire truck.
The RAAF had flown CT-4 aircraft since 1975 and A19-057 was the first Airtrainer to be ‘written off'. The Papua New Guinea Defence continued its instructional association with CFS in 1979 when Lieutenant David Inau became the first Papuan pilot to fly solo in a jet aircraft. He was a student of No 72 Flying Instructors Course and graduated on 29 April as the first Qualified Flying Instructor from his country. CFS acquired its first Dakota in July 1945. Between 1945 and 1980 the School had operated a fleet of up to 11 Dakotas. The aircraft transported CFS staff on examining visits to military aerodromes across Australia and Papua New Guinea, and supported the duties of Headquarters Support Command.
After the last Papuan students finished flying the Dakotas with CFS in late 1979 the RAAF directed that the Dakotas be phased out of service. On 16 March 1980 pilots from CFS and the School of Air Navigation flew three Dakotas in formation over the Gippsland region. The Gippsland Times reported the formation as a ‘funeral procession' of three Dakotas with six Macchis, four CT-4 and three HS748 aircraft acting as the ‘pall bearers'. The scene on the base after the flypast was described as follows: ‘Then the wake at the Base Tavern ... ground crew in mourning coats, top hats, the casket, a nose of a Dakota salvaged from Cyclone Tracey. Sad eyes painted on the windshield, tears trickling a skeleton covered by an old RAAF great coat and the epitaph "lest we forget". At the rear a giant unserviceability tag signatured "Nostradamus". Flight Lieutenant Bob Graham, CFS instructor and organiser of the final flight, described the day's events as ‘a glorious end to a flying era for an aeroplane which has survived many theatres of war.
On 9 September 1983 CFS celebrated the 70th anniversary of its formation at Point Cook with a reunion at East Sale. An afternoon function was held for past and present CFS members followed by aerobatic displays featuring the Roulettes, a solo Macchi and a CT-4. The reunion culminated in a dining-in of 91 officers held in the Officers' Mess with the Chief of the Air Staff, AM David Evans, attending as guest speaker.
Up until the mid-1980s CFS staff occupied the same flight building that the school had manned in 1947. On 25 August 1986 CFS began upgrading its accommodation and staff were relocated from the Unit Headquarters in Battle Avenue and ‘A' and ‘B' flights in Beaufort Avenue to building 284 in Wirraway Street. The school remained in building 284 for almost a year while the new CFS building was under construction in Beaufort Avenue.
On 3 August 1987 the RAAF and civil agencies combined to rescue CFS instructor FLTLT Dennis Hume and student FLTLT Brendan Heslen after they ejected from a Macchi into dense scrub near Barrington Tops north-west of RAAF Williamstown. The Macchi's engine had failed five minutes after the pilots aborted a low level navigational sortie due to reduced visibility. The pilots mayday transmission alerted Air Traffic Control at Williamtown and a National Safety Council Bell 212 helicopter was dispatched. An emergency transponder code guided the helicopter to the Macchi's position and an F/A 18 Hornet then used its UHF direction finding system to identify the location of the pilots. A swift rescue of the pilots quickly became paramount as a severe weather front swept through the region bringing snow, sleet and wind gust up to 50 knots (98 km/h). The helicopter landed with a ground party that sighted the pilots after one fired a pencil flare. FLTLT Heslin had made a tepee out of his parachute. FLTLT Hume had freed himself from the harness but was stranded on a tree branch 35 feet (10.7 m) above ground. The ground party constructed a 40 feet (12.2 m) bush ladder and pararescuer Phil Peel climbed the ladder, tied a rope to FLTLT Hume and winched him to the ground. Both pilots sustained spinal injuries from the ejection and were suffering from hypothermia after almost six hours exposure to freezing conditions.
Introduction of the Pilatus PC9/A 1987
On 24 November 1987 the Air Officer Commanding Support Command, AVM Alan Reed said, ‘we have just witnessed history for the RAAF. The new arrival here today of the first PC9 signifies the beginning of a new era of RAAF pilot training.' AVM Reed was at East Sale for a ceremony to herald the delivery if the first PC9/A aircraft at a RAAF unit for operational duties. CFS received the first PC9's for instructor conversion training and to allow for a comprehensive review of the aircraft's flying training syllabus.
