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25.01.2022 You can now easily view past "Wings" magazines from our website. The last few have an "articles" (A) facility where you can quickly go to articles you want to view. https://www.raafapublications.org.au/wings-magazine-archive/

24.01.2022 Who watched this, 10Aug76?

24.01.2022 Our collection of Early Editions of Wings magazine is growing. It was started by the RAAF in 1943 for morale purposes and published continuously since, lately by the Air Force Association - NSW division. We have now collected editions with some going back to 1945 and are in the process of digitising them. It should make fascinating reading. You can read more of the genesis of "Wings Magazine" in the Article View of the "Spring 2019" issue. https://www.raafapublications.org.au/wings-magazine-archive/

23.01.2022 Which do you think was Boeing's most important post WWII aircraft? Discuss.

22.01.2022 The AWM Lancaster 'G for George' A Mk 1 Lancaster W4783 built by Metropolitan-Vickers Limited in Manchester in the United Kingdom in mid-1942. It was taken on charge by the RAF on 22 October 1942 and then allocated to A Flight of No 460 Squadron as 'G for George' on the 27th. During its 17 month operational career with No 460 Squadron, W4783 flew 89 missions. The first was on the night of 5 December 1942 to attack Mannheim, and the last on the night of 20 April 1944 ...against Cologne. When 'G for George' retired from operational service after this raid it had completed more operations than almost any other aircraft in RAF Bomber Command. Having been identified for the purpose as early as November 1943, W4783 was flown to Australia in late 1944 to publicise the Victory Loans drive. It left the United Kingdom on 11 October and, flying via Iceland, Canada, the United States and various Pacific Islands, arrived at Amberley outside of Brisbane on 8 November. W4783 toured Australia during 1945, and made its last flight, to RAAF Base Canberra, on 24 September 1945. W4738 spent almost ten years -- most of them exposed to the elements -- at RAAF Canberra before being installed at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in Canberra where it was the centrepiece of Aircraft Hall for 44 years before being disassembled and removed for an extensive conservation program in March 1999. In the second half of 2003 it was reassembled, and returned to display, in Anzac Hall. One of the icons of the AWM's collection, it is now one of only 17 Lancasters left in the world from the 7,378 originally manufactured. Courtesy Air Force History.

20.01.2022 20 November 2009 - Ex-Army King Air 350s transferred This morning's RAAF History email from Wing Commander Gibson detailed how this was the date in 2009 when 38 Sqn in Townsville took the first of its King Air aircraft from the Army, replacing the retired Caribou. This, of itself reminds me of the time some years earlier when I was flying a 767 from Perth to Melbourne. As we passed abeam Adelaide, a King Air declared a PAN, stating that the pilot had fainted. The concerned ...ATC asked if the person was rated on the aircraft to which he replied "No, but I am a qualified pilot". He sheepishly admitted he was the pilot's C.O. and requested vectors back to Edinburgh I think it was. Throughout this conversation, the King Air "pilot" sounded almost amused, which helped calm the ATC controller. Back to the matter at hand. Well with that anecdote I've left the best part out which is all about the Caribou, so that will wait for a later post - hopefully tomorrow. I have a number of photos of two of the last three original Caribou in the World that fly. Till then ...

18.01.2022 10 August 1976 - Future CAF ejected from Mirage IIID I saw this little note today and it is worth a post ... there is more than the brief description would indicate, if memory serves. Today is the anniversary of a rather spectacular Mirage ejection. A No 2 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU) Mirage IIID A3-114 flown by Flight Lieutenant Bruce Wood (captain) and Flying Officer Geoff Shepherd (student) suffered a port undercarriage collapse on touchdown at RAAF Williamtown. As t...he aircraft subsequently climbed away, both pilots ejected at 1,000ft and 240 kts; they suffered only minor injuries. Flying Officer Shepherd went on to serve as Chief of the Air Force between 2005-2008. If there are a few more memories of this event floating around from our readership I shall compile them. The story is worth recording.

17.01.2022 Twenty Years ..... Since the last C-130E flight. How things rapidly fade into the fog of history. Whilst the C-130E Lockheed Hercules was ordered to increase the RAAF's lifting capacity to support its operations in the Vietnam War, perhaps the most significant civil support was in operations after Cyclone Tracy which devastated Darwin on Christmas Eve 1974. Here it was operated to the limits of its lifting capacity conducting at least one departure for Darwin at War Emergenc...y Takeoff weight from a regional airport. Other roles included Search and Rescue and Medevac. The most ambitious medevac I can remember was the RAAF sending an aircraft and full theatre team to Pakistan to repatriate a citizen from there. One feature that made the Herc an excellent choice for medevac was its ability to maintain sea level cabin pressure at normal cruise altitude. It also had the internal space to allow a full operating theatre to function in-flight. The E model Herc (which was developed into the H model with some minor changes) originated as a "stop-gap" strategic transport resulting from delays in the C-141 Starlifter program. Effectively, they took a B model Herc and upped the takeoff weight by 20,000 lb. A true work-horse.

