RAAF Station Parkes was a Royal Australian Air Force

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) station located at Parkes

Parkes, New South Wales

- Transport :Parkes has a local bus service provided by Western Road Liners, which acquired Harris Bus Lines in March 2006. The Indian Pacific also stops twice a week, as well as the Broken Hill Outback Xplorer service, run by CountryLink, which heads to Broken Hill on Mondays and Sydney on...

, 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...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Formed in 1941 as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...

 as a training station during the Second World War. After the conclusion of hostilities, the training units ceased to operate from the station. No. 87 Squadron

No. 87 Squadron RAAF

No. 87 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force air intelligence squadron. The Squadron saw action during World War II as a photo reconnaissance squadron.-World War II:...

 briefly operated from the airfield at the station from October 1945 until it was disbanded on 24 July 1946. The station closed in 1946.

Units based at RAAF Station Parkes

• No. 1 Air Navigation School (1941–1945)
• No. 2 Wireless Air Gunners School (1941–1945)
• No. 8 Operational Training Unit RAAF
  No. 8 Operational Training Unit RAAF
  No. 8 Operational Training Unit was an operational training unit of the Royal Australian Air Force formed at RAAF Station Narromine, Narromine, New South Wales in 1942.8OTU moved to RAAF Station Parkes, Parkes, New South Wales in 1944....
  
   (1944–1945)
• Central Flying School RAAF
  Central Flying School RAAF
  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....
  
   (19 February 1944 – 18 September 1944)
• No. 87 Squadron RAAF
  No. 87 Squadron RAAF
  No. 87 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force air intelligence squadron. The Squadron saw action during World War II as a photo reconnaissance squadron.-World War II:...
  
  (October 1945 – 24 July 1946)

Further reading

• Lever, John; No. 2 OTU R.A.A.F. Mildura and No. 8 OTU R.A.A.F. Parkes : a history of the R.A.A.F.'s fighter pilot operational training units; ISBN:1876709901