The two PC9 aircraft on display for the ceremony were assembled in Switzerland but the other 65 aircraft on order from Pilatus would be built at Hawker de Havilland in Bankstown. A CT-4 and a Macchi escorted the two PC9 aircraft over the airfield and AVM Reed announced, ‘we have decided to retain the CT-4 and the Macchi. We will have a three-aircraft training solution for our pilot courses into the future.' The additional PC9 aircraft would reduce jet hours on the Macchi from 150 to 60-80 and extend the life of that aeroplane and the CT-4 for another 10 years if required.
On August 1989, Flight Lieutenant Peter Szypula and Flying Officer Steve Jackson ejected from a Macchi after hearing radio warnings that smoke was streaming from the engine. The Macchi was conducting touch and go landings and takeoffs when the Commanding Officer, Wing Commander John Simmonds, who was flying nearby and an air traffic controller warned the Macchi crew by radio. After ejecting, the two pilots parachuted to the ground and the aircraft crashed into a Somerton Park Estate property about one kilometre north of the Base. The property's owner, Frank Simmonds, recounted his observations to an Age reporter: ‘We (Frank and Dot Simmonds) heard two bangs, looked up and the jet's motor had cut out. Three seconds later it hit the ground and there was a huge ball of flame. The pilots were very lucky they missed the power lines and landed in a soft wet spot. We're just thanking our lucky stars because we were standing in the same spot where it (the aircraft) came down three minutes earlier'. Twelve cows had been standing about six metres from the site of the crash and they stampeded through an electric fence which resulted in the herd calving prematurely. Mr Simmonds recalled that wreckage from a Roulettes' crash fell in a neighbouring paddock last year. ‘I think it's time the RAAF looked elsewhere to do their aerobatics because it's getting too populated around here,' he said.
Shortly after the accident the Macchi's were phased out of service at CFS. The school farewelled the jet trainer with a flypast over the base on 1 December 1989. CFS experienced its first PC9 accident on 5 August 1991. The PC9 had completed nine circuits before departing the area for a TACAN approach to runway 27. After gaining clearance from the Air Traffic Control tower the aircraft crashed to the ground without any further radio transmission or an attempt by either of the two pilots to eject. The PC9 disintegrated on impact and instructor SQNLDR Malcolm Cotterell and Malaysian student CAPT Mohamed Tahjudin were killed as a result of the impact and subsequent fire.
CFS farewelled the CT-4 Airtrainer on 10 December 1991 with an eight aircraft flypast over Stratford, Maffra, Sale and the Base. The next morning the Commanding Officer, Wing Commander John Smith, led the CT-4 fleet on a ferry flight to Point Cook where the aircraft were transferred to No 1 Flying Training School. During 1992 No 111 Flying Instructors Course became the first FIC course to train from the new PC9 syllabus. The 17 week course ran a week longer than previous Flying Instructor Courses, and the syllabus included 105 flying hours in a PC9, aircraft familiarisation, basic instructional techniques and applied instructional techniques. Flight Lieutenant Robyn Williams won the Wilson Trophy as the student who gained the highest marks in ground school phase. She was the first female in the 45-year history of the Flying Instructor Course to graduate as a Qualified Flying Instructor. This award added to her past achievement of receiving the Hawker de Havilland Aircraft Australian Trophy as the Dux of No 144 Pilots' Course. The ground school phase of the Flying Instructors Course had changed markedly since the early courses. In November 1952 No 8 Flying Instructors Course were taught briefing skills by Professor Brown, Dean of the Faculty of Education at Melbourne University, and he spoke to the course on the "art of lecturing and public speaking". In August 1965 the course book for No 34 Flying Instructors Course related their experience of instructional technique: "To assist us in developing a technique of our own, we have started giving a series of 20 minute talks on any subject within the scope of the Flying Instructors Course syllabus, as at its current state of perpetual amendment. Some of the students are very gifted at this business, while others can't be heard for the rattling of kneecaps." Most students prepared thoroughly for their briefs but Flight Lieutenant Kev Mackenzie from No 79 FIC, with perhaps an eye on the Wilson Trophy, carefully washed the blackboard on which he would conduct his ‘pretty' brief and then blow dried the board with a fan heater.
