| 1971 |
March 21st |
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The last of the dual control Austers is grounded and written off following a ground loop. |
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| August 30th |
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The Colours of the Royal Hong Kong Defence Force are laid up in St John’s Cathedral. |
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| October 1st |
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Wing Commander S.P.J. Ellis AE is appointed Commanding Officer. |
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| November |
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Delivery is taken of two Beechcraft Musketeers as primary trainers. |
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| 1972 |
January 24th |
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Replacement of 28 Squadron’s Whirlwinds by the first four Wessex 2s begins. |
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| March 8th |
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Delivery is taken of a Britten Norman Islander BN2A equipped with a full range of avionics, radar capable of locating small ships at a range of 40 miles, and a wide angle Swiss Wild Heerbrug RC10 survey camera. |
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An Air Survey Unit is established within the Crown Lands & Survey Office. |
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The RHKAAF commences fire-fighting duties with the acquisition of a seventy gallon bucket for the Alouettes. |
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| July 29th |
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The final flight of 28 Squadron’s Whirlwinds takes place. |
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| 1973 |
June |
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Her Majesty The Queen graciously awards a Squadron Standard to the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force. This award is made two years earlier than the usual twenty-five years of qualifying service as a result of the Squadron ‘having earned the Sovereign’s appreciation for especially outstanding operations’.
Designed by the College of Arms it bears the unit’s crest with the motto ‘Semper Paratus’ (Always Ready) implying, in addition to its literal meaning, a readiness to change and adapt to the changing circumstances of Hong Kong. The field of the standard is in blue with a border of chrysanthemums, gold leaves and silver stars: the leaves in gold to echo the decorative frame of the crest, and the stars in silver to identify the background with the sky. |
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| 1975 |
May 5th |
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Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by HRH Prince Philip visits Hong Kong. A fly-past over the arriving ‘Britannia’ is held. On the insistance of CRAF the order of the fly-past is the RAF Wessexes followed by Scouts and Gazelles of 656 Squadron, Army Air Corps, with the RHKAAF bringing up the rear. Following only abbreviated practices, with just one or two helicopters from the RAF & Army, there never being an all aircraft dress rehearsal, the fly-past itself is not the usual success expected. When flying through the harbour and almost overhead Britannia, the speed of the helicopters starts to reduce and the cumulative ripple effect is for the Army helicopters, especially the last Scout in formation, right in front of the Islander, leading two Alouettes on the wingtips and a Musketeer in the box to flare and reduce speed rapidly from the 70 kts being flown to about 45 kts. To avoid collision the Islander applies full power and manages to climp over the Scout. The two Alouettes each break outwards and climb whilst the Musketeer, buffeted by the Islander’s turbulence, breaks right towards the high rise buildings of Central into as steep a climbing turn as it can manage, which is not much. To the spectators it appears this break in formation is part of the show. The RHKAAF has never again flown in a mixed fixed / rotary wing formation with the RAF/Army except in the lead. |
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| June 1st |
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Wing Commander R.G. Penlington AE + clasp is appointed Commanding Officer. |
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| 1977 |
November 18th |
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Two Scottish Aviation Bulldogs arrive to replace the one remaining Musketeer. However they were damaged in transit and do not enter service until January 1978. |
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| 1978 |
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The RAF-type rondels are removed from RHKAAF aircraft and replaced with the HK Government Coat of Arms on the fuselage, and painted with a red diagonal sash on its glossy white surface, to indicate civilian rather than military operation. |
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| May 17th |
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28 Squadron moves back to Shek Kong after thirty-one years. |
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| November 21st |
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The last Sioux of 656 Squadron, Army Air Corps departs. |
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| 1979 |
March 3rd |
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The RHKAAF moves to the new headquarters next to Hong Kong International Airport. |
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| March 5th |
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The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force is presented with the Squadron Standard by HRH Prince Charles at Shek Kong. |
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| October 9th |
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Delivery is taken of the Cessna 404 Titan, fitted with a Wild RC 10 aerial survey camera. |
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| 1980 |
August |
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The Alouettes are replaced by three twin engine Aerospatiale Dauphin 365Cs. |
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| 1983 |
April 1st |
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Wing Commander Alistair Asprey OBE AE+clasp takes over as Commanding Officer |
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| April 1st |
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Air Commodore Ross Penlington OBE AE+clasp is appointed Honorary Air Commodore. |
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| 1984 |
January |
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A Billy Pugh net is acquired for use with the Dauphins. |
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| September 26th |
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The Sino-British Joint Agreement on the future of Hong Kong after 30th June 1997 is signed.
