Classic Finale

As 2OCU managed the transition from Sabre to Dassault Mirage to Hornet, so too is it now managing the transition from Hornet to the fifth generation Lockheed Martin F-35. 

The last Hornet course concluded in December 2019, an occasion marked by a flypast of 10 Classic Hornets in the shape of the figure 2 and a Hornet Ball, attended by numerous current and former Hornet pilots. 

“2OCU’s critical role in preparing generations of classic Hornet fighter aircrew with the skills and competency to engage in fighter combat has laid the very foundations of RAAF Air Power capability since the introduction of the platform in 1985,” said former 2OCU commanding officer Group Captain Scott Woodland. 

2OCU has a long and colourful history. The unit was founded in April 1942 as No. 2 (Fighter) Operational Training Unit (No. 2 OTU) at Port Pirie, South Australia, at a time when the RAAF was frantically training as many pilots as it could. 

This was a dark period. On 15 February 1942, Singapore fell to Japanese forces, with the entire 8th Division captured and bound for three years of brutal captivity from which one in three did not return. 

Four days later, Japanese aircraft raided Darwin, a devastating attack and the first of almost 100 air raids on northern Australia. 

The RAAF was ill-prepared, but it had begun the mobilisation of its young men, initially for the Empire Air Training Scheme which provided trained aircrew in Australia and Canada for service in the UK, especially in bomber command.

Australia ramped up domestic production of aircraft at the Government Aircraft Factories, turning out locally built versions of British and American designs, plus a few that were uniquely Australian. 

By the end of the war, the RAAF numbered more than 152,000 personnel operating nearly 6,000 aircraft, making it at that time, the world’s fourth largest air force. 

2OTU was formed to provide training for aircrew progressing from training to operational aircraft. That included the P-40 Kittyhawk, Vultee Vengeance, Avro Anson, CAC Boomerang, Spitfire and Airspeed Oxford. 

Although formed in South Australia, the unit almost immediately relocated to Mildura, Victoria, where it remained for the duration of the war. 

It was disbanded in March 1947, with the flying squadrons taking responsibility for operational conversion of new pilots. 

That might have been fine in peacetime but not in war, which arrived on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded the south and 77 Squadron, on occupation duties in Japan, began operations over in Korea. 

RAAF involvement grew quickly, but many of the new pilots weren’t up to the job. 77 Squadron CO Dick Cresswell noted that he had to send 11 pilots home and that was the fault of the RAAF training system. 

So 2(F)OTU was resurrected at RAAF Williamtown in March 1952 to meet demand for more highly trained pilots for Korea. 

It was renamed No. 2 (Fighter) Operational Conversion Unit in September 1958 and ever since then has conducted conversion training on the RAAF’s primary fighter, initially Sabre, then Mirage, Hornet and soon the F-35 Lightning II. 

2OCU’s first F-35 operational conversion (OPCON) course is planned for the fourth quarter this year. The unit now has three F-35s for training instructors. Last year No 3 Squadron conducted pilot conversion training for aircrew moving from the Classic Hornet to the new Lightning aircraft. 

Initially, F-35 conversion was conducted at Luke US Air Force Base in Arizona where the RAAF’s first F-35s formed part of the international training pool. 

That created an initial cadre of instructors and pilots and the RAAF intended that to continue while the 2OCU training program for F-35 was established. 

“Most of our conversions and maintenance training was being conducted in the US but we identified an opportunity to commence conversion training back here earlier than expected, which allowed us to transition to the new aircraft more rapidly,” Woodland explained. 

“Specifically, we could not train sufficient maintenance technicians on the F-35 as quickly through the US system, and a solution was to commence conversion training for qualified fighter pilots in Australia earlier than we envisaged.” 

“That’s the reason we brought back more jets and aircrew last year than originally planned.” 

2OCU’s first Lightning full training course will be validated with one pilot in 2020, coming straight from the Hawk lead-in fighter. 

As well as training new pilots coming to Hornet from the lead-in fighter, 2OCU also conducted refresher courses for those returning to the type and instructor courses. 

The RAAF has three levels of instructors. A Qualified Flying Instructor teaches at the flight training schools. An Operational Fighter Instructor teaches on the Hawk or Hornet at 76 Squadron or 2OCU. 

The ultimate is the Fighter Combat Instructor (FCI), with one in each operational squadron who is responsible for advanced warfighting training and keeping across developments in air combat. To become an FCI, a pilot must pass a supremely demanding flying course to develop flying skills plus the ability to conduct large complex operations in a combat environment. 

Scott Woodland has spent more time with 2OCU than perhaps any other RAAF pilot. He arrived in September 1987 for initial jet training on the Macchi MB-326H aircraft then did Hornet conversion, graduating in December 1988 and posting to 77 Squadron.

He returned in 1992 for the FCI course, staying as an instructor until 1995 when he left the RAAF on a contract to train aircrew for the Royal Saudi Air Force. 

