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The Australian Army, as it proudly boasts, has been involved in aviation for longer than the Air Force! The RAAF, in fact, traces Its origin to an Army Central Flying School from which the Australian Flying Corps was formed, which, in 1921, was to become the separate Australian Air Force. Today, the Army operates three types of aircraft from three permanent bases, serving the Army in the field through supply, observation and communication duties.
Modern army aviation began after World War II, when it was considered more cost-effective to train artillery officers to become pilots than the opposite. Between 1947 and 1950, three Australian Army personnel attended basic flying and flying instructor courses in Britain, and in 1950, an agreement was made between the Army Chief of General Staff and the RAAF Chief of General Staff and the RAAF Chief of Air Staff, agreeing that artillery pilots should fly aircraft on Air Observation Post (AOP) duties. Training of Army pilots began soon after with Number 3 (Tactical Reconnaissance) Squadron at RAAF Fairbairn, ACT, instructors being the three British-trained pilots. in 1953, this unit was disbanded and Number 16 (AOP) Flight was formed in its place, equipped with Auster Mk. Ill aircraft. 16 AOP Flight was made up of RAAF senior officers and primarily Army pilots, but like 3 Squadron, was a RAAF unit. Australian Army pilots were also to serve on exchange duties with the British 1903 AOP Flight (RAF) in the Korean War. in 1957, Number 1 Aviation Company was formed to supplement the AOP Flight operations (which were restricted in allocated flying hours), and based at Bankstown, NSW. This unit consisted of a small number of Army pilots operating civil Cessna 180 and 182 aircraft on charter.
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