No. 16 Army Light Aircraft Squadron (Australia)

No. 16 Army Light Aircraft Squadron was formed on 1 December 1960 as a joint Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force unit at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland.[1] Tasked with the provision of light aircraft support to Army formations, the squadron was equipped with Cessna 180 light aircraft and Bell Sioux helicopters.[2][3] A detachment of two float-equipped helicopters from the squadron was deployed to West New Guinea in November 1962 in support of the United Nations Temporary Executive Authority (UNTEA), following an outbreak of cholera there. Although one helicopter was lost in an accident, the detachment’s tasks were successfully completed and it returned to Australia in late December.[2][4] In April 1966 the squadron was expanded to become the Army's 1st Aviation Regiment.[5][6]

No. 16 Army Light Aircraft Squadron
Active1960–66
CountryAustralia
BranchAustralian Army
RoleArmy support
Aircraft flown
HelicopterBell Sioux
ReconnaissanceCessna 180

Notes
  1. RAAF Historical Section 1995, p. 171.
  2. Chinn 1994, p. 34.
  3. Eather 1995, p. 146.
  4. Eather 1995, pp. 146–147.
  5. "Start of Army Aviation Corps". Air Power Development Centre. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  6. Eather 1995, p. 147.

References
  • Chinn, David (1994). "Blue Bonnets Over The Border: Australian Army Aviation's First UN Operation". Sabretache. Garran, Australian Capital Territory: Military Historical Society of Australia. 35 (1): 34–40. ISSN 0048-8933.
  • Eather, Steve (1995). Flying Squadrons of the Australian Defence Force. Weston Creek, Australian Capital Territory: Aerospace Publications. ISBN 1-875671-15-3.
  • RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force. A Concise History. Volume 4 Maritime and Transport Units. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-42796-5.


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