|
|
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 184
Campfire Member
|
OP
Campfire Member
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 184 |
I see the Royal Australian Air Force is 100 years old on March 31st. So Happy Birthday!
Have any of our Australian CampFire members served in it?
Got any funny or good stories to tell?
Even if I'm not Australian, thanks for serving.
When you can get the last word with an echo, you may have the last word with your wife. - Chief Joseph, Nez Perce
If goose was the only meat, there would be a lot more vegetarians. - Lloyd Adams, waterfowl hunter
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,582
Campfire Regular
|
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,582 |
As a teenage cadet in the Air Training Corps (much like the JROTC as I understand it, and part of the RAAF) I was on parade at RAAF Richmond for the 60th anniversary celebration. It was a big turnout. Standing to attention on the tarmac for the formalities saw several cadets drop - they stay at attention all the way down, like a tree falling.
AirTC was a lot of fun. We would do range practice and field training like army cadets, but also had flights in various aircraft, and the opportunity to do flying training.
Out of my mates in cadets one went on to flight school in the RAAF. He did well in officer training, and qualified for jets, but realised that he actually didn't like flying all that much. A second joined the Army, and last I heard he was a colonel. Another did a 6 year stint in the army and then went home to Switzerland, where he was required to do National Service in their army. I had a few years in the army as well.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 17,132
Campfire Ranger
|
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 17,132 |
Happy Birthday to the RAAF!
Oh, to wind back time. There were never any service exchange tours for the EA-6B since only the US flew them but with the RAAF getting F/A-18Gs I'm sure there's a program now. My general aviation flight instructor was retired USMC A-4 and Harrier guy and did an Exchange tour with the RAN flying A-4's off of HMS Melbourne. He wonders why he came home sometimes!
If something on the internet makes you angry the odds are you're being manipulated
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,697
Campfire 'Bwana
|
|
Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 42,697 |
Well Happy Centennial Anniversary to the RAAF...Last I heard from my best friend when I lived in England, who was Australian, which was 50 years or so ago...He had joined the RAAF, and was Bound for flight training...We both had wanted to grow up and be pilots, and had a real love of airplanes...
Sadly we lost touch....in our college years... My eyesight kept me from being able to become a pilot, so I decided to not take the appointment Ito the Air Force Academy, the summer after I graduated High School...
John Hobart, where ever you are, I hope that your child hood dreams came true and you got to get your wings and serve your country...
r
"Minus the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the Country" Marion Barry, Mayor of Wash DC
“Owning guns is not a right. If it were a right, it would be in the Constitution.” ~Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,581
Campfire Regular
|
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,581 |
Happy Birthday to the RAAF!
Oh, to wind back time. There were never any service exchange tours for the EA-6B since only the US flew them but with the RAAF getting F/A-18Gs I'm sure there's a program now. My general aviation flight instructor was retired USMC A-4 and Harrier guy and did an Exchange tour with the RAN flying A-4's off of HMS Melbourne. He wonders why he came home sometimes! The Aussies indeed do service exchange, one of the pilots was in my running group when I lived on Whidbey. You know there's Aussies in your town when you can find Vegemite in the grocery store!  Happy BD RAAF!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 586
Campfire Regular
|
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 586 |
As a teenage cadet in the Air Training Corps (much like the JROTC as I understand it, and part of the RAAF) I was on parade at RAAF Richmond for the 60th anniversary celebration. It was a big turnout. Standing to attention on the tarmac for the formalities saw several cadets drop - they stay at attention all the way down, like a tree falling.
AirTC was a lot of fun. We would do range practice and field training like army cadets, but also had flights in various aircraft, and the opportunity to do flying training.
Out of my mates in cadets one went on to flight school in the RAAF. He did well in officer training, and qualified for jets, but realised that he actually didn't like flying all that much. A second joined the Army, and last I heard he was a colonel. Another did a 6 year stint in the army and then went home to Switzerland, where he was required to do National Service in their army. I had a few years in the army as well.
"not too grumpy"
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 586
Campfire Regular
|
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 586 |
As a teenage cadet in the Air Training Corps (much like the JROTC as I understand it, and part of the RAAF) I was on parade at RAAF Richmond for the 60th anniversary celebration. It was a big turnout. Standing to attention on the tarmac for the formalities saw several cadets drop - they stay at attention all the way down, like a tree falling.
AirTC was a lot of fun. We would do range practice and field training like army cadets, but also had flights in various aircraft, and the opportunity to do flying training.
Out of my mates in cadets one went on to flight school in the RAAF. He did well in officer training, and qualified for jets, but realised that he actually didn't like flying all that much. A second joined the Army, and last I heard he was a colonel. Another did a 6 year stint in the army and then went home to Switzerland, where he was required to do National Service in their army. I had a few years in the army as well.
"not too grumpy"
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 586
Campfire Regular
|
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 586 |
Yep, those that stand with their knees fully locked are likely to pass out & go right down, without warning !!!!!
"not too grumpy"
|
|
|
|
|
596 members (12344mag, 10Glocks, 17CalFan, 10gaugemag, 007FJ, 1234, 74 invisible),
2,476
guests, and
1,242
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,190,667
Posts18,455,845
Members73,909
| |
Most Online11,491
Jul 7th, 2023
|
|
|
|
