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The first of 51 CT4 Airtrainers arrived in Australia in January 1975 to replace the beloved Winjeel. Referred to as ‘parrots’ due to its green and yellow livery, it served as the basic training aircraft for No 1 Flying Training School out of Point Cook until it retired from service in 1992. However, from 1993, BAE Systems Australia operated a fleet of CT-4Bs out of Flight Training Tamworth, home to the ADF Basic Flying Training School. It estimates its fleet flew more than 320,000 hours and were flown by 5,000 pilots. The two-seat, single-engine aircraft’s longevity was derived because its robust materials allowed easy maintenance and repair, while it would often outperform its competitors in terms of climb, speed, endurance and payload.
To mark 27 years of operational service, 30 CT-4A and CT-4B training aircraft conducted a mass display over Tamworth in northern NSW in 2018 – something that could even have been a world record for a flypast of identical aircraft. Following a hard-fought tender contest, Defence announced in 2015 that Lockheed Martin would provide the new pilot training system at RAAF Base East Sale, Victoria and Pearce, WA using simulators and a fleet of 49 new Pilatus PC-21 aircraft.
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Geoff Palfreman
says:Some credit should be given to Henry Millicer of The Government Aircraft Factories, whose original design of the successful Victa Airtourer provided a sound basis for the CT4.
Tim Singleton
says:A wonderful training aircraft, I learnt to fly in an earlier model the AT3 tourer in New Zealand in 1974
the plane was also aerobatic rated
Gordon Mackinlay
says:Actually they were affectionately called “Plastic Parrots”, if you look back through the pages of AIR FORCE NEWS this is well recorded. I attempted to buy one at the sale, but, they all went for much beyond the expected prices, so I had to buy a house instead!!!
Muzza
says:A19-027 was still at ARDU in 1987. I flew it on 19FEB87.
Hilly
says:Flew these at Tammy, on Army Pilots Course. Great little aeroplane.