This was at a time when Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations were building up their own air forces and hiring skilled instructors from western air forces. 

Woodland returned in 2007, spent a year on contract instructing on the Hornet simulator, then rejoined the RAAF in 2008, initially posting as A Flight Commander at 76 Squadron which conducts lead-in-fighter training for budding fighter pilots on the Hawk. 

Then it was back to 2OCU in mid-2010 for a Hornet refresher, followed by two years as A Flight commander, responsible for basic conversion training. 

And then followed two years as executive officer at 77 Squadron and then staff college in Canberra. 

“Unfortunately, that was just as Operation Okra kicked off and we started sending Hornets over to the Middle East. I came down here to study instead which was personally very disappointing at the time,” he said. 

Then it was off to work in the RAAF F-35 project office as deputy director of F-35 transition team. 

“Our team was focused on delivering F-35 capability; responsible for ensuring that warfighters got what they required, be it facilities, software support, weapons etc. 

We were across all those areas to deliver the capability for air force, not just the aircraft,” he said. “We were learning on the way and having to dig deep to find out what we didn’t fully understand and make sure Australia got what we needed.” 

“That challenge from our perspective in a lot of cases was the fact that the USAF has not worked in such close partnership with other nations on an advanced aircraft project before the F-35. Given the classification levels of Lightning, that was a particular hurdle we had to work on.”

‘2OCU’s first F-35 operational conversion (OPCON) course is planned for the fourth quarter this year’

After that role it was back to 2OCU as Commanding Officer for the final three years of Classic Hornet operations and the end of Hornet conversions. 

One pilot on that very last course was Flying Officer Mick, 29, (first name only), now posted to 77 Squadron at the controls of Classic Hornets. Like his CO at 2OCU, he always wanted to fly fast jets. 

“For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to be a pilot, especially to fl y fighter jets,” he said. 

“I can’t remember how or why it started but it has always been a dream for me.” 

Growing up in Darwin, the fast jets he saw most often were Hornets in the Pitch Black Exercise.

So he joined the RAAF, initially as an avionics technician on Super Hornets, then applying and being accepted for flight training. 

He followed the standard pathway – initial fight training on CT-4 aircraft at Tamworth, followed by PC-9 and then Hawk in Western Australia and at Williamtown and finally to 2OCU for conversion to Hornet. 

By this stage he was pretty close to fulfilling a dream. 

“Definitely excited – once I finished on the Hawk at 76 Squadron, I started to really build my confidence. I was really looking forward to getting into the big jet and having a go,” he said. 

On that final Classic Hornet OPCON, there were six pilots, all male. 

“You can put in a preference. At the end of the day it’s whatever the RAAF needs but this was my first choice. I wanted to come and fly Classics,” he said. “A large part of that was the desire to fly the F-35 as soon as I can and I think this is probably going to be the route which gets me there the fastest. 

“It’s what you want to be flying right now. There’s nothing really that can compete with it, other than maybe an F-22. 

“Being a kid who grew up with Xbox and PlayStation, I think the F-35 is my kind of aircraft.” 

So how did Hornet compare to Hawk? 

“The two biggest differences are the aircraft’s performance and systems. The Hornet can accelerate much faster and turn a lot quicker. On top of this there are far more complicated systems you have to learn to use while managing that,” he said. 

“OCU starts with a conversion phase, so that’s general flying instrument flying, and a bit of formation. 

“Then you’re straight into airto-air. It starts with BFM, which is basic fighter manoeuvring, essentially dogfighting. From there you move to ACM – air combat manoeuvring, which is throwing more than two aircraft into the mix. 

“After going through and learning various skillsets based around these core skills the air-toair phase ends with a Defensive Counter Air mission where you complete multiple beyond visual range intercepts ending in a BFM engagement. 

“Once that’s over, you move into the air-to-ground phase, starting with basic passes at the Saltash air weapons range just north of Williamtown.” 

The air-to-ground training segment usually culminates with release of live high explosive bombs rather than just training rounds. Alas the perilous bushfire season and the real danger that they could start a fire, ruled that one out. 

Although now posted to Joint Operations Command, Woodland hasn’t given up on the prospect that he too will fly F-35. 

“I never say never. I am hoping to get back to Williamtown. I’d like to get back as the OC commanding the wing if possible,” he said. 

That’s 81 Wing, which encompasses all three Hornet/F-35 squadrons plus 2OCU. 

In the final Hornet conversion course, all six candidates succeeded. This demonstrates the improvement in the training evolution over the past five to 10 years as historically, each Hornet OPCON used to lose one or two along the way. 

That reflects a concerted effort by the RAAF to improve training techniques in order to get more pilots through this demanding course in response to a number of realities. 

The RAAF will need all the pilots it can get, as F-35 and other platforms enter service. 

That doesn’t mean those with marginal skills will get the tick to fly fast jets. 

