No. 34 Squadron RAAF
Encyclopedia
No. 34 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF) transport squadron. It is currently based at Canberra International Airport
in the Australian capital Canberra
, where it operates two Boeing 737 Business Jets
and three Bombardier Challenger 604s
.
in Darwin, Northern Territory
, just four days after the city was bombed for the first time. Tasked with transport duties in northern Australia (including carrying freight and Japanese prisoners of war
), its initial equipment was a pair of de Havilland Dragon
s; within days one had been destroyed on the ground at Wyndham, Western Australia
by enemy air attack, and the other was unserviceable. The Squadron relocated to Daly Waters Airfield
on 5 March 1942 and after several days another Dragon was allocated; this was joined by two Avro Anson
s in late April and then two de Havilland Tiger Moth
s. In mid-May the Squadron relocated again to Batchelor Airfield
and again in mid-July, this time to Hughes Airfield
. The Squadron remained at Hughes until 27 August 1942, when it moved to Manbulloo Airfield
; it operated from Manbulloo until it was temporarily disbanded on 13 December and its aircraft transferred to another unit.
In January 1943 the Squadron re-formed at Parafield Airport
in South Australia
and received eight Dragons, but by the end of the month this had been reduced to three. On 11 March one of these was destroyed in an accident at Parafield, causing the deaths of two Squadron personnel. Within a few months the Dragons were replaced by Douglas Dakota
s, the Squadron having seven on strength by August 1943; a Douglas DC-2
and an Airspeed Oxford
were also brought on strength late in the year. 1944 saw the Dakotas being used by the squadron to operate throughout Australia and also to New Guinea
; meanwhile in June that year it became the first Operational RAAF squadron to have members of the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force
in its ranks, with an officer and 20 Airwomen joining the Squadron. In February 1945 the Squadron commenced a relocation to Morotai
, being fully established there by mid-April. The Squadron remained at Morotai until the end of the war, at which time it became involved in repatriating Australian former prisoners of war from Singapore, and then in supporting the formation of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force
in Japan. The Squadron returned to Australia in February 1946 and disbanded at RAAF Base Richmond
on 6 June the same year.
The Squadron was reformed in March 1948 as a VIP transport and reconnaissance unit, operating primarily in support of the Woomera rocket range. During this time it operated the only Vickers Viking
to be taken on strength by the RAAF, and was the only RAAF squadron to operate the Bristol Freighter
. Three Bristols were taken on strength in March and April 1949; one was lost in a fatal crash near Mallala, South Australia
on 25 November 1953 after its wing failed in flight and another example was subsequently acquired to replace the loss.
fleet operator, tasked with transporting visiting heads-of-state and other VIPs. It took over this role from the VIP Flight of 86 Transport Wing
, taking the VIP Flight's two Convair 440s and once again taking Douglas Dakotas on strength; it also moved to its current home (at that time called RAAF Base Fairbairn). In late 1964 two second-hand Vickers Viscount
s were obtained to supplement the Dakotas and Convairs; the two piston engine types were withdrawn after the delivery in 1967 of three Dassault Falcon 20
s and two Hawker Siddeley HS 748s. In 1968 two BAC 1-11
s joined the squadron and the two Viscounts were retired the following year. The fleet remained unchanged until the end of the 1980s, when the two HS 748s were transferred to 32 Squadron
, and the Falcon 20s and BAC 1-11s were retired. The three diverse types were replaced by five Dassault Falcon 900s leased from Hawker Pacific, the first time the RAAF had leased aircraft from a commercial company. The Falcon 900s were operated until replaced by the Squadron's current equipment in 2002. The two BBJs and three Challenger 604s are also leased, from Qantas Defence Services
.
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...
(RAAF) transport squadron. It is currently based at Canberra International Airport
Canberra International Airport
Canberra International Airport , now trading as Canberra Airport, is the airport serving Australia's capital city, Canberra, and the city of Queanbeyan, NSW. Located at the eastern edge of North Canberra, it is the 8th busiest airport in Australia. The airport is the main hub for Brindabella Airlines...
in the Australian capital Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, where it operates two Boeing 737 Business Jets
Boeing Business Jet
|-External links:* .* .*...
and three Bombardier Challenger 604s
Bombardier Challenger 600
The Bombardier Challenger 600 series is a family of business jets designed by Bill Lear and produced first by Canadair until that company was bought by Bombardier Aerospace in 1986.-Development:...
.
