 The Australian Flying Corps ( AFC ) was established as part of the Commonwealth Military Forces in 1912 , prior to the formation of the Australian Military Forces in 1916 and was later separated in 1921 to form the Royal Australian Air Force , making it the second oldest air force in the world . Regardless , the service branches were not linked by a single chain of command however , and each reported to their own minister and had separate administrative arrangements and government departments . 
