The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF) was an auxiliary unit of the United Kingdom Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

, based in Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

. In preparation for the transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, the unit was disbanded on 1 April 1993.

Although technically an armed military unit, run on the lines of an RAF squadron, latterly its responsibilities were mostly involved in providing non-military aviation services such as police support, search and rescue

Search and rescue

Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...

, air ambulance

Air ambulance

An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport....

 and firefighting in the colony.

History

The RHKAAF came into existence in 1949 as part of the Hong Kong Defence Force. From 1949 to 1950, it was known as HKAAF and the Royal title was approved by King George VI in 1951. The RHKAAF was finally disbanded on 1 April 1993. All non-military operations were taken over by the Government Flying Service

Government Flying Service (Hong Kong)

The Government Flying Service is a disciplined unit of the Government of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 April 1993, when Hong Kong was under British rule. It then took over all the non-military operations of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force , which was an auxiliary unit of the United...

 (GFS), a newly-created civilian unit with the original service staff of the RHKAAF. The remaining military duties were transferred to other RAF units based in the colony, and passed to the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison

People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison

The People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison is a garrison of the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China responsible for defence duties of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region since the sovereignty of Hong Kong was returned to the PRC in 1997...

 (Shek Kong Airfield

Shek Kong Airfield

The Shek Kong Airfield , ICAO:VHSK), formerly RAF Sek Kong/Sek Kong Airfield, is an airbase located in Shek Kong of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ....

, Shigang Air Base, Guangdong and Guangzhou Shadi Air Base) on the actual transfer of sovereignty in 1997.

The RHKAAF was based at Kai Tak Airport

Kai Tak Airport

Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. It was officially known as the Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, when it was closed and replaced by the new Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok, 30 km to the west...

 from 1979 to 1993, with a sub-station at Sek Kong Airfield.

Fleet

Over the years, the RHKAAF fleet comprised:

Builder/Model	Type	Number	Dates	Details
Sikorsky S-70A Black Hawk Sikorsky S-70 The Sikorsky S-70 is a medium transport/utility helicopter family manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It was developed for the U.S. Army in the 1970s, winning a competition to be designated the UH-60 Blackhawk and spawning a large family in U.S. military service...  / UH-60 Blackhawk	utility helicopter	3 (B-HZJ, B-HZI and B-HZK)	1992-1993	To GFS
Sikorsky S-76 Sikorsky S-76 The Sikorsky S-76 is an American medium-size commercial utility helicopter. The S-76 is powered by two turboshaft engines, which drive both the main and tail rotors, each with four blades... C	utility helicopter	2	1991-1993	To GFS
Sikorsky S-76 Sikorsky S-76 The Sikorsky S-76 is an American medium-size commercial utility helicopter. The S-76 is powered by two turboshaft engines, which drive both the main and tail rotors, each with four blades... A	utility helicopter	6	1990-1993	To GFS
Slingsby T-67M-200 Firefly	trainer	4	1987-1993	To GFS
Beech B200C King Air Beechcraft Super King Air The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation . The King Air line comprises a number of model series that fall into two families: the Model 90 series, Model 100 series , Model 200 series and Model 300 series...	utility aircraft	2	1987-1993	To GFS
Aérospatiale SA-365-C Dauphin 2 Eurocopter Dauphin The Eurocopter SA 365/AS365 Dauphin 2 is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter .-Design and development:...	utility helicopter	3	1980-1990
Cessna 404 Titan Cessna 404 |-See also:-External links:* *...	light utility aircraft	1	1979-1987
SAL Bulldog Scottish Aviation Bulldog |-See also:-External links:...	trainer	2	1977-1988
Britten-Norman Islander Britten-Norman Islander The Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is a 1960s British light utility aircraft, regional airliner and cargo aircraft designed and originally manufactured by Britten-Norman of the United Kingdom. The Islander is one of the best-selling commercial aircraft types produced in Europe. Although designed in...	light utility aircraft	1	1972-1993
Beech B23 Musketeer II Beechcraft Musketeer The Beechcraft Musketeer is a family of single-engine, low-wing, light aircraft that was produced by Beechcraft. The line includes the Model 19 Musketeer Sport, the Model 23 Musketeer, Custom and Sundowner, the Model 23-24 Musketeer Super III the retractable gear Model 24-R Sierra and the military...	light utility aircraft	2	1971-1979
Aérospatiale Alouette III Aérospatiale Alouette III The Aérospatiale Alouette III is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by Sud Aviation. It was manufactured by Aérospatiale of France, and under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in India as Hal Chetak and Industria Aeronautică Română in Romania.The Alouette III is the...  SA3160	utility helicopter	4	1965-1980
Auster AOP9	trainer	4	1965-1971
Westland Widgeon	utility helicopter	2	1958-1965
Supermarine Spitfire Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...  XIX	fighter	2	1954-1955
Supermarine Spitfire Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...  F24	fighter	8	1952-1955
Supermarine Spitfire Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...  XVIII	fighter	6	1951-1952
Auster T7	trainer	4	1950-1971
Harvard IIB T-6 Texan The North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...	trainer	11	1950-1958
Auster AOP6	trainer	5	1949-1971
Auster V Taylorcraft Auster The Taylorcraft Auster was a British military liaison and observation aircraft produced by the Taylorcraft Aeroplanes Limited company during the Second World War.-Design and development:...	trainer	1	1949-1950
DH60 Moth	utility aircraft	2	1941
DH687 Hornet Moth	utility aircraft/trainer	2	1941
Avro Avro Avro was a British aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark designs such as the Avro 504 trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.-Early history:One of the world's...  Tutor 621	training biplane	4	1936-1941
Avro Avro Avro was a British aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark designs such as the Avro 504 trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.-Early history:One of the world's...  Avian IVM Cadet 631 Avro Cadet |-See also:-External links:**...	biplane trainer	2	1934-1941
Avro Avro Avro was a British aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark designs such as the Avro 504 trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.-Early history:One of the world's...  Avian IVM 616	light biplane trainer	3	1930s

Personnel

RHKAAF personnel were a mixture of full-time and part-time staff. Most were mostly locally recruited, in the latter years mostly local Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 Chinese

Han Chinese

Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...

. The ranks used were similar to those of the Royal Air Force.

• Controller
  Air traffic controller
  Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
  
  
• Chief Pilot
• Chief Aircraft Engineer
• Senior Pilot
• Senior Aircraft Engineer
• Senior Aircrewman Officer
• Pilot
  Aviator
  An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
  
   I
• Aircraft Engineer
• Aircrewman Officer I
• Pilot II - added in the 1990s to less experienced pilots and a step above Cadet Pilot
• Aircrewman Officer II
• Chief Aircraft Technician
• Senior Aircraft Technician
• Aircrewman Officer III
• Cadet Pilot - added in the 1990s are part of the localization effort by the Government of Hong Kong to transfer roles prior to handover in 1997
• Aircraft Technician

Crest

The last crest of the force was adopted in 1997, prior to which the Hong Kong Coat of Arms was used on GFS aircraft:

• St Edward's Crown
• Octogon shaped badge with a Chinese dragon, propeller
• Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force
  Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force
  The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force was an auxiliary unit of the United Kingdom Royal Air Force, based in Hong Kong. In preparation for the transfer of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, the unit was disbanded on 1 April 1993.Although technically an armed...
  
   is contained on the band of the badge
• Motto contain the wording Semper Paratus
  Semper paratus
  Semper Paratus is the motto of a number of different organizations:-Canada:* The Windsor Regiment , an armoured regiment* The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry , an infantry regiment...
  
  (Latin, "Always Ready")
• Oak Laurel wreath