On 18 June, the RAAF held a farewell event for the last Australian Defence Force (ADF) flight of a CT-4A training aircraft prior to it being returned to the History and Heritage Branch which will determine the final disposition of the aircraft.
The CT-4A will be returned from 100 Squadron (SQN), the RAAF’s Heritage Squadron, along with seven other aircraft as announced in January this year following a review of technical and airworthiness factors.
The CT-4A in question was taken on in 1982 as A19-077, becoming the last of 51 CT-4As delivered to Australia. It served until 1993 after which it was briefly displayed at the RAN Museum in Nowra before returning to Point Cook in 1994 for storage. In 2006 it was returned to airworthy condition and flown by the RAAF Museum before transferring to 100 SQN as A100-077 in 2021.
The farewell event commenced with a display from the Roulettes’ Synchro Pair before the final RAAF CT-4 flight was flown by Wing Commander Dave Chaplin while Flight Lieutenant Chris Tulk provided commentary on the ground for those in attendance.
Following the display, invited guests attended a gathering in 100 SQN’s hangar for presentations from WGCDR Richard Brougham, CO 100 SQN, Squadron Leader (retired) Derek Fox, WGCDR (retired) Warren Madsen, and SQNLDR (retired) Mark Lees. The event also coincided with 100 SQN’s tenth anniversary, having completed 4.5 years of operational service in WW2 and an additional 5.5 years since being reformed in January 2021.
During a discussion with ADM, WGCDR Brougham noted the importance of balancing heritage preservation with operational safety, which contributed to the reduction that now sees the squadron operating eleven aircraft comprising nine types.
“100 SQN is a relatively small squadron as we are two-thirds reservist and, within the headquarters element, we only have eleven full-time people,” WGCDR Brougham said.
“That’s about a quarter of the size of a normal squadron headquarters, so we still have the same governance and assurance requirements overlaid with managing these very unique aeroplanes. It’s a challenge for our maintenance and logistics team, supported by the Temora Aviation Museum engineering staff, and they are doing a fantastic job keeping these aeroplanes going.”
In addition to the fleet rationalisation, there are also questions regarding the future of Point Cook given the recent release of the Defence Estate Audit and government’s plans to rationalise Defence’s property portfolio.
“Obviously like everyone we’re very interested in what the divestment plan brings,” WGCDR Brougham told ADM. “We’ve not been given any insight into particular details for Point Cook so, at this point in time, we’re still business as usual.”
Despite the changes to its fleet and the uncertainty associated with Point Cook’s future, 100 SQN remains fully occupied continuing to meet its heritage operations and ensuring it will be ready to support the centenary of World War II.
“We're establishing a strategic plan for the aircraft, the logistics, and maintenance to support that period,” WGCDR Brougham stated. “I dare say it will be a time of great interest and reflection having seen what happened during the centenary of World War I.”