Warbird Gallery - Australian Flying Corps

The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was the branch of the Australian Army responsible for operating aircraft during World War I, and the forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and was established in 1912. During World War I elements of the AFC saw combat in the Middle East and France as part of British Royal Flying Corps (RFC) formations.

The Corps had its genesis in the Imperial Conference held in London in 1911, where it was decided that aviation should be developed within the armed forces of the British Empire. Australia implemented this decision, the only country to do so, by approving the establishment of the Central Flying School at Point Cook, Victoria, on 22 October 1912. During World War I, the AFC was formed within the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF), and saw action in both Palestine and France during World War I.