Today much time is devoted to instructional technique which culminates in a 50 minute assessed mass brief. The Flying Instructors Course allocates 70 per cent of the marks on flying assessment and there are 100 sorties for the student to fly. Of these sorties, about five are flown at night. Upon the successful completion of the Instructor Categorisation the FIC student graduates as a Qualified Flying Instructor D Category on the PC9. To many pilots the Flying Instructor Course is perceived as the next challenge that awaits them after passing pilots' course and the joining instructions mailed to each student reinforces this perception: ‘Upon graduation, you will know a great deal more about flying and your personal standards will have improved considerably. The title of "Qualified Flying Instructor" carries with it a level of responsibility that is not often shared by many junior officers and has many rewards, both personal and service wide.'
Aside from the Flying Instructors Course, CFS conducts flying refresher training courses, tests Instrument Rating Examiners throughout the RAAF and assesses Air Force flying instructors. Through the flying instructional and examining roles, the School is responsible for the maintenance of pure flying standards in the RAAF. Several thousand personnel have passed through CFS as students or staff since the formation of the School in 1913 and in 80 years the School has operated almost 50 different types of aircraft.
The Aerobatics from Central Flying School
Since 1962, Central Flying School (CFS) has formed three separate formation aerobatic teams. These teams, known respectively as the Red Sales, Telstars and Roulettes, have presented aerobatic displays at hundreds of events across Australia seen by almost two million people.
The Red Sales flew four de Havilland Vampire Mk35 and their first public display was at the Royal Hobart Regatta in February 1962. The team also performed at Wagga Wagga. However, in August the four aircraft crashed during low level formation aerobatics practice seven miles (11 km) south-west of the East Sale aerodrome. The formation struck the ground during recovery from a barrel roll and disintegrated on impact and all six occupants in the aircraft were killed.
Six months later, a new team known as the Telstars flew four Vampires in formation at a School of Air Navigation (SAN) course graduation at RAAF Base East Sale. The Commanding Officer of CFS at the time, Wing Commander Edward Plenty, said "the Telstars gave a highly polished display on their first public appearance."
In February 1968, the Telstars conducted their first public display in the Italian designed Aermacchi MB326H at a SAN course graduation. The Macchi was an agile aircraft and its fine handling made it eminently suitable for aerobatic work. However, the Telstars only flew this aircraft until April when the team was temporarily disbanded due to an overall RAAF wide reduction in display flying. The new decade heralded the most enduring aerobatic team of the trio. The Roulettes flew their first public display in December 1970 at RAAF Base Point Cook and this demonstration was a prelude to their displays for the 1971 RAAF Golden Jubilee celebrations.
The first team performed an eight-minute sequence of wingovers, loops and barrel rolls with formation changes such as box, tee, line astern, square and swan. Included in the sequence was a synchronised pairs cross-over, or Roulette manoeuvre which the team adopted as their name.
From 1972-1973 the Roulettes performed mainly at RAAF bases with four aircraft but occasionally a fifth aircraft flew during late 1973 to early 1974. The fifth member mostly flew a solo display in addition to the four-aircraft formation. The display now included synchronised manoeuvres between a solo aircraft, two formation pairs and the main four-aircraft formation.
The Roulettes first flew their new five-aircraft display for the public at a RAAF Academy graduation parade at Point Cook in March 1974. The team then regularly performed the five-aircraft formations of card five, rhombus, kings cross, leaders benefit, vic, swan five and line abreast.
In 1975, the residents of Port Moresby, Kerema, Law and Goroka viewed Roulette displays for the first time when the team deployed to Papua New Guinea for that nation's independence celebrations.
Later that year, the Roulettes introduced a wine glass formation, upwards bomb burst and an opposition loop with a five-aircraft crossover at the bottom.
