The Bristol Bulldog was a British Royal Air Force single-seat biplane fighter designed during the 1920s by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Over 400 Bulldogs were produced for the RAF and overseas customers, and it was one of the most famous aircraft used by the RAF...

The Supermarine Southampton was a 1920s British flying boat, one of the most successful flying boats of the between-war period. It was a development of the Supermarine Swan, which was used for a 10 passenger service between England and France. Design and Development...

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) had operated aircraft from its larger ships during World War I and many naval personnel had seen the advantages of naval air power during the war. In 1919-20 the RAN took steps to form its own naval air service but met with opposition...

The Supermarine Seagull was a British amphibian biplane flying boat developed from the Supermarine Seal by the Supermarine company. The Seagull was constructed of wood. The lower wing was set in the shoulder position and had two bays. The engine was mounted in a...

The Sopwith Pup was a British single seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good...

The Avro 504 was a World War I biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the War totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in World War I, in...

The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. Although the first examples reached the Western Front before the Sopwith Camel and it had a much better overall performance, problems with its Hispano-Suiza engine,...

The Airco DH.9 (from de Havilland 9) - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a British bomber used in the First World War. A single-engined biplane, it was a development of Airco's earlier, highly successful DH.4 and was ordered in very large numbers...

The Short Sunderland, a long-range flying boat developed from the S.23 Empire in 1937, served RAAF No. 10 Squadron in WWII anti-submarine patrols, convoy protection, and U-boat hunts under RAF Coastal Command, earning the 'Flying Porcupines' nickname with...

Supermarine's Spitfire is undoubtedly one of the iconic fighters of World War 2, and continues to garner support from warbird enthusiasts worldwide. 22 distinct major versions of the Spitfire were developed to meet the operational demands of the war – an incredible...

The Gloster Meteor, RAAF's first operational jet fighter acquired in 1946 with 94 F.8 variants, served in the Korean War with No. 77 Squadron flying 4,836 missions, claiming six MiG-15 kills while excelling in ground attacks despite speed limitations. Nicknamed...

The North American CAC Mustang, Australia's license-built P-51D variant by Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation post-WWII, included CA-17 Mk 20 assembled from NAA kits and locally produced CA-18 Mk 21-23 with Packard or Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. Achieving 703 km/h...

The de Havilland Vampire A78-79 marked the RAAF's entry into jet aviation in 1946 with British-built F.1, F.2 (Nene-engined prototype), and FB.5 variants, followed by 80 locally produced CAC F.30/FB.31 models from 1949-1953 addressing intake issues. Single-seaters...

The Bristol Beaufighter A19, a WWII heavy fighter adapted from the Beaufort bomber, served RAAF from 1942 in Southwest Pacific anti-shipping strikes with Hercules engines, four 20mm cannons, six .303 guns, and 335 mph speed. Key in 1943 Bismarck Sea Battle, locally...

The CAC Sabre A94, Australia's Avon-powered variant of the North American F-86 Sabre built by CAC from 1954-1961, featured a redesigned fuselage, 30mm ADEN cannons, and enhanced fuel capacity. Serving RAAF squadrons 3, 75, 76, 77, and 79 until 1971, it conducted...

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator, a WWII heavy bomber renowned for its Davis wing enabling high speed, long range, and heavy payload, became the most-produced aircraft with over 18,000 built. Serving in all theaters, it was the RAAF's sole heavy bomber for Pacific...

The Supermarine Walrus (originally designated the Supermarine Seagull V) was a British single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and manufactured by Supermarine at Woolston, Southampton. The Walrus first flew in 1933, the...

The Vultee A-31 Vengeance was an American dive bomber of World War II, built by Vultee Aircraft. A modified version was designated A-35. The Vengeance was not used in combat by the United States; it did see combat, however, with the British Royal Air Force, the Royal...

The Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton, a high-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial system, enhances RAAF maritime surveillance with No. 9 Squadron operations complementing the P-8A Poseidon. Featuring advanced sensors for persistent ISR over vast oceans, it provides...

The Aermacchi MB-326H (A7) was the RAAF's cornerstone jet trainer from 1968 to 2000, with 87 aircraft acquired (many built locally by CAC) to replace Vampires and Winjeels in advanced pilot training. Serving at 2FTS, Roulettes aerobatic team, and squadrons like 76 and...

P-3 Orion in Australian service transformed RAAF maritime patrol from 1964 with P-3B/C variants replacing Neptunes for anti-submarine warfare, surveillance, and SAR across vast oceans. Upgraded for Cold War Soviet monitoring, Operations Gateway, Slipper, and Falconer...

The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, nicknamed Huey, pioneered turbine-powered military helicopters in 1960 for US Army medevac, utility, and assault roles, with over 16,000 built worldwide. Iconic in Vietnam for slicks (troop transport) and gunships like Bushrangers, RAAF No. 9...

Special Thanks to Army Flying Museum at Oakey Note: In part 2, regards the Caribou life out of Telefomin in PNG - the Chinook was captained by SQNLD Ted Bach and co-pilot was Darryl Willcocks. They lifted to Wewak with 2 fuel stops en-route to MAUW with a max speed of...