Flying Officer David Bastick and the Panthers

By Nicholas Egan

We at the VWMA are pleased to present another gifted photo album. Thanks to his daughter, Susan, we have been donated a fantastic collection of photographs and documents related to Flying Officer David Bastick.

Susan told us that even as a small boy, David dreamed of flying, and when he was old enough, he was given the opportunity, being admitted into the No. 46 Pilots Course at the Flight Training School at Point Cook, Victoria, in 1962.

As a pilot, David was a member of the Royal Australian Air Force aerobatic team, 'The Panthers' that flew CAC 27 Sabre's. David's teammates were FLGOFF Geoff Warrener, PLTOFF Geoff Coleman, and later Dennis Robertson and Ian Burke.

No. 76 Squadron formed the 'Black Panthers' in November 1964 and flew initially as a 4-ship and then with a solo until December 1965. The name came from 76SQN’s recently-approved heraldic badge. 'Black Panther' aircraft maintained the 76SQN red intake ring, red wingtips, and also had a red fuselage band and a leaping black panther on the forward fuselage. The team flew with inert Sidewinder missiles, as these added drag and kept the minimum engine RPM above the acceleration control unit (ACU) operating range for better throttle response.

David Bastick flew as part of the team in the 'Slot' position, which meant that he flew behind the other planes when in formation.

The 'Panthers' team participated in a number of air shows and demonstrations, including one spectacular occasion where the team flew over Sydney Harbour.

Later on, in 1966-1967, David served during the Vietnam War as a Flying Officer with the No. 79 Squadron, based out of Ubon, Northern Thailand.

After the war, David felt that he needed to leave the RAAF in order to continue flying rather than having a desk job, and he was happily able to work as a pilot in a number of different contexts for the rest of his working life.

David passed away from cancer in Cairns, Queensland, at the age of 77. He is survived by his children: Jennifer Ryan (Nee Bastick), Mark Bastick, and Susan Bastick.

A massive thank you again to Susan and her siblings for allowing us to share their father's story; they clearly had a strong connection with him and are proud of his service.

Special thanks to volunteer Warren Melling for his expertise in the digitisation and curation of the Bastick collection.

You can view the full photo album HERE

RAAF aerobatic team 'The Panthers' (DPR RAAF stock shots)
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/F10390

Susan Bastick with Nicholas Egan