Woodland said these were very capable pilots but not all could consistently deliver on the high expectations of 2OCU.

“The mental agility requirement increases as they progress. Just the ability to safely and effectively operate their aircraft as a wingman is what we are seeking,” he said. 

“What we need from a graduate at 2OCU is an effective tactical wingman who can operate safely on the wing of their flight lead. They are not endangering themselves or others; and they can actually do their job as a wingman. That is the effective part of it.” 

Woodland said unfortunately some could not progress at the required rate. 

“We will do all we can to remediate the issues and bring them up to speed,” he said. 

“Ultimately, if they can’t progress at that required rate, we can’t just keep allocating resources and time to them individually while the rest of the course progresses.” 

That doesn’t mean the end of a military flying career. Pilots who aren’t successful on OPCON go on to fly other aircraft, such as P-8, KC-30, C-130 or C-17 aircraft. 

“They aren’t disadvantaged for not passing. We always get feedback that they are doing extremely well on the other aircraft type,” he said. 

The RAAF has also made a concerted effort to address a longstanding affliction of fighter aircrews. High performance aircraft have been associated with neck and back pain caused by having to constantly look around while wearing a helmet under high G-forces. 

That’s the Fighter Fit program for all fast jet aircrew, launched three years ago by then Air Commander Australia, Air ViceMarshal Steve Roberton. 

“It is a program of exercise which aims to strengthen neck, back and core muscle groups to assist pilots in being better able to withstand the challenging environment, and to keep their bodies fit and able to have a long career doing what they love,” Woodland said. 

Those undertaking this program don’t need to be gym junkies but they do need to incorporate this as part of normal routine. 

It appears to have been very successful, though that won’t be fully known until some years down the track. 

“But you talk to the young guys and girls coming through and there is a definite improvement in their ability to do their job,” he said. 

“We have had no issues of anyone coming through on OPCON with neck and back problems during the course, whereas in the past there has been.” 

The RAAF imposes no restrictions on women flying and small numbers have graduated as fast jet aircrew. 

Woodland looks to a time when females in the front and back seats is regarded as unexceptional. 

“In December 2017, we graduated the first two female Classic Hornet fighter pilots,” Woodland said. 

“They join a growing number of female fast jet pilots and air combat officers, on aircraft including F-111, Super Hornet and Growler. 

“There is nothing specific to add other than they were on course with six guys and they performed to the required standard and graduated from OPCON. They did great. There was no difference.” 

There are more females in the aircrew training pipeline. 

During his time as CO of 2OCU, Woodland set out to correct long running perceptions that the fast jet community was too hard and not welcoming to newcomers, a perception which deterred many female candidates and also many males. 

That was done by going right back to the flying schools with a different message. 

“Every six months as we graduated an OPCON, I would send one of the junior instructors and a recent graduate over to the west coast to speak to students and instructors at 2FTS and 79 Squadron to allow them to hear from someone who has just come off course about what it’s really like,” he said. 

“I never got any specific feedback until just before I left. The feedback was from an instructor at 79 Squadron – she told me they had seen a marked increase in desire to come to fast jets from, in particular, females.” 

That message has also been conveyed by female graduates. Woodland said he attended a conference where one of the first two female Hornet pilots described 2OCU as the best experience of her life. 

‘For the few with the dream and a willingness to work hard to succeed, flying a fast jet is an utterly alluring and intoxicating experience’

What has also acted as something of a deterrent, was a perception that fast jet pilots trained hard and flew on exercises but never actually did real stuff on operations. 

In 2003, Hornets of 75 Squadron participated in operations in the Iraq war, the first fighter operations since the Korean War half a century earlier. 

Then came the deployment of the Australian Air Task Group for operations over Iraq and later Syria from September 2014 until late 2018. 

Initially that was No 1 Squadrons with Super Hornets, followed by Nos 75, 77 and 3 Squadrons with Classic Hornets. 

That gave a very large part of the Air Combat Group contemporary operational experience, focused on close air support and strike missions in a multinational coalition environment. 

“It was very beneficial for our aircrew to get that exposure to operations. You had pilots literally three months off OPCON out of OCU going to war in Iraq and Syria. That proved our training capability, the fact that what OCU was delivering to the frontline squadrons was exactly what was required,” Woodland said. 

For the few with the dream and a willingness to work hard to succeed, flying a fast jet is an utterly alluring and intoxicating experience. 

Woodland, with 5,500 hours mostly in fast jets including 2,735 in Hornets, agrees. A friend he cites describes flying a Hornet as being in control of a 40,000-pound fire breathing war chariot. 

“When you first start flying them you think I cannot believe I am getting paid to do this,” he said. 

“You are the sole owner of that. You determine your destiny on a day-to-day basis in terms of how well you perform. It’s the fact that you are operating the aircraft, employ the systems, be it in a manoeuvring environment against another single opponent or in a multi-aircraft environment where you are using tactics to win a fight. The satisfaction level is just amazing.”