The Australian Defence Force Helicopter School (ADFHS) was an

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Fo ...

unit responsible for training helicopter pilots. It was formed in 1990 and disbanded in 1998.

History

The school was established at

RAAF Base Fairbairn Fairbairn (), formerly RAAF Base Fairbairn, is a former Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base, located in Australia's national capital, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. Over the years the name of the establishment, and the ...

in Canberra in January 1990. While it formed part of the Australian Army's Training Command, more than half of the members of the Royal Australian Air Force's No. 5 Squadron (which was previously responsible for helicopter pilot training) were transferred to the school when the squadron was disbanded in December 1989. As of April 1990, the ADFHS was equipped with

Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil The Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil (or Squirrel), now Airbus Helicopters H125, is a single-engine light utility helicopter originally designed and manufactured in France by Aérospatiale and Eurocopter (now Airbus Helicopters). In North America, ...

s which were used to train Australian military pilots as well as

Bell UH-1 Iroquois The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered hel ...

which were used to train members of the

Papua New Guinea Defence Force The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Papua New Guinea. It originated from the Australian Army land forces of the territory of Papua New Guinea before independence, coming into be ...

and other militaries as part of Australia's Defence Cooperation Program. Trainee Australian pilots were posted to the school after completing basic flight training at

No. 1 Flying Training School RAAF No. 1 Flying Training School (No. 1 FTS) is a school of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It is one of the Air Force's original units, dating back to the service's formation in 1921, when it was established at RAAF Point Cook, Vict ...

. The ADFHS then provided these pilots with initial helicopter training. After gaining their wings at the ADFHS, Army pilots completed their training at the School of Army Aviation in

Oakey, Queensland Oakey is a rural town and locality in the Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. The Museum of Army Aviation is located at Oakey Airport. Geography The town is situated on the eastern side of the Darling Downs and the Toowoomba Region l ...

. In May 1991 it was announced that the ADFHS was to be relocated to Oakey. This transfer did not occur, however. In 1998 a review of the ADF's helicopter training arrangements recommended that the ADFHS be disbanded. The Australian Government accepted this recommendation. That year, the Army elements of the unit became the Army Helicopter School and the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

elements were relocated to HMAS ''Albatross'' near

Nowra, New South Wales Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney (about as the crow flies). As of the 2021 census, Nowra has an estimated population of 22,584. Situated in th ...

. The Army Helicopter School was transferred to Oakey in 2001. Initial helicopter training for ADF members was re-centralised in January 2018, when the Joint Helicopter Aircrew Training School opened at HMAS ''Albatross''. This unit is responsible for training pilots for both the Army and Navy.

References

;Citations ;Works consulted * *{{cite web, last1=Australian Army Flying Museum, Oakey, title=Army aviation in Australia 1970–2015, date=2015, url=https://www.army.gov.au/sites/g/files/net1846/f/2015_02_ahq_armyaviation_factsheet.pdf, publisher=Australian Army, access-date=11 February 2018, archive-date=24 March 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324084142/https://www.army.gov.au/sites/g/files/net1846/f/2015_02_ahq_armyaviation_factsheet.pdf, url-status=dead Aviation units and formations of the Australian Army 1990 establishments in Australia 1998 disestablishments in Australia Military units and formations established in 1990 Military units and formations disestablished in 1998