Roy Francis Goon (13 September 1913 – 15 November 1999) was an Australian

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare an ...

. Goon held Commercial pilot licence No. 511 and was originally an instructor with the

Royal Victorian Aero Club The Royal Victorian Aero Club is an Australian aero club based at Moorabbin Airport in Melbourne. History Founded by pioneer aviators in 1914 at Point Cook, the club is one of Australia's oldest flying training organisations. The Austral ...

(RVAC) at

Essendon Airport Essendon Fields Airport , colloquially known by its former name Essendon Airport, is a public airport serving scheduled commercial, corporate-jet, charter and general aviation flights. It is located next to the intersection of the Tullamarin ...

, then later at

Moorabbin Moorabbin is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 15 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Moorabbin recorded a population of 6,287 at the . Most of th ...

Wangaratta Wangaratta ( ) is a city in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, from Melbourne along the Hume Highway. The city had an estimated urban population of 19,318 at June 2018. Wangaratta has recorded a population growth rate of almost 1% annually ...

Benalla Benalla is a small city located on the Broken River gateway to the High Country north-eastern region of Victoria, Australia, about north east of the state capital Melbourne. At the the population was 10,822. It is the administrative cen ...

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

Corowa Corowa is a town in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It is on the bank of the Murray River, the border between New South Wales and Victoria, opposite the Victorian town of Wahgunyah. It is the largest town in the Federation Counc ...

Shepparton Shepparton () ( Yortayorta: ''Kanny-goopna'') is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, Australia, approximately north-northeast of Melbourne. As of the 2021 census, the estimated population of Sheppart ...

Mildura Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area h ...

and

Swan Hill Swan Hill is a city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia on the Murray Valley Highway and on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River. At , Swan Hill had a population of 11,508. Indigenous Peop ...

. Goon also held Aircraft Engineer's Licence C and D grades.

Military career

Goon's military career began when in 1935, flying

Boeing P-26 Peashooter The Boeing P-26 "Peashooter" was the first American production all-metal fighter aircraft and the first pursuit monoplane to enter squadron service with the United States Army Air Corps. Designed and built by Boeing, the prototype first flew in ...

fighters with

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

's forces in the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Thea ...

alongside

Garnet Malley Garnet Francis Malley, (2 November 1892 – 20 May 1961) was an Australian fighter ace of World War I, credited with six aerial victories. He was an aviation adviser to Chiang Kai-shek's government in China during the 1930s, and an ...

, and was credited with three kills with the

Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States ...

. Goon was one of a select group of civilian instructors who taught

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF) personnel to fly. However, Goon had difficulty enlisting, as despite being born in Australia, his Chinese heritage conflicted with the RAAF decree that "all candidates of the

Empire Air Training Scheme The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Z ...

must be British subjects of pure European descent and also sons of parents both of whom are ... British subjects". Goon was eventually able to enlist via support from fellow RVAC member and then Minister for Air, the Hon.

James Fairbairn James Valentine Fairbairn (28 July 1897 – 13 August 1940) was an Australian aviator and politician. A World War I fighter pilot, he represented the United Australia Party (UAP) in federal parliament and served as Minister for Air and Civil A ...

Goon subsequently enlisted as a Pilot Officer in July, 1940 and flew a variety of aircraft including the DH 60, DH82, Avro Cadet Trainers, Miles Falcon, Oxford, Wirraway, Bell P-39 Aircobra, Curtis P40E, Waco C & D, Boeing P26A, Stinson Reliant, Kittyhawk and

CAC Boomerang The CAC Boomerang is a fighter aircraft designed and manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation between 1942 and 1945. Approved for production shortly following the Empire of Japan's entry into the Second World War, t ...

. Goon was promoted to

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

No. 83 Squadron RAAF No. 83 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force intelligence unit. It was originally formed in 1943 as a 'home defence' fighter squadron and provided air defence to several locations in Queensland, the Northern Territory and New South Wales befo ...

in August 1943. In 1945, Goon was

Mentioned in Dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

with his Citation noting:

"Squadron Leader Goon was posted to command No. 83 I/F Squadron which moved to the North Western area in January 1944. No. 83 Squadron was responsible for the protection of convoys and the shipping route from Horn Island to Darwin and the base at Gove. These shipping patrols were particularly arduous. They necessitated long flights over the seas in single engine aircraft in all weathers. Squadron Leader Goon displayed conspicuous leadership and devotion to duty and was at all times an inspiration to all personnel under his Command".

Post war career

After the war with 5,000 hours in the log book, he continued his flying career in general aviation. He also flew for the

Royal Flying Doctor Service The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote a ...

service based out of

Whyalla Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta ...

. In 1958, he became a

test pilot A test pilot is an aircraft pilot with additional training to fly and evaluate experimental, newly produced and modified aircraft with specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques.Stinton, Darrol. ''Flying Qualities and Flight Testin ...

with the

Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation The Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) was an Australian aircraft manufacturer. The CAC was established in 1936, to provide Australia with the capability to produce military aircraft and engines. History In 1935 the Chief General Manager ...

, operating

CAC Ceres The Commonwealth Aircraft CA-28 Ceres was a crop-duster aircraft manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) between 1959 and 1963. The aircraft was a development of the Wirraway trainer of World War II. Developmen ...

crop dusting aircraft and also

CAC Wirraway The CAC Wirraway (an Aboriginal word meaning "challenge") was a training and general purpose military aircraft manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) between 1939 and 1946. It was an Australian development of ...

conversions. Goon was still with RVAC in the late 1960s in the advanced training live-in college, training

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the List of airlines by foundation date, world's third-oldest airline sti ...

and

TAA Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), renamed Australian Airlines in 1986, was one of the two major Australian domestic airlines between its inception in 1946 and its merger with Qantas in September 1992. As a result of the "COBRA" (or Common Brand ...

cadets. The RVAC estimated that Goon trained over 800 pilots in peace and in war. One of his students was RAAF

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

, "Bluey" Truscott DFC & Bar. Roy Goon was also an outstanding aerobatic pilot and received Life Membership of the Australian Aerobatic Club. Roy Goon's contribution to Australia's war effort is acknowledged in the Harvest of Endurance, a 50-metre-long scroll that represents two centuries of Chinese contact with, and emigration to, Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goon, Roy Aviators from Melbourne Military personnel from Melbourne Australian World War II pilots Royal Australian Air Force officers Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Australian people of Chinese descent 1913 births 1999 deaths