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Antarctic Flight RAAF

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Antarctic Flight RAAF
Active1948–1963
CountryAustralia
Branch Royal Australian Air Force
RoleExpeditions and Rescue
Current baseRAAF Base Laverton

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]

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 After 1963, the RAAF planes were withdrawn.[2]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

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  1. ^ a b "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

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