Plans to convert the unit to a civilian operation commence. |
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| 1986 |
October 21st |
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HM Queens Elizabeth II, accompanied by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, makes her last visit to Hong Kong. A flypast over Britannia goes well, with the full fleet of the RHKAAF leading five Wessexes of 28 Squadron, RAF and five Scouts of 656 Squadron, AAC. |
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| December |
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The new, lightweight uniform is worn for the first time at pay parade. |
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| 1987 |
October 2nd |
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Delivery of the first of two Beechcraft Super King Airs is taken in Wichita. |
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The Titan is sold to British Caledonian |
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| November |
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The first two (of four) Slingsby T67 M200 Fireflies arrive to replace the Bulldogs. They are fully aerobatic, have good I/F avionics, basically for use for pilot training. |
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| 1988 |
January 1st |
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Wing Commander Roy Brooks MBE AE + clasp is appointed Commanding Officer. |
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| August 31st |
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The remaining two Slingsbys are delivered and the two Bulldogs sold. |
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| September 10th |
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The second Super King Air arrives from Wichita-San Fransisco. |
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| October 2nd |
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An announcement is made that the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force is to become the Government Flying Services. |
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| December 13th |
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An announcement is made that Shek Kong is to become a training airfield, to help with the expansion programme. |
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| 1989 |
July 11th |
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The last remaining Spitfire (VN 485) is shipped out to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, initially on loan then to be a gift. |
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| October |
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Nearly half of the runway at Shek Kong is now a tented camp containing some 7,000 boat people. This has meant the end, for the time being, of fixed wing flying there which has a detrimental effect on the training programme of the RHKAAF. This results in having to send twelve students to the UK for their basic training, in batches of three. |
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| 1990 |
June 25th |
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The first three (of eight) Sikorsky S76 helicopters are delivered. |
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| July 5th |
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A Dauphin performs the last SAR before the fleet retires after ten years service. |
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| November |
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Two further Sikorsky S76As are delivered, with the final later in the year. |
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| 1991 |
January 1st |
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Wing Commander Dickie Yip, AE + clasp is appointed Commanding Officer. |
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| 1992 |
June 25th |
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The Legislative Council approves the new Government Flying Service Ordinance which has an Auxiliary Section written into it, thus guaranteeing a continued existence for Volunteers, with a Senior Auxiliary Member to head the section. |
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| July 10th |
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Chris Patten, the last Governor of Hong Kong arrives and is greeted by a flypast of nine RHKAAF aircraft and helicopters, and six RAF helicopters |
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| July 31st |
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The Unit moves to its new headquarters at 1 Cheung Yip Street. |
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| December 15th |
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Just three and a half months before its intended retirement date the Islander ditches in Tolo Harbour and is written off. |
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| 1993 |
January |
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Two Sikorsky S-70A-27 Black Hawk helicopters arrive. |
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| March 1st |
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A disbandment parade for the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force is held, with the salute being taken by H.E. the Governor, Chris Patten. |
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| March 31st |
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Honorary Air Commodore Ross Penlington OBE AE + clasp takes the salute of the final flypast of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force at Noon then fires the Jardines noonday gun at Causeway Bay ensuring the Unit goes out with a bang. |
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| The Standard of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force is later laid up at St John’s Cathedral |
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| April 1st |
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The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force becomes the Government Flying Service. |
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