The Ghana Air Force (GAF) is the air force of the African nation of Ghana. The GAF, along with the Ghanaian Army and Navy, make up the armed forces of Ghana which are controlled by that nation's Ministry of Defence. An air force is a military or armed service that primarily conducts aerial warfare. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ... Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, Palace Guard, Civil Defense Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 5,045,355 (2002 est. ...

History

The GAF was founded in 1959 with direction from Indian and Israeli officers. Later that year a headquarters was established in Accra under the command of an Indian air commodore. In 1960 Royal Air Force personnel took up the task of training the newly established Ghana Air Force and in 1961 they were joined by a small group of Royal Canadian Air Force personnel. In September 1961, the Royal Air Force commander was replaced by a Ghanaian Army brigadier as part of President Kwame Nkrumah's africanization programme. At one time the Ghana Air Force was the largest sub Sahara air force. The Ghana Air Force was equipped with a Squadron of Chipmunk Trainers, and Squadrons of Beavers, Otters and Caribu Transport aircraft. In addittion a DH125 jet was bought for Kwame Nkrumah, Hughes Helicopters were bought for Mosquito spraying plus DH Doves & Herons. Whirlwind Helicopters and a Squadron of MB 326 Ground Attack / Trainer Jets were also purchased. 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The skyline Location of Accra Labadi Beach Downtown Accra Accra, population 1,970,400 (2005), is the capital of Ghana. ... An Air Commodoress sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Commodore is the fourth most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the deactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Armed Forces. ... Kwame Nkrumah (September 21, 1909 – April 27, 1972) was an African anti-colonial leader, founder and first president of the modern Ghanaian state and one of the most influential Pan-Africanists of the 20th century. ...

Organization

The GAF headquarters and main transport base are located in Accra and the Service has a strength of around 1000 personnel. Other air bases include:

• Tamale, a combat and training base.
• Takoradi, a training base.
• Kumasi, a support base.

The bank in downtown Tamale (November 1999) Tamale (pronounced ) is the capital of the Northern Region of Ghana, with a population of 305,000 (2005). ... Sekondi-Takoradi, population 335,000 (2005), is the capital of the Western Region of Ghana. ... Kumasi is the capital city of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. ...

Mission

The GAF's mission is to perform counterinsurgency operations and to provide logistical support to the Ghanaian army. However, performance has been hindered by a lack of spare parts and by poor maintenance capabilities.

Rank Structure

The GAF's rank structure is similar RAF's rank structure from where its ranks were derived.

Officers

In decending order of importance the GAF officer ranks are:

• Marshal of the Air Force
• Air Chief Marshal
• Air Marshal
• Air Vice Marshal
• Air Commodore
• Group Captain
• Wing Commander
• Squadron Leader
• Flight Lieutenant
• Flying Officer
• Pilot Officer

Marshal of the Air Force is a generic term for the most senior rank in an air force, equivalent to Field Marshal or Fleet Admiral. ... An Air Chief Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Chief Marshal is the most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force (RAF) today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... An air marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Marshal is the second most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... An Air Vice Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia An Air Vice Marshals command flag Air Vice Marshal is the third most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts... An Air Commodoress sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Commodore is the fourth most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the deactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ... A Group Captains sleeve/shoulder insignia A Group Captains command flag Group Captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ... Wing Commander (rank) is a rank in the Royal Air Force, equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel in most Armies, the Royal Marines and the United States Marine Corps. ... A Squadron Leaders sleeve/shoulder insignia Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in some air forces. ... A Flight Lieutenants sleeve/shoulder insignia Flight Lieutenant (abbreviated as Flt Lt and pronounced as flight lef-tenant, see Lieutenant) is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. ... A Flying Officers sleeve/shoulder insignia Flying Officer (Fg Off in the RAF; FLGOFF in the RAAF; FGOFF in the RNZAF; F/O in the former RCAF) is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. ... A Pilot Officers sleeve/shoulder insignia Pilot Officer (Plt Off in the RAF; PLTOFF in the RAAF and RNZAF, P/O in the former RCAF) is the lowest substantive commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries, ranking only above Acting...

Airmen

In decending order of importance the GAF airman ranks are:

• Air Warrant Officer
• Master Warrant Officer
• Warrant Officer
• Flight Sergeant
• Sergeant
• Corporal
• Lance Corporal
• Aircraftman

A Warrant Officer (WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ... Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries, police forces or other uniformed organizations around the world. ... Lance Corporal (LCpl or L/Cpl) is a military rank used by some elements of the British, Commonwealth, and U.S. armed forces. ... Aircraftman (AC) (or Aircraftwoman (ACW)) is the lowest rank in the Royal Air Force, ranking below Leading Aircraftman and having a NATO rank code of OR-1. ...

Skyvan episode

The GAF once operated six Shorts Skyvans, two of which (the G452 (SH1929) and G455 (SH1933)) had structural damage and were scrapped. The other four were sold to an Austrian Company in 2004 (SH1929, SH1930, SH1932 and SH1933). The Short Skyvan is a 19 seater twin turboprop aircraft usage: short haul freight and parachute dropping See also:List of civil aircraft Related Content Comparable Aircraft Antonov An-28 - Farchild Dornier 228 - DHC-6 Twin Otter - IAI Arava- GAF Nomad - Harbin Y-12 External link Pink Aviation Services, Austria... Motto: none Anthem: Land der Berge, Land am Strome (Land of Mountains, Land on the River) Capital Vienna Largest city Vienna Official language(s) German (official) Slovenian (reg. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 2004: Events January 2 - Several British Airways flights from London Heathrow Airport to Washington D.C. and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia are cancelled due to security fears. ...

Ghana is a poor nation, so the GAF cannot afford to maintain its small fleet of airplanes due to lack of spare parts. It has experienced difficulty in obtaining spares due to an unusual attitude to business partners. There is a rumor that Headquarters Logistics is trying to put already sold aircraft again on tender.

References

• All Refer - Ghana Military Training
• A site created by the Skyvan purchaser describing the sale