Departure
97%
vs 95% ▲ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
RAAF Base Amberley is the Royal Australian Air Force's largest operational airbase, sited some 8 km southwest of Ipswich and around 50 km southwest of Brisbane in south-east Queensland. Home to fast jets, tankers and heavy transport aircraft, it offers a sim pilot a long ILS-equipped runway and a rich wartime history stretching back to 1940. As an active military super base, access for visiting civilian aircraft is tightly controlled.
RAAF Base Amberley is the Royal Australian Air Force's premier operational airbase, located in south-east Queensland near Ipswich. Operated by the Department of Defence and the RAAF, it is the largest military airbase in Australia and one of the country's two defence 'super bases', hosting more than 5,000 uniformed and civilian personnel. The base is home to fast-jet, electronic-attack, air-to-air refuelling and heavy-transport squadrons, giving it a busy and varied military flying programme that makes it a distinctive destination for a simulator pilot, complete with a long ILS-served runway and a well-documented operational history.
Amberley lies about 8 km (5 nautical miles) southwest of Ipswich, Queensland, and roughly 50 km southwest of the Brisbane CBD. The base sits within the Brisbane control area, with area control provided by Brisbane Centre. As an active RAAF installation, the surrounding airspace and the aerodrome itself are subject to military control, and civilian access is restricted.
Amberley has two physical runways. The main runway, 15/33, is 10,007 feet long, has a hard (concrete/asphalt) surface, is lit, and is served by an ILS on the 15 approach. The secondary runway, 04/22, is 4,997 feet long, also has a hard surface and is lit, but has no instrument approach.
Radio services at Amberley include an approach frequency (APP) on 33.58 MHz, an ATIS on 31.62 MHz, a clearance delivery service (CLNC DEL), a common frequency (CLD) on 134.6 MHz, a common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) on 118.3 MHz, a flight service frequency (FSS) on 121.2 MHz, ground control (GND) on 129.35 MHz, and tower (TWR) on 26.46 MHz. The base falls under Brisbane Centre for area control, and the field is equipped with an ILS for runway 15.
Flying operations at Amberley, including fast-jet movements, are governed by a formal Aircraft Noise Management Plan, and all Super Hornet flights are conducted under a dedicated Super Hornet Noise Management Plan, reflecting the base's active use by front-line combat aircraft and the resulting noise abatement considerations for surrounding communities.
The land for the base, traditionally known to the Jagera, Yuggera and Ugarapul peoples as Jeebropilly, denoting the local flood plain, was gazetted for defence purposes on 12 December 1938. RAAF Base Amberley commenced operations on 17 June 1940, initially as a centre for flying training and recruiting, with No. 24 Squadron as its first occupants. Many of its early buildings were hurriedly built in wood and fibro after the outbreak of the Second World War outpaced the completion of permanent brick structures. Following the United States' entry into the Pacific war, Amberley became a major United States Army Air Forces base during 1942 and 1943, hosting bombardment and fighter groups including the 22d and 38th Bombardment Groups and the 475th Fighter Group. On 15 September 1942, Amberley Field was the departure point for the first troops ever airlifted into combat, when Company E of the 126th Infantry Regiment was flown 1,293 miles to Port Moresby ahead of the wider movement of US forces to New Guinea. From May 1942 the base's role shifted from flying operations to aircraft assembly and repair. The United States transferred the facility back to Australia in 1947, after which it became home to the RAAF's heavy bomber squadrons, including No. 1, No. 2 and No. 6 Squadrons. No. 23 (City of Brisbane) Squadron's long association with the base began when it moved there from RAAF Station Archerfield in 1942, returning permanently in 1955. Amberley also contributed to Cold War-era scientific work, hosting an extension from 1965 of a joint research programme studying atmospheric and space disturbances and their effects on radio communications. The base was later listed as one of only two Australian airfields, alongside Darwin International Airport, designated as a Transoceanic Abort landing site for the NASA Space Shuttle programme.
Amberley remains Defence's largest operational air base, home to No. 1 Squadron flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet, No. 6 Squadron flying the EA-18G Growler, No. 33 Squadron operating the Airbus KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport, No. 35 Squadron with the C-27J Spartan, and No. 36 Squadron flying the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III. The base also hosts No. 23 (City of Brisbane) Squadron, providing garrison and deployed combat support, along with Army units of the 9th Force Support Battalion, training colleges and maintenance facilities. Amberley is undergoing a major multi-phase redevelopment programme aimed at establishing it as the RAAF's first true super base. As an active military installation, prior permission is required for any civilian flying activity.