No. 486 (Maintenance) Squadron was established at
RAAF Station Schofields, New South Wales, on 26 August 1946. Commanded by
Wing Commander Alexander Abicair, its allocated strength was 257, including ten officers. The unit was part of
No. 86 (Transport) Wing, which also controlled
Nos. 36,
37, and
38 Squadrons, flying
Douglas C-47 Dakotas, and No. 386 (Base) Squadron. No. 37 Squadron was disbanded in February 1948 and No. 386 Squadron in March 1949. On 22 June 1949, No. 86 Wing, comprising Nos. 36, 38 and 486 Squadrons, relocated to the nearby
RAAF Station Richmond. The squadron returned to Richmond on 29 August 1958 in anticipation of the entry into RAAF service of the
Lockheed C-130A Hercules. The Hercules was also the first
turboprop aircraft operated by the RAAF. The arrival of the C-130 meant that for a time No. 486 Squadron was maintaining three types of transport aircraft: Hercules, Dakotas and Metropolitans. Heavier maintenance and upgrades to the Hercules were carried out by
No. 2 Aircraft Depot, also based at Richmond. The availability of Lockheed spare parts from the US caused problems for No. 486 Squadron early in the C-130A's Australian service, grounding one aircraft for almost a year. Because the Caribous were primarily for support of the
Australian Army, an overarching wing headquarters for the Caribous and Hercules was considered inappropriate. On 3 August 1964, No. 486 Squadron was also disbanded and its equipment, staff and records divided between Nos. 36 and 38 Squadrons. The unit's maintenance program was reorganised in September 1973. It played a significant role supporting relief efforts in the wake of
Cyclone Tracy, which struck
Darwin, Northern Territory, on Christmas Day 1974. No. 486 Squadron had thirteen Hercules available by the night of 25 December, and a further six by New Years Day. These nineteen aircraft flew over 1,250 hours, carrying more than 7,000 passengers and over of cargo. The C-130As operated by No. 36 Squadron were replaced by C-130H models in 1978, having clocked up 147,000 accident-free flying hours. No. 486 Squadron celebrated its 40th anniversary on 26 August 1986. No. 486 Squadron was responsible for operational and intermediate-level maintenance of the 707s as well as the Hercules. It also managed flight simulators and all ground-based equipment. Two years later, No. 36 Squadron achieved 100,000 accident-free flying hours on the C-130H. Some C-130 maintenance tasks were outsourced to commercial firms beginning in the late 1980s, and
Air New Zealand won a four-year depot maintenance contract in 1990. Following conversion of four of No. 33 Squadron's six aircraft to
aerial tankers between 1988 and 1992, No. 486 Squadron took on responsibility for servicing the 707s' refuelling pods. In 1989, the Australian Government employed the Hercules and Boeing 707s for transport during the
pilots' dispute that curtailed operations by the two domestic airlines; the resulting spike in operational hours necessitated No. 486 Squadron sending detachments to several locations throughout the country to cope with increased maintenance demands. In May 1993, squadron personnel accompanied Hercules and 707s transporting Australian troops from Somalia after they had taken part in
United Nations humanitarian operations. By the mid-1990s, No. 486 Squadron's strength was over 400 personnel. One of its challenges was the availability of spare parts for the Boeing's ageing
Pratt & Whitney JT3D engines.
Qantas undertook heavier maintenance of the 707s at its jet base in
Mascot. No. 486 Squadron was disbanded in October 1998, after transferring its functions to Nos. 36 and 37 Squadrons. ==Notes==