About 80,000 people flocked to Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Richmond over the weekend of 27 and 28 September to celebrate the base's centenary at the Richmond Airshow 2025.
With the base celebrating one hundred years of operation, the public had the unique experience to walk across the runway and engage firsthand with the people, aircraft and equipment in the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
Flying displays set against the familiar backdrop of the Blue Mountains featured modern RAAF aircraft like the F-35A Lightning II, F/A-18F Super Hornet, C-17A Globemaster, C-130J Hercules, C-27J Spartan, E-7A Wedgetail, P-8 Poseidon and 100 Squadron heritage aircraft.
Harking back to air shows of old, the flying display included 100 Squadron warbirds like the Wirraway and Harvard, while the Roulettes Aerobatic Team returned again - this time with its PC-21.
Ground displays like aircraft statics, virtual reality simulators, cargo loading demonstrations, plane pulls and an Army tactical assault also gave the public an insight to the breadth of experience and roles in the ADF.
Wing Commander Andrew Burke, Senior Australian Defence Force Officer at RAAF Base Richmond and Commanding Officer 22 Squadron, explained why air shows are so essential.
"The community sees our achievements in the news, watches our work on social media, but seldom has that opportunity to engage and experience with Defence firsthand," he said.
"The air show allows us to welcome our community through the gates and into our workplace, thank them for their support, answer their questions about our role and showcase our capability.
"As a Commanding Officer and senior Australian Defence Force officer, it's certainly the rarest of privileges to host our local community on the base and celebrate a centenary air show with them."
RAAF Base Richmond Air Show 2025 celebrated the base's centenary, marking a centenary since its establishment in June 1925, making it the second oldest Air Force base in Australia, and the oldest in NSW.
The base has evolved significantly since the early days of operating cloth-and-timber biplanes from an iron hangar in a paddock.
Wing Commander Burke said the one thing that hadn't changed was the local Hawkesbury community's support for the base.
"Every base commander will tell you they have a unique and close relationship with their immediate community, and RAAF Base Richmond is no exception," he said.
"Successive generations of the Hawkesbury community have supported the base for a hundred years, and longer still when you consider the local council campaigned to bring aviation to Richmond following the First World War.
"For decades, aviators have returned to RAAF Base Richmond from conflicts and disasters in our region and across the world, and felt welcomed by a community who supported them and their families."
Looking to the future, RAAF Base Richmond Air Show 2025 served to inspire members of the public to consider careers in the Air Force and the broader ADF.
"Any number of RAAF aviators will tell you that coming to an air show inspired them to take a career in Air Force, and the century of air shows hosted at RAAF Base Richmond are part of that history," Wing Commander Burke said.
"What's changed in 2025 is the growth of missions we now perform in Defence, from highly-specialised workforces in cyber and space domains, through to other essential roles in the air and on the ground.
"The enthusiasm was evident from Defence members - from ADF Careers through to ADF Drone Racing and the individual Defence units and squadrons, all answering questions on the tarmac at RAAF Base Richmond, and inspiring a new generation of aviators to come."
Wing Commander Burke highlighted the significant work that went into the lead-up and during the air show.
"The base is a hundred years old, and at least one of those years was spent planning and setting up for this air show," Wing Commander Burke said.
"The Air Shows Team led by Air Commodore Micka Gray worked hard and applied their expertise to coordinate with state and local government on this event."
An army of contracted services arrived on base during the lead-in to the air show to deliver everything from fencing and food vans, PA systems to portaloos - all while the base continued supporting Defence missions.
"Throughout it all, our service members and industry partners made this event possible - from access control to security forces teams keeping it safe, logistics support and keeping everyone fed and watered. They should be proud of their efforts," Wing Commander Burke said.
