No . 1 Flying Training School RAAF No . 1 Flying Training School ( No . 1 FTS ) was a flying training school of the Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) . It was one of the Air Force ' s original units , dating back to the service ' s formation in 1921 , when it was based at RAAF Point Cook , Victoria . The school underwent a number of reorganisations during its existence . In 1940 it was re - formed as No . 1 Service Flying Training School under the wartime Empire Air Training Scheme ( EATS ) , disbanding in 1944 . After World War II , it was re - established at Point Cook , as No . 1 FTS . It re - formed again in 1952 as No . 1 Applied Flying Training School ( No . 1 AFTS ) , and was transferred to RAAF Base Pearce , Western Australia , in 1958 . Meanwhile , in 1951 , No . 1 Basic Flying Training School ( No . 1 BFTS ) had been formed at RAAF Base Uranquinty , New South Wales , moving to Point Cook in 1958 . In 1969 , No . 1 AFTS re - formed as No . 2 Flying Training School and No . 1 BFTS re - formed as No . 1 FTS . No . 1 FTS was finally disbanded at Point Cook in 1993 . History . Early years . No . 1 Flying Training School ( No . 1 FTS ) was the first unit to be formally established as part of the new Australian Air Force on 31 March 1921 ( the prefix " Royal " was added in August that year ) . No . 1 FTS was formed from the remnants of Australia ' s original military flying unit , Central Flying School , at RAAF Point Cook , Victoria . Squadron Leader William Anderson , who was in charge of Point Cook , was effectively No . 1 FTS ' s first commanding officer . Its initial complement of aircraft included twelve Avro 504 Ks , six Airco DH . 9 s , three Royal Aircraft Factory S . E . 5 s , and three Sopwith Pup s . Flight Lieutenant Frank McNamara VC took command of the school in 1922 . The inaugural flying course commenced in January 1923 , with basic instruction taking place on the 504K , and advanced training on the other types . Squadron Leader Anderson formally took command of No . 1 FTS in 1925 ; the following year he handed over to Wing Commander Adrian Cole , who led the unit until 1929 . The first Citizen Air Force ( reserve ) pilots ' course took place in 1926 ; although 24 accidents occurred , there were no fatalities , leading Cole to remark at the graduation ceremony that the students were either made of India rubber or had learned how to crash " moderately safely " . However , the Permanent Air Force cadet course that year was marred by three fatal accidents . Squadron Leader McNamara again assumed command of the school in 1930 . By this time , it had been reorganised into three components : Training Squadron , operating Westland Wapiti s ; Fighter Squadron , operating Bristol Bulldog s ; and Seaplane Squadron , operating Supermarine Southampton s . The latter pair were , however , " really little more than flights " ; Fighter Squadron was dissolved in 1935 when its Bulldogs were transferred to No . 1 Squadron at RAAF Laverton , while Seaplane Squadron was extant until 1939 , when it was separated to form the basis of No . 10 Squadron . One of the school ' s leading instructors at this time was Flight Lieutenant Frederick Scherger , who was also a flight commander in Fighter Squadron . In 1932 , No . 1 FTS began running two courses each year , the first commencing in January and the second in July . Wing Commander Hippolyte De La Rue became commanding officer in 1933 . The Wapitis were augmented by Avro Cadet trainers in 1936 . By the time De La Rue handed over to Wing Commander Frank Lukis in 1938 , the school was training a maximum of 96 new pilots per year , a small number of whom were slated for secondment to the Royal Air Force . Link Trainer simulators were introduced in March 1939 . World War II . RAAF flying training was heavily reorganised soon after the outbreak of World War II , in response to Australia ' s participation in the Empire Air Training Scheme . A number of Elementary Flying Training Schools were formed , to provide basic flight instruction to cadets , while more advanced pilot instruction was to take place at Service Flying Training Schools . During April – May 1940 , No . 1 FTS was re - formed at Point Cook as No . 1 Service Flying Training School ( No . 1 SFTS ) , while its Instructors ' Training Squadron formed the nucleus of a re - formed Central Flying School , which relocated to Camden , New South Wales , in June . The courses at the Service Flying Training Schools consisted of two streams , intermediate and advanced ; the total duration varied during the war as demand for aircrew rose and fell . Initially running for 16 weeks , the course was cut to 10 weeks ( which included 75 hours flying time ) in October 1940 . A year later it was raised to 12 weeks ( including 100 hours flying time ) , and again to 16 weeks two months later . It continued to increase after this , peaking at 28 weeks in June 1944 . The initial complement of 52 aircraft at No . 1 SFTS included Wapitis , Cadets , Avro Anson s , Hawker Demon s , and a De Havilland Tiger Moth . Group Captain John McCauley served as commanding officer from October 1940 until July 1941 , when he handed over to Wing Commander Elwyn King , who went on to take charge of Station Headquarters Point Cook in October . By this stage , No . 1 SFTS had an establishment of 100 officers and over 2 , 000 airmen , operating more than 100 aircraft and training up to 300 cadets at any one time . The aircraft types now included De Havilland Gypsy Moths and DH . 89 Dragon Rapide s , Douglas C - 47 Dakotas , CAC Wirraway s and Airspeed Oxford s , the latter two being the mainstays . Wing Commander Charles Read held command of the school from October 1943 until its disbandment in September 1944 , by which time almost 3 , 000 pilots had graduated from the school . Among these were Nicky Barr , who became one of Australia ' s leading fighter aces , and Bill Newton , awarded the Victoria Cross for bombing raids in New Guinea during 1943 . Post - war years . In February 1946 , the personnel and equipment of No . 5 Service Flying Training School , which had been reduced after the war to a care - and - maintenance unit at its home base of RAAF Station Uranquinty , New South Wales , were used to re - establish No . 1 FTS . Its aircraft included one Anson , two Tiger Moths , and 55 Wirraways . By August 1947 , the school had been transferred to Point Cook , where it was led by Wing Commander Read . No . 1 Aircrew Course commenced in February 1948 , graduating in August the following year . Read then handed over to Squadron Leader Glen Cooper , who commanded the school through 1950 . In response to demands for more aircrew to fulfill Australia ' s commitments to the Korean War and Malayan Emergency , flying training in the RAAF underwent major changes in 1951 – 52 , with the syllabus at No . 1 FTS being split among three separately located units . No . 1 Initial Flying Training School ( No . 1 IFTS ) was raised at RAAF Station Archerfield , Queensland , to impart students with general aeronautical and military knowledge , after which they received their flight grading during twelve hours on Tiger Moths . Graduate pilots of No . 1 IFTS went on to the newly formed No . 1 Basic Flying Training School ( No . 1 BFTS ) at Uranquinty , where they underwent a further 90 hours of aerial instruction that included instrument , formation and night flying , first on Tiger Moths and then on Wirraways . Successful students finally transferred to No . 1 FTS , which was renamed No . 1 Applied Flying Training School ( No . 1 AFTS ) in March 1952 . There they undertook 100 flying hours of advanced weapons and combat training on Wirraways , before graduating as sergeant pilot s . The Tiger Moths and Wirraways were later replaced by the locally designed CAC Winjeel , first delivered in 1955 . In May 1958 , No . 1 AFTS relocated to RAAF Base Pearce , Western Australia , where it re - equipped with De Havilland Vampire jet trainers . Its place at Point Cook was taken by No . 1 BFTS , which transferred from Uranquinty . The Vampires of No . 1 AFTS were replaced by Macchi MB - 326Hs commencing in 1968 . The introduction of the Macchi led to a brief flirtation with " all - through " jet training in the Air Force , which was dropped after two courses as being " an expensive way of finding out that some pupils lacked the aptitude to become military pilots " . On 31 December 1968 , No . 1 AFTS was disbanded at Pearce , re - forming there as No . 2 Flying Training School on 1 January 1969 . At the same time , No . 1 BFTS was disbanded at Point Cook and re - formed as No . 1 FTS . In late 1975 , the Winjeels of No . 1 FTS were replaced by CT - 4 Airtrainers . On 1 May 1988 , the CT - 4s took part in one of the RAAF ' s largest flypast s , when 24 of the trainers formed the number " 88 " in the sky above Point Cook . In November 1989 , one of the school ' s CT - 4s recreated the first trans - Australia flight that had taken place 70 years before , when Captain Henry Wrigley and Sergeant Arthur " Spud " Murphy flew a Royal Aircraft Factory B . E . 2 biplane from Point Cook to Darwin , Northern Territory , in 1919 . Rationalisation of RAAF flying training saw the retirement of the CT - 4s in late 1992 , followed by disbandment of No . 1 FTS on 31 January 1993 . Since this date initial flight grading and basic flying training has been conducted by civilian contractors at the Australian Defence Force Basic Flying Training School .