- Oakey Army Aviation Centre
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Oakey Army Aviation Centre IATA: OKY – ICAO: YBOK Summary Airport type Military Operator Aust. Army Location Oakey, Queensland Elevation AMSL 1,335 ft / 437 m Coordinates 27°24′42″S 151°44′06″E / 27.41167°S 151.735°ECoordinates: 27°24′42″S 151°44′06″E / 27.41167°S 151.735°E Runways Direction Length Surface ft m 05/23 2,999 914 Asphalt 09/27 3,278 999 Asphalt 14/32 5,410 1,649 Asphalt Oakey Army Aviation Centre (IATA: OKY, ICAO: YBOK) is situated approximately 3 km from the town centre of Oakey in Queensland, Australia. It provides a training establishment for Australian Army Aviation, and also hosts a Singapore Armed Forces Helicopter Squadron, namely the 126 Squadron.
Contents
History
The base has a long history dating back to World War II when it was established by the Royal Australian Air Force as a training facility. It was later used as a maintenance and aviation surplus facility after the war, with many surplus aircraft being stored prior to destruction or sale.
The Army assumed responsibility for the base in the 1970s and developed the facility as a significant Army Aviation training base, as well as the base of several Land Command operational units. During the period up to the early 1990s, aircraft types operating from the base included Bell OH-58 Kiowa, Bell UH-1 Iroquois, Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk, Pilatus Porter, and GAF Nomad.
During 2002 a decision was made to close RAAF Base Fairbairn in Canberra, and with a desire amongst sections of the ADF to co-locate all Army Helicopter training, the Australian Defence Force Helicopter School (ADFHS) was relocated to Oakey at the start of 2003. From 2004, the focus of the Army Aviation Centre has been gradually moving away from Land Command operational units to a further concentration on Training Command units and the creation of a centre of excellence in training.
In 2007, Boeing Australia was announced successful tenderer for the Army Aviation Training and Training Support (AATTS) contract and commenced providing non-tactical flying and technical training to Australian Army Aviation.[1] In 2009, the scope of this contract was expanded to include most facets of military rotary wing flying training for Kiowa and Black Hawk helicopters, with the Australian Army conducting a final six week check at the end of the Black Hawk phase.
Units
Australian Defence Force (ADF) units currently based at Oakey include - Brigade (Australia)|16th Aviation Brigade]]) - relocating to Sydney in 2010 and re-equipped with Kiowa helicopters.
- School of Army Aviation (SAA)
- Army Helicopter School (AHS)
- Instructor Training Wing (ITW)
- Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) School
- RAEME Aircraft Maintenance School (RAMS)
- No. 44 Wing Air Traffic Control Detachment
- 1MP Military Police (detachment, including dogs)
- 7TP IRR (Emergency Response/Aircraft Crash Rescue) Royal Australian Engineers
- Health Centre Oakey (Primary Health/Emergency Response/Crash Rescue/Aeromedical Evacuation)
Republic of Singapore units currently based at Oakey include -
- 126 Squadron (Super Puma)
Aircraft
The base currently utilises the following aircraft types:
- Bell 206B-1 Kiowa
- Sikorsky S70A-9 Black Hawk
- Eurocopter EC665 Tiger
- Eurocopter Super Puma (RSAF)
- Eurocopter MRH90
Visiting types include:
- Pilatus PC9/A
- Augusta A109
- Boeing CH47D Chinook
- Pacific Aerospace CT4B
- Careflight Bell 412
Warbirds:
- Various warbird types visit the airfield as part of the Army Aviation Museum Annual Fly-In
Facilities
The base facilities include accommodation for students attending courses and single members working on the base. Other facilities include tennis courts, squash courts, basketball and netball court, football ovals, heated 25m indoor swimming pool, equipped gymnasium, defence banking & credit union branches (no ATM), and a kiosk, as well as messing facilities.
Museum of Australian Army Flying
The Museum of Australian Army Flying reopened in September 2005 in new buildings on land adjacent to the airport, after a grant was provided by the Australian Government. Distinguished guests included national and local dignitaries, including well known aviation identity Dick Smith. The purpose-built facility includes many historical aircraft tracing the history of the Aviation Corps in the Australian Army and back to the Australian Flying Corps during World War I. Featured types in the collection of aircraft include Bell 47, Bell Kiowa, GAF Nomad, Pilatus Porter, & Cessna 180. The museum also maintains a significant collection of artefacts dating from the inception of the Army Flying Corps and WWI to the present day.
The Museum of Australian Army Flying is a sub-unit of the Army History Unit, a direct command unit of the Australian Army Headquarters.
Airlines, Facilities and Destinations
Domestic
Whilst the airfield is military controlled and regulated, a small civil terminal has been maintained on the airfield for many years. The current terminal structure was built at the same time as the new buildings for the Army Flying Museum refurbishment in 2005, and shares the access road to this facility.
References
- Footnotes
Categories:- Australian Army bases
- Australian Army aviation
- Darling Downs
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