F eat ure
1983 The first RAAF Hornet, A21-101, makes its first public appearance at the McAir plant at St Louis on October 29, 1983.
1984
The first RAAF Hornets to arrive in Australia. Partially disassembled A21-103 and A21-104 are flown inside a USAF C-5 Galaxy from St Louis, Missouri, arriving at Avalon, Victoria, on June 6, 1984.
1985
Assembled in Australia, the A21 103 is rolled out by by Government Aircraft Factories, Avalon, Victoria. A21-103 makes its first flight at Avalon on February 26 in the hands of McAir test pilot Rudi Haug. Air Force accepts A21-103 on April 30. It is formally handed over on May 4 and delivered to 2OCU at RAAF Base Williamtown on May 17. The first 14 aircraft were all allocated to 2OCU to enable the commencement of Hornet instructor training.
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F/A-18 A/B CLASSIC HORNET 56
Two aircraft, A21-101 and A21-102, are ferried in a non-stop, recordbreaking trans-Pacific, 15-hour flight on May 17. The 12,360km flight from US Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, to RAAF Base Williamtown, is made possible by in-flight refuelling from USAF KC-10 tankers. The flight is led by by 2OCU CO WGCDR Brian Robinson.
