Crew Chief
Squadron Leader Phillip Frawley enlisted in the RAAF as an apprentice scientific instrument maker in 1969 and graduated in 1971 with an electronics diploma.
In 1973 he was selected for pilot training and graduated in 1974.
Phil flew C-130 transport aircraft for five years where he also became a flight simulator instructor for 36 Squadron. Following this posting he was then selected for training as a fighter pilot in 1980. After flying Mirage jet fighters for five years he completed a Qualified Flying Instructor course in 1985, and spent two years at RAAF Point Cook conducting ab-initio training on pilot recruits. Following his tour at Point Cook he was posted to the Lead in Fighter Flight Commander’s position for twelve months at No 2 Operational Conversion Unit before being selected for F/A-18 Hornet fighter training in 1988. Upon graduation from Hornet course he was retained at the training unit as an F/A-18 Instructor and the Hornet Training Flight Commander. From the Hornet Training Unit he was posted to the Flying Wing Headquarters as the Wing Standardisation Officer, a duty that involves the standardisation of training processes for fighter aircraft. From this position he was posted to Number 77 Squadron, again flying F/A-18s, as the Squadron Executive Officer.
On completion of his tour at 77 Squadron, Squadron Leader Frawley was posted to the Australian Defence Force Warfare Centre as the Fighter Operations Lecturer where he was required to lecture throughout Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia on Command and Staff Colleges [for those countries] on integration of Fighter Operations and Doctrinal aspects of Joint and Combined Warfare Operations. During that time he gained Diplomas in Law of Armed Conflict, Law of the Sea, Administration Studies and Advanced Management. He also became an Honours Graduate of the United States Air Force Air Ground Operations Course, a subject he subsequently lectured on at the Australian Defence Force Warfare Centre.
Squadron Leader Frawley was then posted to number 76 Squadron as the Executive Officer, instructing on Macchi jet trainers. Number 76 Squadron is responsible for Lead in Fighter Training for the RAAF.
He finished his career of 28 years with the RAAF as the Commanding Officer of 76 Squadron.
Squadron Leader Frawley (retd.) took a position with British Aerospace as a Lead in Fighter instructor with the Royal Saudi Air Force and trained Saudi pilots for five years. On return to Australia he was accepted into service as a RAAF reserve instructor on the Hawk Lead in Fighter and he has retained this position to the present day.
During this time he has gained qualifications as a Crew Resource Management lecturer and as a Lead Auditor. He has been a Category ‘B’ Flying Instructor since 1986 with more than 2000 hours flying instruction and more than 10,000 hours flying time. He is also a qualified Maintenance Test Pilot for the RAAF.
Squadron Leader Frawley has also undertaken civilian flying as a leisure pursuit. He has a civilian level 2 instructor rating, a low level aerobatics qualification and has been an airshow demonstration pilot since 1989. He was the first pilot to fly a civilian Jet Warbird in Australia and is qualified to fly many propeller and jet aircraft.
In particular he has enjoyed flying Russian built aircraft such as the MiG-15 and MiG-21 Jet fighters as well as the L-39 Albatross jet trainer and he is a Civil Aviation Safety Authority training authority for all of these aircraft. Squadron Leader Frawley has more than 1000 hours flying these types of aircraft and is considered one of the leading authorities on these aircraft in Australia. He also has a special affection for the T-28 Trojan and the TBM-3 Avenger WWII torpedo bomber describing them as “very manly machines”.
Footnote:- Phil is the oldest and most experienced fighter instructor in the history of the Royal Australian Air Force and now the world having been inducted into the Guinness World Records as “the oldest active fighter pilot”.