No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit (No. 2 OCU) is a fighter training unit of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Located at RAAF Base Williamtown, New South Wales, it trains pilots to operate the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet (pictured), conducts refresher courses, and trains future Hornet instructors. Pilots new to the Hornet enter No. 2 OCU after first qualifying to fly fast jets at No. 79 Squadron and undertaking initial fighter combat instruction at No. 76 Squadron. Once qualified on the F/A-18, they are posted to one of the RAAF's operational Hornet squadrons. No. 2 OCU was established as No. 2 (Fighter) Operational Training Unit in April 1942. During World War II it provided training on a wide range of aircraft, including P-40 Kittyhawks, Vultee Vengeances, Avro Ansons, CAC Boomerangs, Supermarine Spitfires and Airspeed Oxfords. Disbanded in March 1947, the unit was re-formed at Williamtown in March 1952 in response to the demand for more highly trained pilots in the Korean War. It was renamed No. 2 (Fighter) Operational Conversion Unit in September 1958, and before the Hornet it conducted training with the CAC Sabre, Dassault Mirage III, and Macchi MB-326.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._2_Operational_Conversion_Unit_RAAF

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

649:

War against the Western Turks: The forces of Kucha surrendered after a siege led by Tang Dynasty general Ashina She'er, establishing Tang control over the northern Tarim Basin in Xinjiang. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_campaign_against_Kucha

1746:

During the Second Jacobite Rising, Bonnie Prince Charlie occupied the town of Stirling, Scotland, but failed to capture its castle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling

1862:

American Civil War: In their first significant victory, Union forces defeated the Confederates at the Battle of Mill Springs near modern Nancy, Kentucky. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mill_Springs

1917:

Approximately 50 tons of TNT exploded at a munitions factory in Silvertown in West Ham, present-day Greater London, killing over 70 people and injuring over 400 others. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvertown_explosion

1996:

A tank barge and a tug grounded on a beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, US, spilling an estimated 828,000 US gallons (3,130,000 l) of home heating oil. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Cape_oil_spill

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

ascertain: To find out definitely; to discover or establish. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ascertain

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

 Gaily bedight, A gallant knight, In sunshine and in shadow, Had journeyed long, Singing a song, In search of Eldorado.   --Edgar Allan Poe https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe