Wg. Cmdr. Robert Gibbes, Deputy Wing Leader No. 80 Wing RAAF, Sattler Field, Northern Territory, 1944 - Pilot: Robert Gibbes achieved no victories in this MkVIII due to the dearth of enemy activity in the area. Squadron Leader Gibbes had returned to Australia in 1944 and flew Spitfire Mk. VIIIs in the Southwest Pacific until the end of the war. After flying for various private concerns after the war, he established Gibbes Sepik Airways in January 1948 and began operations out of New Guinea with surplus war aircraft. For the next 10 years, his airline played an important role in the exploration and development of the Sepik River and central highlands of this area.