Antarctic Flight RAAF

The Antarctic Flight was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aircraft flight. It operated from RAAF Base Laverton and Mawson Station. The flight was responsible for expeditions and rescue missions in Antarctica.^[1]

Antarctic Flight RAAF
Active	1948–1963
Country	Australia
Branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Role	Expeditions and Rescue
Current base	RAAF Base Laverton

Two ski fitted RAAF Auster AOP.6 (A11-200 & A11-201) were based at Mawson Station from 1952. On 5 March 1954, A11-200 was lost over the side of a ship. Later the flight included two DHC-2 Beavers and one Dakota aircraft. After 1963, the RAAF planes were withdrawn.^[2]

Following this time RAAF aircraft have continued to operate infrequently in support of activities in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands. These have included a number of flights using C-130 Hercules in the 1970s and 1980s into McMurdo Sound^[1][3] and more recently C-17 Globemasters to Wilkins Aerodrome near Casey Station in late 2015 and early 2016.^[4][5]

Notes

1. "Antarctic Flight". RAAF Museum. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
2. Wilson 1991, pp. 32–110.
3. Wilson 1991, pp. 110–114.
4. "RAAF operates C-17 proof of concept flights to Antarctica". Australian Aviation. 22 November 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
5. "Antarctic flights prove a huge success" (Press release). Department of Defence. 20 February 2016. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.

References

• Wilson, David (1991). Alfresco Flight: The RAAF Antarctic Experience. Point Cook, Victoria: Royal Australian Air Force Museum. ISBN 0-642-10522-7.