From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Military unit
The
RAAF Washington Flying Unit
was a temporary
Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF) unit formed to ferry Australia's first twelve
General Dynamics F-111C
aircraft from the United States to Australia. It was formed in March 1973 and disbanded in July of that year after the ferry flights were completed.
History
[
edit
]
The RAAF Washington Flying Unit was formed at
McClellan Air Force Base
,
California
on 31 March 1973 under the command of Group Captain
John Newham
. The unit was tasked with ferrying the RAAF's first twelve (out of a total order of 24) F-111Cs to Australia. The unit comprised twelve F-111 crews, each consisting of a pilot and a navigator.
[1]
Newham was also the commanding officer of
No. 82 Wing
, which was to operate the F-111Cs once they arrived in Australia.
[2]
Following their arrival in the United States, the Australian airmen were provided with training on the F-111 by
General Dynamics
. Once this was completed, they ferried F-111s from the company's facilities at
Fort Worth
to McClellan Air Force Base.
[1]
The first ferry flight of six F-111Cs departed McClellan Air Force Base in May 1973. The aircraft first flew to
Hickam Air Force Base
where they refueled. On 30 May they flew to
Pago Pago International Airport
. The next day they departed for
RAAF Base Amberley
, and arrived there on 1 June (Australian time).
[1]
The remaining six F-111Cs began their ferry flight on 23 July, and used the same route as the first.
[1]
Once this flight was completed and all twelve F-111Cs had arrived in Australia, the Washington Flying Unit was disbanded on 26 July 1973.
[3]
The RAAF's other twelve F-111Cs were ferried to Australia in two flights later that year, which arrived at Amberley on 28 September and 4 December.
[2]
Despite the unit's name, the Washington Flying Unit was not the RAAF unit which was responsible for operating two
Washington B.1
(B-29 Superfortress) heavy bombers in the early 1950s. These aircraft were operated by the RAAF's
Aeronautical Research and Development Unit
.
[4]
References
[
edit
]
- Citations
- ^
a
b
c
d
RAAF Historical Section (1995), p. 150
- ^
a
b
Wilson and Pittaway (2010), p. 47
- ^
RAAF Historical Section (1995), p. 151
- ^
"A76 Boeing Washington"
. RAAF Museum Point Cook
. Retrieved
7 January
2012
.
- Bibliography
- RAAF Historical Section (1995).
Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 3 Bomber Units
. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.
ISBN
0-644-42795-7
.
- Wilson, Stewart; Pittaway, Nigel (2010).
F-111 in RAAF Service 1973?2010. The Story of One of the Finest Strike Aircraft in Aviation History
. Sydney: Aero Australia Special Edition (Chevron Publishing Group).
OCLC
647880548
.
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