ATC / AAFC

Air Training Corps (ATC/AirTC) &

Australian Air Force Cadets (AAFC)

In February 1941, the Australian War Cabinet approved the formation of a cadet corps (known as the Air Training Corps or ATC) as part of the RAAF Reserve. The Corps with an objective to train young men between 16 and 18 to join the wartime RAAF. It was also intended to encourage young men to increase their knowledge of air matters and in particular the RAAF, instill a sense of discipline, and provide elementary training in air-related technical matters.

On 26 August 1975 the Minister for Defence announced that the Australian Cadet Corps (Army Cadets) was to be disbanded from 1 January 1976 (based on the recommendations of the Millar Report of 1975) along with the Navy Cadets. On 27 May 1976, the Federal Government’s Minister for Administrative Services announced the re-formation of the Australian cadets’ movement and the ATC was renamed AIRTC.

In 2001 the Air Training Corps (AIRTC) became the Australian Air Force Cadets (AAFC) and along with the Australian Army Cadets (AAC) and the Australian Navy Cadets (ANC) it is now part of the Australian Defence Force Cadets.

In April 2005, a re-organisation of the AAFC raised three functional Wings:

Ground Training,
Air Training,
Logistics Support

An Office of the Chief of Staff provides national policy with command authority and the traditional operational Wings continued based on state boundaries to provide service delivery and focus as follows:

1 Wing - North Queensland
2 Wing - Queensland
3 Wing - New South Wales
4 Wing - Victoria
5 Wing - Tasmania
6 Wing - South Australia
7 Wing - Western Australia
8 Wing - Northern Territory

Aircraft History Page	Image Gallery	Operators	Aircraft History Page	Image Gallery	Operators
Alexander Schleicher Segelflugzeugbau GmbH & Co KA-6		2 Wing Aviation, AAFC	Alexander Schleicher Segelflugzeugbau GmbH & Co KA-7 Page & Gallery Coming Soon		Air Training Corps
Alexander Schleicher Segelflugzeugbau GmbH & Co ASK 13		3 Wing Aviation, AAFC	Alexander Schleicher Segelflugzeugbau GmbH & Co ASK 21		3 Wing Aviation, AAFC
Beech Baron 58		613 Sqn, AAFC	Cessna 172		Air Training Corps
DG Flugzeugbau DG1001S Club		2 Wing Aviation, AAFC	Diamond DA40 NG		AAFC
Grob 102 Twin II *Gallery Coming Soon*		3 Wing Aviation, AAFC	Grob 103 Twin II Acro		3 Wing Aviation, AAFC
Grob 109		6 Wing Aviation, AAFC	Let Kunovice Blanik L-13		2 Wing Aviation, AAFC
Piper PA-25 Pawnee		2 Wing Aviation, 3 Wing Aviation, AAFC	Piper PA-38 Tomahawk		2 Wing Aviation, AAFC
PZL Bielsko SZD-51 Junior		3 Wing Aviation, AAFC	PZL Krosno KR-03A Puchatek		2 Wing Aviation 7 Wing Aviation, AAFC
Scheibe Flugzeugbau GmbH SF-25C Motor Falke *Gallery Coming Soon*		6 Wing Aviation, AAFC	Zlin Z.242L		RAAF Richmond Flying Club & Australian Air Force Cadets

Page Authors: Brendan Cowan & Martin Edwards

Converted to CMS 29th August 2025

Updated 13th May 2021