AHSA Melbourne Meeting October 2022 (Peter Hobbins: The RAAF’s early embrace of flight simulation)

26/10/202228/11/2022

Our October 2022 Melbourne meeting was another joint presentation with the RAAF History and Heritage Branch, and we thank them for this continuing collaboration. The meeting was held in person at the RAAF Association meeting room in Hawthorn and also “broadcast” to interstate members via Zoom.

Dr Peter Hobbins, Head of Knowledge at the Australian National Maritime Museum spoke on the topic “Faith and fidelity: the RAAF’s early embrace of flight simulation”, describing how the RAAAF adopted this technology in training.

Peter has also written an article on one aspect of this topic, The Elusive A-63: The Link Celestial Trainer in RAAF Service, and this was published in the December 2022 edition of Aviation Heritage, the Journal of the AHSA (volume 53 number 4).

1947 The RAAF Supermarine Walrus HD874 was destroyed in a storm at Heard Island. The aircraft had been in storage until 1947, and was sent to Maintenance Squadron Rathmines for servicing before issue to the RAAF's Antarctic Flight in October of that year, for the first Australian expedition to the Antarctic region since World War II. Nicknamed 'Snow Goose' and painted bright yellow, HD874 was transported aboard Landing Craft LST3501 to Heard Island, and flew only once before being totally destroyed in a storm on 21 December 1947. The aircraft was recovered and restored and is now on display at the RAAF Museum, Point Cook, Victoria. Source: RAAF Museum

1955 The first flight of the Edgar Percival EP.9 utility aircraft prototype G-AOFU was completed at Stapleford, UK, by its Australian designer Edgar Percival. Source: Parnell, N. and Boughton, T., Flypast, A record of aviation in Australia, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1988.

1967 The first BAC 111 for No. 34 Squadron was accepted by the RAAF on 21 December 1967 in the UK. The aircraft, A12-124, first flew on 3 November 1967 and was accepted by the RAAF on 21 December. Under the command of No 34 Squadron's Commanding Officer, Wing Commander (later Air Commodore) Ray Drury, A12-124 was ferried from the UK via Malta, Nicosia, Teheran, Karachi, New Delhi, Calcutta, Singapore and Darwin, arriving at RAAF Fairbairn on 18 January 1968. Source: RAAF Museum