MORE than 60 aircraft will perform a spectacular fly past over Lake Burley Griffin tomorrow (March 31) in celebration of the Royal Australian Air Force’s 100 years of service.

The fly past will occur from 10.30am to 12pm and culminate in a full display from the Roulettes aerobatics team, with a variety of aircraft taking to the skies, such as the Spitfire, Caribou, C-130J, F/A-18 Hornet and the F-35A Lightning II.

Air Force flags will be raised at Commonwealth Place at 7am and Blamey Place at 8am, led by training Air Force officers from the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) and air men and women representing enlisted ranks.

The Governor General David Hurley will also present a new “colour” (a regimental flag) to the Air Force on behalf of the Queen at Government House at 10.15am.

Finally, a last post ceremony at the Australian War Memorial will be held at 4.45pm to honour the service and sacrifice of the RAAF.

It will wrap up a week of commemorations for the centenary that have been hosted here in the capital and follows a ceremony, yesterday, acknowledging the connection between the Air Force and indigenous Australians.

As part of the event at the Australian War Memorial’s “For Our Country – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Memorial”, soil collected by Air Force indigenous liaison officers from RAAF bases across Australia was combined and placed in a memorial chamber, to join the many lands that ancestors have defended.

Yesterday also saw the RAAF commemorative ceremony held at the Air Force Memorial on Anzac Parade, to recognise the achievement and innovation of the RAAF, and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for Australia.

The events tomorrow, which will represent the official date of the 100th anniversary, will be available for the public to attend but people will have to watch from a distance, with perimeters set up by event organisers.

Marking a century of diversity and courage in the air