Then in 1976, the team added a ‘thread the needle' manoeuvre that involved a head-on pass between the solo aircraft and the remaining four-aircraft formation. The choreography then barely changed until the next decade.
The Roulettes temporarily expanded to seven aircraft in 1981 and performed a 16-minute display for the RAAF's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The seven-aircraft formation included the southern cross arrowhead, hexagon jubilee and donut and solo and synchronised manoeuvres. The latter team performed in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales but the premier jubilee event was at RAAF Base Amberley in April. After that performance, the team reverted to the five-aircraft compliment.
Roulette Leader, Squadron Leader Brent Espeland said the development from five to seven aeroplanes had doubled the complexity of the performance and required unerring anticipation from team members to maintain a tight formation. Wing Commander Ron Biddell, Commanding Officer of CFS said the Unit also did not have the time, manpower or aircraft resources to maintain a seven-aircraft team.
A fatal accident involving the Roulettes occurred in December 1983 at East Sale, when Roulettes 2 and 3 collided head-on during aerobatic practice at 2000 ft (609.6 m). Flight Lieutenants Stephen Carter and Graeme Brooks were killed.
For the Bicentennial year of 1988, the Roulettes planned to participate in about 25 events but a mid-air collision in March that year between Roulettes 4 and 1 postponed their public displays until August. The incident occurred during aerobatic practice at East Sale and Roulette 4 ejected safely while Roulette 1 carried out a successful 'wheel up' landing.
The Roulettes formed a new team and later resumed their schedule for 1988. In October, the team participated in the aviation spectacle of Australia's bicentenary with a five-aircraft display at the Bicentennial Air Show at RAAF Base Richmond.
From January to June 1989, a pair of Macchis presented displays in Victoria and Queensland as CFS staff converted to the Swiss designed Pilatus PC9/A. The Roulette synchronised pair flew their first public display in April at the Phillip Island Motorcycle Grand Prix and in June, the Roulettes five-aircraft team presented their final display in Macchis which was at Lakes Entrance.
In July, CFS started to form a Roulette team for the PC9 aircraft but in the interim, formation pairs displays were presented and the PC9 synchronised pair flew their first public display in August at Ayr. A Roulette team training program in October and November let to a five-aircraft display at East Sale in December.
During the ensuing months, the team was expanded to six aircraft to partially compensate for the reduced noise impact of the turboprop PC9 in comparison to the jet engined Macchi.
In 1991 the Roulettes were again at the forefront of RAAF commemorations when the team provided displays at the Presentation of the Governor Generals's Banner to 3 Telecommunications Unit at RAAF Base Pearce in February, and at the RAAF 70th Anniversary Concert at Canberra in March. Later that year, the Roulettes celebrated their 20th anniversary since the team's inception and staged a reunion of past and present members at East Sale.
For the first time in the Roulettes history, the team presented aerobatic displays in the Northern Hemisphere with a series of displays at the sixth Asian Aerospace exhibition, Conference and Airshow at the Changi International Exhibition and Conference Centre in Singapore between February and March 1992. A further notable overseas deployment took place in 1996 when the Roulettes performed a number of displays in Indonesia. They were one of several aerobatic teams, including the Red Arrows to display at the International Aerobatic Festival during Indonesia Airshow '96. In addition to the Indonesian deployment the Roulettes displayed for the first time at Norfolk Island during the ANZAC weekend.
The 75th anniversary of the RAAF also fell in 1996 and the team were kept very busy throughout that year, They made a significant contribution to the celebrations, displaying at over 50 venues and achieved the notable mark of displaying at all of the RAAF airfields. This considerable task required the team to give up much of their own time and would have been impossible without the invaluable work of the Engineering tradesmen and administrative staff of Central Flying School.
CFS has now provided formation aerobatic teams that have spanned four decades. The era of the Roulettes has generated great exposure for the RAAF among the people of Australia and overseas and each display demonstrates the high level of skills that a military pilot can attain.
External links
- http://www.raaf.gov.au/raafmuseum/research/units/cfs.htm