History
The Squadron was established on 23 February 1942 at Parap AirfieldParap Airfield
Parap Airfield was the civilian airport/aerodrome at Parap a suburb of Darwin, Northern Territory, in Australia between 1919 and 1946. It was also known as Darwin Aerodrome and Ross Smith Aerodrome.-History:...
in Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, just four days after the city was bombed for the first time. Tasked with transport duties in northern Australia (including carrying freight and Japanese prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
), its initial equipment was a pair of de Havilland Dragon
De Havilland Dragon
|-See also:-References:Bibliography ISBN 0-85177-813-5...
s; within days one had been destroyed on the ground at Wyndham, Western Australia
Wyndham, Western Australia
Wyndham is the oldest and northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, located on the Great Northern Highway, northeast of Perth. It was established in 1885 as a result of a gold rush at Halls Creek, and it is now a port and service centre for the east Kimberley with a...
by enemy air attack, and the other was unserviceable. The Squadron relocated to Daly Waters Airfield
Daly Waters Airfield
Daly Waters Airfield was an airfield located at Daly Waters, Northern Territory, Australia.-History:Daly Waters was Australia's first international airfield...
on 5 March 1942 and after several days another Dragon was allocated; this was joined by two Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
s in late April and then two de Havilland Tiger Moth
De Havilland Tiger Moth
The de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and was operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk in 1952, when many of the surplus aircraft...
s. In mid-May the Squadron relocated again to Batchelor Airfield
Batchelor Airfield
Batchelor Airfield, is an airport located south of Batchelor, Northern Territory, Australia. Currently, it has no commercial air service and is utilised by the Northern Australian Gliding Club.-History:...
and again in mid-July, this time to Hughes Airfield
Hughes Airfield
Hughes Airfield was an airfield at Noonamah, Northern Territory, Australia during World War II.The airfield was built by the 808th Engineer Aviation Battalion between 10 March 1942 until 13 April 1942. The runway was long and wide....
. The Squadron remained at Hughes until 27 August 1942, when it moved to Manbulloo Airfield
Manbulloo Airfield
Manbulloo Airfield is a World War II airfield built at Manbulloo Station, near Katherine, Northern Territory.Works on the airfield were initially undertaken by the 43rd Engineer Regiment in April 1942. The Allied Works Council completed the works and the airfield was operational by 19 May 1942...
; it operated from Manbulloo until it was temporarily disbanded on 13 December and its aircraft transferred to another unit.
In January 1943 the Squadron re-formed at Parafield Airport
Parafield Airport
Parafield Airport is on the edge of the residential suburb of Parafield, South Australia, 18 kilometres north of the Adelaide Central business district and adjacent to the Mawson Lakes campus of the University of South Australia. It is Adelaide's second airport and the fifth busiest airport in...
in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and received eight Dragons, but by the end of the month this had been reduced to three. On 11 March one of these was destroyed in an accident at Parafield, causing the deaths of two Squadron personnel. Within a few months the Dragons were replaced by Douglas Dakota
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
s, the Squadron having seven on strength by August 1943; a Douglas DC-2
Douglas DC-2
The Douglas DC-2 was a 14-seat, twin-engine airliner produced by the American company Douglas Aircraft Corporation starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247...
and an Airspeed Oxford
Airspeed Oxford
The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a twin-engine aircraft used for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery during the Second World War.-Design and development:...
were also brought on strength late in the year. 1944 saw the Dakotas being used by the squadron to operate throughout Australia and also to New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
; meanwhile in June that year it became the first Operational RAAF squadron to have members of the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force
Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force was formed in March 1941 after considerable lobbying by women keen to serve and by the Chief of the Air Staff who wanted to release male personnel serving in Australia for service overseas. The WAAAF was the first and largest of the World War II...
in its ranks, with an officer and 20 Airwomen joining the Squadron. In February 1945 the Squadron commenced a relocation to Morotai
Morotai
Morotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...
, being fully established there by mid-April. The Squadron remained at Morotai until the end of the war, at which time it became involved in repatriating Australian former prisoners of war from Singapore, and then in supporting the formation of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force
British Commonwealth Occupation Force
The British Commonwealth Occupation Force , was the name of the joint Australian, Canadian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 21 February 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952...
in Japan. The Squadron returned to Australia in February 1946 and disbanded at RAAF Base Richmond
RAAF Base Richmond
RAAF Base Richmond is one of Australia's oldest and largest air force bases. It is located within the City of Hawkesbury in the north-western fringe of Sydney, New South Wales, between the towns of Windsor and Richmond. The base is home to the Royal Australian Air Force's transport headquarters,...
on 6 June the same year.
