About This Unit
RAAF Central Flying School (CFS)
Central Flying School (CFS) has been a unit of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) training unit since inception. Its current form dates from World War II, when it was re-established to train flying instructors for the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS).
CFS was inaugurated at Point Cook, Victoria, in March 1913, and trained over 150 pilots of the Australian Flying Corps during World War I. It was disbanded in December 1919, and the newly formed No. 1 Flying Training School took on its function in 1921 at Point Cook.
Re-formed under EATS at Point Cook in April 1940, CFS relocated to New South Wales the following month, based in NSW, first at Camden, then at Tamworth from April 1942, and finally at Parkes from January 1944. It returned to Point Cook in September 1944. By the end of World War II, the school had produced more than 3,600 instructors. It transferred to East Sale in November 1947.
Since 1962, CFS has been responsible for three aerobatic display teams. The first, "The Red Sales", flew De Havilland Vampire jet aircraft. A second team, "The Telstars", was formed in 1963, also flying Vampires. The Telstars disbanded in 1968, just after taking delivery of new Macchi MB326H jets, when the RAAF curtailed display flying. The Roulettes formed in 1970, flying the Macchi, and continued to operate the type until 1990, when the team finished converting to the PC-9. As well as the Roulettes, CFS is responsible for the display work of the Air Force Balloons.