Son joins dad’s old squadron

Officer cadet Luke Hildebrandt with his father Holger, a former Commanding Officer of No. 27 Squadron, and current CO Squadron Leader Noel Hinschen.

“LIKE father like son” usually applies to looks, habits or mannerisms. But for 20-year-old Officer Cadet Luke Hildebrandt, of No. 27 (City of Townsville) Squadron, it’s more a case of following his father’s footsteps into the Squadron.

His dad, former Squadron Leader Holger Hildebrandt, was a Commanding Officer of the Squadron in 1984-85 during his 22-year Air Force career, which started as a navigator with No. 10 Squadron’s P2V Neptune maritime reconnaissance aircraft in Townsville.

After discharging from the Air Force in 1992 following his final posting as Commanding Officer of Combat Survival Training School at RAAF Base Townsville, ex-SQNLDR Hildebrandt was self-employed in his own mobile pool service business. He is now Manager of a North Queensland business supplying pumps, filters and chlorinators to the swimming pool trade.

OFFCDT Hildebrandt has a special interest in aircraft operations. He originally joined the Permanent Air Force to train as a pilot on completion of his schooling in Townsville.

When the pilot training at Tamworth didn’t work out, he discharged from the PAF last November. He still has a long-term goal of becoming a rotary wing pilot.

OFFCDT Hildebrandt joined the Townsville-based Reserve Squadron in April and is currently an Operations Officer with Ops Flight, being trained to support air operations.

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