Vickers Viking
-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1.* London, Peter. British Flying Boats. Stroud, UK: Sutton Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-7509-2695-3....
to be taken on strength by the RAAF, and was the only RAAF squadron to operate the Bristol Freighter
Bristol Freighter
The Bristol Type 170 Freighter was a British twin-engine aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company as both a freighter and airliner, although its best known use is as an air ferry to carry cars and their passengers over relatively short distances.-Design and development:The...
. Three Bristols were taken on strength in March and April 1949; one was lost in a fatal crash near Mallala, South Australia
Mallala, South Australia
Mallala is a small town about 58 kilometres north of Adelaide in South Australia. The name Mallala is thought to be derived from the local Aboriginal word 'madlola' which supposedly meant 'place of the ground frog'. At the 2006 census, Mallala had a population of 737.In 1939 the Royal Australian...
on 25 November 1953 after its wing failed in flight and another example was subsequently acquired to replace the loss.
VIP operations
In July 1959 No. 34 Squadron became the RAAF's VIPVery Important Person
A Very Important Person, or VIP is a person who is accorded special privileges due to his or her status or importance.Examples include celebrities, heads of state/heads of government, major employers, high rollers, politicians, high-level corporate officers, wealthy individuals, or any other...
fleet operator, tasked with transporting visiting heads-of-state and other VIPs. It took over this role from the VIP Flight of 86 Transport Wing
No. 86 Wing RAAF
No. 86 Wing is a Royal Australian Air Force transport wing. Coming under the aegis of Air Lift Group, it is headquartered at RAAF Base Richmond, New South Wales. The wing comprises No. 36 Squadron, operating Boeing C-17 Globemasters, and No. 38 Squadron, flying Beechcraft Super King Airs...
, taking the VIP Flight's two Convair 440s and once again taking Douglas Dakotas on strength; it also moved to its current home (at that time called RAAF Base Fairbairn). In late 1964 two second-hand Vickers Viscount
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
s were obtained to supplement the Dakotas and Convairs; the two piston engine types were withdrawn after the delivery in 1967 of three Dassault Falcon 20
Dassault Falcon 20
The Dassault Falcon 20 is a French business jet and was the first of a family of business jets built by Dassault Aviation.-Design and development:...
s and two Hawker Siddeley HS 748s. In 1968 two BAC 1-11
BAC One-Eleven
The British Aircraft Corporation One-Eleven, also known as the BAC-111, BAC-1-11 or BAC 1-11, was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s...
s joined the squadron and the two Viscounts were retired the following year. The fleet remained unchanged until the end of the 1980s, when the two HS 748s were transferred to 32 Squadron
No. 32 Squadron RAAF
No. 32 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force unit based at RAAF East Sale in Victoria. It currently flies training and transport operations.- World War II :...
, and the Falcon 20s and BAC 1-11s were retired. The three diverse types were replaced by five Dassault Falcon 900s leased from Hawker Pacific, the first time the RAAF had leased aircraft from a commercial company. The Falcon 900s were operated until replaced by the Squadron's current equipment in 2002. The two BBJs and three Challenger 604s are also leased, from Qantas Defence Services
Qantas Defence Services
Qantas Defence Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas Airways.Qantas is providing increasing support for the Royal Australian Air Force :...
.
See also
- Royal Australian Air Force VIP aircraftRoyal Australian Air Force VIP aircraftThe Royal Australian Air Force has operated a number of specialised aircraft to transport members of the Royal Family, the Governor General of Australia, senior members of the Australian government, and other dignitaries....
- 437 (Husky) Transport SquadronNo. 437 Squadron RCAF437 Transport Squadron is a unit of the Canadian Forces under the Royal Canadian Air Force, based at CFB Trenton in Ontario. The unit operates the CC-150 Polaris, and is responsible for long range military and VIP transportation .-History:437 Squadron was formed at Blakehill Farm in Wiltshire,...
- - No. 42 Squadron RNZAFNo. 42 Squadron RNZAF42 Squadron of the RNZAF was formed at Rongotai in December 1943 to provide a communications service around New Zealand, initially using impressed civilian types. It was briefly officially disbanded in 1946, but its aircraft continued with general purpose operations at RNZAF Base Ohakea...
- - No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron -