Ray Funnell Air Marshal Raymond George ( Ray ) Funnell ( born 1 March 1935 ) is a retired senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) . He served as Chief of the Air Staff ( CAS ) from 1987 until 1992 . A graduate of RAAF College , he began his career flying CAC Sabre jet fighters in Australia and South East Asia in the 1950s and ' 60s . From 1972 to 1975 he commanded No . 6 Squadron , during which time the General Dynamics F - 111C swing - wing bomber entered Australian service . He held senior staff posts in the early 1980s . In 1986 , he was promoted to air marshal and became the inaugural Vice Chief of the Defence Force . Appointed CAS in July 1987 , Funnell was closely involved in the development and dissemination of air power doctrine . He retired from the RAAF in October 1992 following his term as CAS , and was founding Principal of the Australian College of Defence and Strategic Studies from 1994 to 1998 . Since then he has served on various Federal Government committees on immigration and detention . Early career and rise to senior command . Raymond George ( Ray ) Funnell was born on 1 March 1935 in Brisbane , Queensland , and educated at Brisbane State High School . He joined the Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) Air Training Corps in January 1949 , and received a flying training scholarship . In 1951 , aged 16 , he learnt to fly with the Royal Queensland Aero Club . In January 1953 he entered RAAF College as an air cadet , graduating with distinction in 1956 . He married his wife Suzanne in 1958 ; the couple had two sons . Funnell spent much of his early career flying CAC Sabre jet fighters at RAAF Bases Williamtown , New South Wales , and Butterworth , Malaysia , as well as Ubon , Thailand , and Labuan , East Malaysia . As a flight lieutenant in the early 1960s , he instructed on the de Havilland Vampire with No . 1 Applied Flying Training School at RAAF Base Pearce , Western Australia . In 1966 he served as commanding officer of No . 79 Squadron at Ubon . Squadron Leader Funnell attended RAAF Staff College , Canberra , from January to December 1967 . He subsequently served in various staff positions with the RAAF and on exchange with the United States Air Force . In 1971 he became the first RAAF officer to attend the US Air War College , and received a Master ' s Degree in political science from Auburn University . Promoted to wing commander , from 1972 to 1975 he was commanding officer of No . 6 Squadron at RAAF Base Amberley , Queensland . His tenure witnessed the introduction of the General Dynamics F - 111C swing - wing bomber to Australian service . On 8 / 9 April 1974 , Funnell flew an F - 111 around Australia to commemorate the 1924 circumnavigation of the continent by Wing Commander Stanley Goble and Flight Lieutenant Ivor McIntyre in a Fairey III seaplane . From 1975 to 1978 he was head of the Military Planning Staff for the Australian Defence Force Academy project . He also served as honorary aide - de - camp to Governor - General Sir John Kerr . Funnell was awarded the National Medal for long service in 1977 , and a clasp the following year . Senior command . Promoted to air commodore , Funnell was appointed Chief of Staff at Headquarters Operational Command in Glenbrook , New South Wales , in 1979 . He attended the Royal College of Defence Studies , London , in 1981 and the following year was appointed Director - General of the Military Staff Branch in the Department of Defence , Canberra . In November 1983 he was promoted air vice marshal and became Chief of Air Force Operations and Plans . He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia ( AO ) on 10 June 1985 . The same year , he took up the position of Assistant Chief of the Defence Force ( Policy ) . On 6 June 1986 , he was promoted to air marshal and appointed the first Vice Chief of the Defence Force ; the role made him responsible for Australian Defence Force policy and planning , as well as operations . On 3 July 1987 , Funnell succeeded Air Marshal Jake Newham as Chief of the Air Staff ( CAS ) , becoming the first graduate of RAAF College to attain the position ; he was also the first incumbent to possess a master ' s degree . Known for his intellectual curiosity and commitment to the study of air warfare , Funnell ordered the establishment in 1989 of a permanent think - tank and educational institution , the Air Power Studies Centre ( later the Air Power Development Centre ) , and donated the R . G . Funnell library to RAAF Staff College . The " Air Power Manual " , the RAAF ' s first self - produced treatise on aerial war fighting , was completed by a development team sponsored by Funnell , and published in 1990 . Funnell also championed the publication of " The Decisive Factor " , based on the writings of Air Vice Marshal Henry Wrigley , who was credited with laying the foundations for the RAAF ' s modern air power doctrine . As CAS , Funnell focused on turning the RAAF into the " air power element of a cohesive , integrated defence force " . His tenure saw the continuation of a shift in the RAAF ' s ' centre of gravity ' from the south to the north of Australia . RAAF Base Curtin , in North Western Australia , and RAAF Base Tindal , in the Northern Territory , were opened and development proceeded on RAAF Base Scherger in Far North Queensland . At the same time , bases in the south , including Point Cook , Laverton and support units in capital cities , were rationalised . The Air Force was in the process of re - equipping its Mirage III fighter squadrons with the F / A - 18 Hornet when Funnell became CAS , and he had to contend with a shortage of pilots that was exacerbated by the additional training time required for the new aircraft . In September 1988 , he flew one of the RAAF ' s recently acquired Pilatus PC - 9 turboprop trainers in the Bicentenary Round Australia Air Race . He considered it fitting that the CAS should make the journey , as Stanley Goble had held the same position when he circumnavigated Australia for the first time in 1924 . His term coincided with the 1990 – 91 Gulf War ; the RAAF ' s contribution included transporting Australian hostages and medical staff from the Middle East . Funnell was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia ( AC ) on 12 June 1989 for his service as CAS , and awarded the US Commander of the Legion of Merit in 1991 . Later life . Funnell retired from the RAAF following completion of his term as CAS on 1 October 1992 , and was succeeded by Air Marshal Barry Gration , one of his classmates from the 1953 intake at RAAF College . Funnell ' s five - year term as CAS was the longest since that of Air Marshal George Jones , who served ten years in the post from 1942 to 1952 . In 1993 , Funnell became Director of the National Defence College project . From 1994 until 1998 , he served as the inaugural Principal of the Australian College of Defence and Strategic Studies , which subsequently evolved into the Australian Defence College . He became a consultant in 1999 , and was awarded the Centenary Medal for " humanitarian and defence services " on 1 January 2001 . From 2001 to 2009 , he was a member of the Minister ' s Advisory Council on People Smuggling , and the Immigration Detention Advisory Group ( IDAG ) . He publicly disavowed the Australian contribution to the 2003 invasion of Iraq but , once battle was joined , opposed the withdrawal of troops and cautioned against anti - war demonstrations . Funnell served as Deputy Chair of the Council for Immigration Services and Status Resolution ( CISSR ) from 2009 to 2011 , and became Deputy Chair of the Federal Minister ' s Council on Asylum Seekers and Detention ( MCASD ) in 2012 . His recreational activities include motorcycling , photography , walking and bicycling .