 Hancock's initial postings after qualifying as a pilot were to Nos. 1 and 3 Squadrons. It was, however, common practice for Duntroon graduates to be given staff positions in the Air Force because of their training in administration, and Hancock was no exception. He spent most of the 1930s in a succession of posts at RAAF Headquarters in Melbourne. From 1931 to 1935, he served as Deputy Director of Operations and Intelligence. He married Joan Butler on 26 May 1932; the couple had two sons and a daughter. By 1935, Hancock had been promoted to flight lieutenant and appointed Staff Officer to the Chief of the Air Staff. In 1937 he was posted to Britain to attend the RAF Staff College, Andover. Like other Commonwealth air forces, the RAAF maintained close technological and educational ties with the Royal Air Force, and Hancock was one of 30 Australian officers to pass through Andover before the outbreak of World War II. Returning to Australia in 1938, he was promoted to squadron leader and became Director of Works and Buildings, commonly known as "Works and Bricks", at RAAF Headquarters.
