Our People in NSW
Sam Crawley - Queanbeyan
Former Queanbeyan Tigers player Sam Crawley has just been sharing his passion for flying with tens of thousands of visitors to the Australian International Airshow at Avalon in Victoria.
Sam, now a RAAF Flying Officer, is an air combat officer with 76 Squadron’s Hawk aircraft. He is the one who fights the aircraft while the pilot flies it.
“This was the first time I have been to the Airshow, and it’s been amazing how many people have wanted to know about our aircraft and what I do. It was a great week,” says Sam.
The Hawk is used to train budding pilots and combat officers before they graduate to the F/A 18 Hornet and Super Hornet fast jets.
“I sit in the back seat of the Hawk and am the weapons and mission specialist. I will be move onto the F/A 18 Super Hornet in July this year — I’m pretty excited about that,” he said.
Sam went to Karabar High School and was School Captain in his final year in 2005. He played several seasons with the Tigers, and gets back to home as often as he can to see his family.
Sam’s Air Force career started at the Australian Defence Force Academy in 2006. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree before moving to the School of Air Warfare at Sale in Victoria in 2009.
He then joined 76 Squadron at RAAF Base Williamtown near Newcastle in 2010 for 18 months of training on the Hawk aircraft.
“I’ve always been interested in aviation since I was quite young, so I really am following my passion.
It doesn’t get much better than flying in a fast jet every day — for work!” he says.