Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force
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The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF), 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 April 1, 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, air ambulance and firefighting in the colony.
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[edit] 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 1st April 1993. All non-military operations were taken over by the Government Flying Service, 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 (Shek Kong Airfield, Shigang Air Base, Guangdong and Guangzhou Shadi Air Base) on the actual transfer of sovereignty in 1997.
[edit] Operations
The RHKAAF was based at Kai Tak Airport from 1979 to 1993, with a sub-station at Sek Kong Airfield.
At the time of disbandment, the RHKAAF fleet comprised:
| Builder/Model | Type | Number | Dates | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Beech Super King Air BC200C  United States |
utility aircraft | 2 | 1987-1997 | |
| Beech B23 Musketeer II United States |
light utility aircraft | 2 | 1971-1979 | |
| Sikorsky S-70A Black Hawk / UH-60 Blackhawk United States |
utility helicopter | 3 (B-HZJ, B-HZI and B-HZK) | 1992-1997 | |
| Sikorsky S-76A United States |
utility helicopter | 6 | 1990-1997 | |
| Sikorsky S-76C United States |
utility helicopter | 2 | 1991-1997 | |
Slingsby T-67M-200 Firefly  United Kingdom |
trainer | 4 | 1987-1996 | |
Aérospatiale Alouette III SA3160  France |
utility helicopter | 4 | 1965-1980 | |
| Aérospatiale SA-365-C Dauphin 2 France |
utility helicopter | 3 | 1980-1990 | |
| Auster V United Kingdom |
trainer | 1 | 1949-1950 | |
| Auster AOP6 United Kingdom |
trainer | 5 | 1949-1971 | |
| Auster AOP9 United Kingdom |
trainer | 4 | 1965-1971 | |
| Auster T7 United Kingdom |
trainer | 4 | 1950-1971 | |
| Britten-Norman Islander United Kingdom |
light utility aircraft | 1 | 1972-1993 | |
| Cessna 404 Titan United States |
light utility aircraft | 1 | 1979-1987 | |
| Harvard IIB United States |
trainer | 11 | 1950-1958 | |
| SAL Bulldog United Kingdom |
trainer | 2 | 1977-1988 | |
| Westland Widgeon United Kingdom |
utility helicopter | 2 | 1958-1965 | |
| Supermarine Spitfire F24 United Kingdom |
fighter | 8 | 1952-1955 | |
| Supermarine Spitfire XIX United Kingdom |
fighter | 2 | 1954-1955 | |
| Supermarine Spitfire XVIII United Kingdom |
fighter | 6 | 1951-1952 | |
| Avro Avian IVM 616 United Kingdom |
light biplane trainer | 3 | 1930s | |
| Avro Avian IVM Cadet 631 United Kingdom |
biplane trainer | 2 | 1934-1941 | |
| Avro Tutor 621 United Kingdom |
training biplane | 4 | 1936-1941 | |
| DH60 Moth United Kingdom |
utility aircraft | 2 | 1941 | |
| DH687 Hornet Moth United Kingdom |
utility aircraft/trainer | 2 | 1941 |
[edit] 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 Chinese. The ranks used were similar to those of the Royal Air Force.
