Air Force carriers and training planes were flying high across the Canberra sky on Saturday, showing off for the crowds of people enjoying the Australian Defence Force Academy Open Day.
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On the ground it was a hive of activity as Canberrans flooded in to see the tanks on display, watch demonstrations like abseiling, performances by the precision drill team and military band, and see the Red Beret parachute team jumping out of a plane and landing together with "pinpoint accuracy".
The open day was a chance to see a range of displays by the Navy, Army and Air Force and learn about life at the academy. Academic information sessions were on offer, for those looking to join the Australian Defence Force.
More than 15,000 visitors attended the event, up on the 10,000 at last year's, a spokesman said.
The Commandant of the Australian Defence Force Academy, Commodore Peter Leavy said the day was a huge success.
"It was great to see the high level of interest in ADFA from around Australia and the commitment of young Australians to serve their country," Commodore Leavy said.
Midshipmen and officer cadets ran stalls throughout the day and were on hand to answer questions from the public about life, work and study at the academy.
There were flyovers by the C-130J Hercules, the latest generation of the Hercules to provide tactical and strategic transport of people, supplies, vehicles and equipment, and the Pilatus PC-21 Trainer, which has a top speed of 685km/h.
One of the many impressive ground-based displays was the infantry attack demonstration, complete with an armoured vehicle, and played out by midshipmen and officer cadets.
Another spectacular sight was the Navy clearance divers "fast-roping" from a helicopter at the parade ground.
The annual tug-of-war demonstration was held in the afternoon, providing a glimpse of the types of activities involved in the physical component of defence force training.