17.01.2022 From the original source ..

15.01.2022 30 September 1988 - 75SQN flew last Mirage operational sortie

14.01.2022 The drive that started AN AIRLINE SPRING 2020 VOLUME 72 NO. 3 > Civil Aviation In this 100th year of the existence of QANTAS, here is the story of one of the founding adventures.... It is the 18th of August 1919, day one of a two-week mission to survey the northern Australian route for the Great Air Race, and three men pose in front of an overloaded Model T Ford in the small western Queensland town of Longreach. Of what would become one of the most incredible stories of exploration, perseverance, endurance and survival, expedition leader Lieutenant Paul McGinness DCM DFC simply writes: Leaving Longreach for Cloncurry today Stop Have been delayed owing to theft of coil from car on way up Stop. George Gorham, Paul McGinness and Hudson Fysh with the heavily loaded Model T Ford outside Longreach Motors on 18 August 1919. https://www.raafapublications.org.au/

11.01.2022 SPRING 2020 VOLUME 72 NO. 3 Military E-7A Wedgetail turns 10 https://www.raafapublications.org.au//WINGS_2020-spring.pdf

11.01.2022 Remember, you can explore the "Wings" archive for the last few years here: https://www.raafapublications.org.au/wings-magazine-archive/

08.01.2022 https://www.raafapublications.org.au//WINGS_2020-spring.pdf

04.01.2022 Spring edition of " Wings " available for download or viewing (along with an archive of past editions) at https://www.raafapublications.org.au/

04.01.2022 Air-to-air refuelling for next-gen fighter SPRING 2020 VOLUME 72 NO. 3 Military - Air-to-air refuelling for next-gen fighter https://www.raafapublications.org.au/

03.01.2022 The First AFC Pilot Course - today in 1914. Just two weeks after the outbreak of WW I, the first flying training course began at the Central Flying School (CFS) at Point Cook. Four students -- including the future Chief of Air Staff, Richard Williams -- graduated in November 1914. A further 11 courses were held between 1914 and 1918, training 152 pilots. Students and Instructors of the first course: ... Back row: R Williams; T W White. Front row: G. Merz, H A Petre; E Harrison; D T Manwell See more

03.01.2022 Wings Magazine now has its own Website where you can read or download the current issue in a number of formats, or download past issues. https://wingsmagazine.org/

02.01.2022 I was talking yesterday about 38 Sqn receiving King Air aircraft .. The transfer followed the retirement from RAAF service of the Caribou aircraft which Nos 35 and 38 Squadron had operated for the previous 45 years, and was meant to provide the Australian Defence Force with an interim light transport capability until a new tactical transport type was chosen. The three ex-Army King Airs were to be joined by another five new machines of the same type by mid-2010. The King A...ir had twice the speed and range of the Caribou, and could cruise at more than three times the altitude. However ... that is not all. As we know, the Caribou was purchased in the mid Sixties and saw extensive service in Vietnam, referred to as "Wallaby Airlines". There is a post as to how that name came about if you care to look back a bit in the "notes". The RAAF was, in fact the second largest operator of the Caribou after the US Army. At present, there are three Caribou in the World that fly. Two of them are sponsored by the Air Force Association - NSW Division at Hars Aviation Museum where there is an AFA branch. There they are maintained and flown by highly experienced and qualified personnel - many of the pilots have extensive experience on these aircraft from when they were in the RAAF. The aircraft look as if they have only just been delivered from the factory. Each of the aircraft at Hars has a banner on the nose proclaiming their 45 years of service as well as the service ribbons they acquired during those years. The reason they served for so long is that the RAAF spent much of the time trying to find a replacement, something they failed to do. The Caribou is the Caribou. Whilst maintenance issues were one reason the aircraft was eventually retired, the main one was the difficulty in supporting it in the field. These days you cannot turn up at an airfield and get avgas - it just is not supplied in quantities required for a large aircraft. I've seen that myself. If you want to operate a large piston engined aircraft anywhere these days, you need to pre-position fuel. There is no way around it. So, just over ten years ago, the Caribou was retired and through the efforts of Hars, we are indeed fortunate to have two immaculate aircraft remaining to fly and salute the past - a "Wallaby" and an "Enfield".

01.01.2022 Masterly Understatement - taken from today's edition of "AF History" On this day in 1944, No 463 Squadron Lancaster III LM675 JO-T departed RAF Waddington for a bombing sortie against Bologne, France. The following is extracted from the pilot’s post-operation report: "On our bombing run, immediately after "Bombs Gone" we were hit by heavy flak, causing a hole in our port wing approximately 11ft X 6ft and the ailerons severely damaged. Aircraft went out of control in a divin...g turn; during this time No 3 tank blew out, and exploded behind aircraft. I ordered crew to abandon aircraft and moderate control of aircraft was maintained at 4,000 ft; during which time Wireless Operator, Mid Upper and Rear Gunners endeavoured to get out of rear door. This was jammed and the handle broke off, so had to come to the front hatch which partly jammed adding further difficulties for crew trying to bail out. Eventually all members of crew apart from Pilot squeezed themselves out. During this time reasonable controlled descent was maintained with port engines fully opened; starboard engines half throttled; full aileron and rudder bias. It is estimated crew got out at 2,000 to 3,000 ft; and at 1,500 ft; I made an effort to bail out, unsuccessfully as the aircraft dived and was uncontrollable. I regained control of the aircraft at 800 ft; and having no alternative, had to make a forced landing in the quickest possible time. Landing eventually effected in a field that was obstructed with anti-invasion posts, with my starboard engine on fire; undercarriage and flaps serviceable and operated allowing me to make a successful landing. At the end of the landing run, to avoid further damage, swung aircraft to port, coming to rest in a wood. Made a quick getaway as starboard outer wing and engine were on fire. Throughout these extremely difficult circumstances my crew behaved in an exemplary manner and showed calm and coolness throughout. Navigator (F/Sgt. Dent) states: "Our pilot's captaincy and leadership displayed throughout those intense moments gave us confidence and inspiration. We considered aircraft impossible to fly, and how he effected a landing was, in the opinion of all of us, a miracle, and we never expected after we left that the aircraft would be landed". Comment: So ‘moderate control’ was all that resulted from half of the left wing shot away, the right wing in shreds, the starboard engine and wing on fire, severely damaged control surfaces, fuel tanks blown away and the Lancaster falling out of the sky?