ADF-SERIALS
Australian
& New Zealand Military Aircraft Serials & History
Aircraft
of Central Flying School 1909 - 1918
| The
Central Flying School (CFS) was formed at Point
Cook, Victoria, on 7 March 1913. It is possible
to trace the beginnings of CFS back to 1909, when
the Department of Defence began to recognise the
potential of developing aviation as an part of
the permanent military establishment of the
Australian armed forces. On 30 December 1911 the Commonwealth Gazette called for applications from "expert mechanists and aviators desirous of being appointed to the Defence Department". On 26 September Australian Army Order No 132/1912 was issued to establish an aviation flight consisting of four officers, seven warrant officers and sergeants, thirty-two mechanics, and four aircraft. The Government ordered two B.E.2 two-seater biplanes and two Deperdussin single-seater monoplanes for the new aviation flight. The Defence Department were advised that these aircraft were not suitable for preliminary flying training, so a Bristol Boxkite was added to the aircraft establishment on 6 December 1912. Point Cook was chosen as the site for the CFS as it offered both land and sea access, was close to Army Headquarters in Melbourne, and the flat terrain was ideal for flying training. The Government purchased 734 acres (2.97 km2) at the site for a total of 6,040/2/3 pounds. The newly appointed Australian Aviation Instructional staff were tasked with establishing the Central Flying School at Point Cook. By February 1914 tents had been organised to accommodate personnel and canvas hangars were being designed to house the aircraft. Nine locally enlisted mechanics joined the staff in late February. On 1 March 1914 Lieutenant Harrison made the first Military flight in Australia in a Bristol Boxkite registered as CFS 3. From March to August 1914 the school's five aircraft were test flown at Point Cook. During July 1914 applications were invited from unmarried Citizen Force officers between 20 and 25 to train as aircraft pilots at Central Flying School. By the time war began in Europe on 4 August 1914 Central Flying School had already programmed the first flying course for 17 August 1914 and a further eleven courses training a total of 1152 pilots for the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) were held at CFS between 1914–1918. At the end of the Great War the Australian Flying Corps was disbanded and flying training in Australia was suspended. The CFS cuntinues it's role in the establishment of the RAAF and as such is the oldest military aviation unit in Australia. Point Cook (as part of RAAF Williams) is now the world's longest continuously operated military airfield. |
| CFS.Serial | Model.Type | RAF.Serial | C/N | Aicraft History |
| CFS1 | RAF BE.2a | ? | ? | ? |
| CFS2 | RAF BE.2a | ? | ? | ? |
| CFS3 | Bristol Boxkite | ? | 133 | ? |
| CFS4 | Deperdussin | ? | ? | ? |
| CFS4(2) | Bristol Scout D | ? | 1149 | Ex CFS10. One Scout D (RNAS serial 8976) was shipped to Australia in 1916. It was renumbered CFS 10 and later CFS 4 on the strength of the Central Flying School at Point Cook. This photo dates from 1919/20 but it was not until 1926 that the Scout was struck off charge and handed over to the Footscray Technical School as an instructional airframe. |
| CFS5 | Deperdussin Type A | ? | ? | ? |
| CFS6 | Bleriot XI | ? | ? | Donated by T. Reynolds, North Melbourne 19/09/15. |
| CFS7 | Maurice Farman Seaplane | A778 | ? | Originally purchased for 1600 pounds in May 1914. It was the first floatplane in Australia. Donated by L. Horden, Sydney 11/14. Modified as a landplane. On 20 July 1916 the landplane was re-equipped with an Australian licence-built Renault engine, constructed by Tarrant Motors in Melbourne. The landplane, still numbered CFS 7, was used only occasionally as a reserve for the Bristol Boxkites and, later, the Grahame-White Boxkites. The last recorded mention of the aircraft was on 30 June 1917 when it was officially listed as one 'Maurice Farman Biplane (converted) - for instructional use'. |
| CFS8 | Bristol Boxkite | ? | ? | ? |
| CFS9 | Caudron G.III | ? | ? | ? |
| CFS10 | Bristol Scout D | 8976 | 1149 | One Scout D (RNAS serial 8976) was shipped to Australia in 1916. It was renumbered CFS 10 and later CFS 4 on the strength of the Central Flying School at Point Cook. This photo dates from 1919/20 but it was not until 1926 that the Scout was struck off charge and handed over to the Footscray Technical School as an instructional airframe. |
| CFS11 | Grahame-White Boxkite | 8752 | ? | ? |
| CFS12 | Grahame-White Boxkite | 8753 | ? | ? |
| CFS14 | RAF FE.2b | A778 | ? | Donated by M.F Simpson 14/03/17. |
| CFS15 | Maurice Farman MF.7 Longhorn | ? | ? | ? |
| CFS16 | Maurice Farman MF.11 Shorthorn | A942 | ? | ? |
| CFS17 | Maurice Farman MF.11 Shorthorn | A6863 | ? | ? |
| CFS18 | RAF BE.2e | ? | ? | B6183 |
| CFS19 | Maurice Farman MF.11 Shorthorn | B2011 | ? | ? |
| CFS20 | Maurice Farman MF.11 Shorthorn | B2012 | ? | The
aircraft at Point Cook displayed as CFS20 is
supposed to be a rebuild from all 4 of the
MF.11's listed here. |
| CFS21 | Airco DH.6 | ? | ? | ? |
| CFS22 | Airco DH.6 | ? | ? | ? |
| CFS23 | Airco DH.6 | ? | ? | ? |
| CFS24 | Airco DH.6 | ? | ? | ? |
| CFS25 | Airco DH.6 | ? | ? | ? |
| CFS26 | Airco DH.6 | ? | ? | ? |
| CFS27 | Airco DH.6 | ? | ? | ? |
| CFS28 | Airco DH.6 | ? | ? | ? |
Source: Military Aircraft of Australia 1909-1918" by Keith Isaacs pp.160-161, article was written by Harry Woodman in 'Model Aircraft Monthly, Vol 1 issue 7 July 2002.
Emails: Ron Cuskelly, Carl Tacey, Johan van der Wei, Bob Livingston, Chris Thornburg, Tom Lockley, Robert Brosing.
