Royal Australian Air Force Unsung HeroesPrint Page 
A Macchi MB326H military jet aircraft commemorates unsung heroes of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) who were killed while on training flights in the aircraft.
The Royal Australian Air Force operated 87 MB-326Hs from 1967 to 2001 as a jet trainer. A total of 97 were ordered. 87 were built for the Royal Australian Air Force, and 10 for the Royal Australian Navy. 12 were delivered by Macchi, 18 assembled from kits in Australia, and another 67 were built by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation and Hawker Aircraft with the designation CA-30. They were essentially similar to the MB-326G but with improved avionics.
The RAAF's aerobatic team, The Roulettes, flew the MB-326H from December 1970 until 1989. Although widely liked for its excellent handling and well-suited to its task, the service career of the MB-326 was cut short because of structural fatigue problems. The Australian fleet, for example, had a life of type extension program in the 1980s and were then re-winged in the early 1990s after a fatigue-related crash. Even so, the MB-326 was supplemented by new Pilatus PC-9 trainers to reduce flying hours, and the last examples had been withdrawn by 2001 when they were replaced by the Hawk 127.
Location
| Address: | 1475 South Gippsland Highway, Cranbourne RSL Club, Cranbourne, 3977 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -38.117355 Long: 145.286905 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Technology |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | Multiple |
Dedication
Plaque:
Macchi MB326h
This Aeromacchi MB326H was built in Australia and entered service with the Fleet Air Arm, RAN, in September 1970 as N14-097 renumbered A7-087 when transferred to the RAAF in 1983.
Ninety seven of these aircraft entered service from 1967, 10 in the RAN and 87 with the RAAF.
Twenty four crashed, killing eight young pilots
Plaque :
Tread softly here, remembering heroes unsung
for those who died in training to defend this nation
die in her uniform and in her service
Lest We Forget
[ Names ]
And remembering Sgt Pilot R R F Swords 1943
