To celebrate the centenary of military aviation in Australia, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Darren Chester and Deputy Chief of Air Force, Air Vice-Marshal Leo Davies have launched the Centenary of Military Aviation Airshow to be held at Point Cook, RAAF Williams, near Melbourne on March 1.
“The first of March 2014 will be the 100th anniversary of the first military flight in Australia when Lieutenant Eric Harrison, originally from Castlemaine and an aviation instructor with the Central Flying School, took off in a Bristol Boxkite here at the spiritual home of the Air Force, Point Cook,” Chester said.
The airshow will see the official unveiling of a newly built replica of a Bristol Boxkite aeroplane, the type which made the first flight of a military aircraft in Australia. The replica was built by the RAAF Museum at Point Cook and has completed its flight testing after a successful first flight on September 11 this year.
The airshow will also see flying displays and static exhibits of historic and contemporary military aircraft.
“We have chosen the theme of Tradition, Innovation and Evolution for the event to reinforce the extraordinary journey of military aviation from hand built aircraft like the Boxkite to the complex and powerful military aircraft of today,” Air Vice-Marshal Davies said.
The Centenary of Military Aviation Air Show will be held over March 1–2 2014 at RAAF Williams in Point Cook, Victoria. Tickets and more details about the airshow are available at: www.airforce.gov.au/airshows.
