No. 5 Squadron RAAF

No. 5 Squadron RAAF
A Boomerang aircraft operated by No. 5 Squadron in 1944
Active	June 1917 – May 1919 April 1936 – December 1938 January 1941 – October 1946 May 1964 – December 1989
Country	Australia
Branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Role	Training (1917–19) Naval co-operation (1936–38) Army co-operation (1941–46) Utility helicopter (1964–89)
Engagements	World War I World War II Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation
Commanders
Notable commanders	Beau Palmer (1945)
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Farman Shorthorn Airco DH.6 Avro 504 Sopwith Pup SE5a Sopwith Camel Sopwith Snipe CAC Wirraway CAC Boomerang P-40 Kittyhawk
Helicopter	UH-1 Iroquois AS350B Squirrel
Patrol	Supermarine Seagull

No. 5 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force training, army co-operation and helicopter squadron. The squadron was formed in 1917 as a training unit of the Australian Flying Corps in Britain, readying pilots for service on the Western Front. It subsequently became a naval fleet co-operation squadron, but was later redesignated as No. 9 Squadron RAAF before being re-formed as an army co-operation squadron during World War II. In the mid-1960s, it was re-formed as a helicopter squadron, before being disbanded in December 1989, when it was used to form the Australian Defence Force Helicopter Training School.

No. 5 Squadron was formed at Shawbury in England on 15 June 1917, as a unit of the Australian Flying Corps, under the command of Captain Andrew Lang, and was initially known as "29 (Australian) (Training) Squadron" of the Royal Flying Corps. During August 1917, Major Henry Petre assumed command of the squadron. Its Australian Flying Corps designation ("No. 5 (Training) Squadron, AFC") was officially recognised in early 1918. Equipped with a variety of aircraft, including Maurice Farman Shorthorns, Airco DH.6, Avro 504s, Sopwith Pups, S.E.5as and Sopwith Camels, the squadron provided training to Australian pilots in Britain during World War I. After completing their training with No. 5 Squadron Australian pilots could be posted to one of the operational squadrons but to begin with the squadron's main role was to train pilots and observers for service in No. 1 Squadron in the Middle East. Later, when equipped with Camels, the squadron supplied pilots to 4 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps. During the war, the squadron graduated on average of eight pilots per month, who were trained by combat experienced pilots transferred from the operational squadrons. No. 5 Squadron was embarked to return to Australia in May 1919 and was for formally disbanded on reaching Australia the following month.