THE
Air Force lost one of its intellectual giants when Group Captain
Ian MacFarling PhD unexpectedly died in Hawaii on March 11.
He
collapsed after returning from a run and apparently suffered a
massive heart attack. He had been training to run a marathon later
in the year.
GPCAPT
MacFarling had moved into his dream job as a Professor at the
Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu last September.
His
final post in the Air Force was as the Director of the Aerospace
Centre in Canberra where he was responsible for the publication
of the strategic doctrine The Fundamentals of Australian Aerospace
Power.
Ian
MacFarling was born in Wallingford, England, on May 31, 1945,
and joined the Royal Australian Air Force in March 1977 after
12 years in the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
In
the RNZAF, he flew as a navigator on Canberra bombers, Sunderland
flying boats, Bristol Freighters and Orions. In the RAAF, he flew
as a tactical coordinator on Orions in No. 11 Squadron, and his
last flying duties were at the Aircraft Research and Development
Unit where he completed the tour as flight commander. He totalled
5650 flying hours as a navigator.
During
his military career GPCAPT MacFarling served in a number of unique
positions, racking up many impressive achievements.
One
of his greatest contributions was to the intellectual foundation
of the Air Force through his work in education and doctrine development.
He was a Visiting Fellow with the University of New South Wales
at the Defence Force Academy where he lectured in international
politics. He also served in the International Policy Division,
the Australian Joint Services Staff College, and Australian College
for Defence and Strategic Studies.
GPCAPT
MacFarling was the first officer from a Western air force to attend
the Indonesian Command and Staff College. His doctoral work on
Indonesian civil-military relations was published as The Dual
Function of the Indonesian Armed Forces: Military Politics in
Indonesia.
Over
his career, he made many close friends in the military, diplomatic
services and academia around the world. He was highly respected
as an Indonesian linguist and well known in the most senior levels
of the Indonesian military and political circles. His loss will
be most keenly felt by those who got to know his exceptional intellect,
gentlemanly manner and dry wit.
He
is survived by his wife Pamela and daughters Cecelia and Rebecca.
The
Aerospace Centre is acting as a point of contact for inquiries.
GPCAPT MacFarling’s funeral was conducted on March 14 in
Honolulu and it is expected that a memorial service will be held
in Canberra in April.
