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50 Years of helicopter operations

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  • 50 Years of helicopter operations

    Today marks 50 years since the first delivery of the first Alouette 3 helicopters to Baldonnel. Having been involved in 14 years of the operations there, I would like to congratulate all of those who have ever been involved in making No 3 Ops Wing a highly entertaining, productive and effective unit to work with.

    Well done to those techs, retired and serving for all the bodges, workarounds, swearing at bent helicopters returned by young pilots, general tomfoolery, great craic, patience and commitment to getting all of the beasts airborne. Notwithstanding the cold days on the ramp, in various locations around the country, in the rain, snow, sleet and storms doing dailys, covered in grease from the aircraft and last night's chip butty grease from (insert border location eatery here).

    Congrats to the support personnel, drivers, ops staff, loggies, refuellers and sigs magicians who shared in the deployed ops and without whom 50 years would have been a lot more boring and indeed less productive if not impossible.

    To the pilots. Well done. Keep bringing them back. And it was better in my day. That is all.

    And a thought for those who would have loved to see this day and what the unit has become, but have moved on to the various messes in the sky, no doubt to laugh at current endeavors and wryly comment 'It was better in our day'... we miss you. Keep one in the taps for me.

    Safe flying to all involved for another 50 years!

  • #2
    And let's now forget many lives saved, DSMs awarded and lives lost.

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    • #3
      Twenty two DSMs awarded to helicopter air crew.

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      • #4
        Well done, Heli Flight. If you're good, we'll let you go to the 100 years of tech Wing in 2022;-)

        regards
        GttC

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        • #5
          A picture taken this day fifty years ago just after Alouette's 195 and 196 flew to Baldonnel from France.



          The first helicopter the Air Corps used was an Alouette II, F-BIRX and was used to train pilots to fly helicopters.
          Attached Files

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Rhodes View Post
            The first helicopter the Air Corps used was an Alouette II, F-BIRX and was used to train pilots to fly helicopters.
            A picture of F-BIRX post on Facebook today by the Air Corps.

            Attached Files

            Comment


            • #7
              Irish Defence Forces unit marks 50 years' service


              Air Corps formation flight of Gazelle, Alouette and Dauphin Helicopters over Blessington lakes in December 2005. The historic photograph of the different helicopters operated by the Air Corps was taken by the Eurocopter EC 135 just after ins arrival in November 2005.

              The most decorated wing of the Defence Forces has marked five decades of active service with a now and then review of operations.

              More than 2,300 search and rescue operations and 4,000 air ambulance missions have been carried out since the first helicopter touched down at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, 50 years ago today.

              A French trawler floundering off the west coast of Ireland sparked the country's first sea and rescue mission on December 23 1966.

              Fast forwarding five decades, elite Army Rangers marked the anniversary with a dramatic display of fast roping 30ft from an AW139 over the Curragh Camp in darkness.

              The men and women of No 3 Operations Wing have saved countless lives over the years and are said to be a testament to the Air Corps' motto Forfaire agus Tairiseact (Watchful and Loyal).

              Commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Clancy, said the unit's heroism has been repeated continuously over the years.

              "This unit is the most decorated unit in the Defence Forces," said Lt Col Clancy.


              A historic photo of a Air Ambulance mission with a Alouette III. Over the years the air ambulance equipment has got more sophisticated and the modern helicopters are equipped with lifeport stretchers capable of supplying the patient with an oxygen and power supply during transport.


              The Air Corps' six AW139 in a formation flight over Blessington lakes shortly after the final two helicopters arrived in Baldonnel in December 2006. Sent Air Corps.


              Helicopters have the ability to rapidly access remote and hazardous areas. For this reason the Military use them for casualty evacuation from battlezones. Members of the Defence Forces travelling overseas need to know how to operate with helicopters in these situations and this photograph show members training for a casualty evacuation with a Eurocopter EC135 before deploying on an overseas mission.

              "In a period of 50 years, 22 distinguished service medals have been awarded.

              "There have been eight marine medals awards to individuals and we have been recognised by the French, American and UK populations for our services to citizens of those countries."

              A search and rescue pilot for most of his career, Lt Col Clancy was awarded a Department of Marine Meritorious Medal for his role in a dangerous rescue mission in March 2002.

              He revealed that lives being lost at sea, and snow storms in the winters of 1962 and 1963, sparked the political decision to buy two Alouette III helicopters, which were flown from France to Baldonnel.

              Within three weeks a crew on board an Alouette III helicopter were called out to a stricken vessel off Slyne Head, Co Galway. Stranded in bad weather, the trawler was eventually located and towed back to port.

              The first air ambulance was flown in February 1964.

              For almost 45 years the reliable fleet, which expanded to eight Alouette IIIs, was used to transport troops, for border control, reaching the islands off the west coast, and as air ambulances - so tight for space the patient's head often rested between the pilot and crewman.


              Other aircraft bought over the decades included the Gazelle, Dauphin, Puma and EC135s until the arrival of six 6.5 tonne AW139s that support the Defence Forces by transporting troops, carrying 2.2 tonnes of heavy equipment, and dignitaries. Members also fly two Garda Air Support EC 135s.

              The fleet can also be quickly transformed in to an air ambulance - with an incubator for newborns - or cleared for search and rescue operations over land or sea.

              High profile operations in recent years include tackling the gorse fires in Donegal by dropping millions of litres of water from 'bambi buckets', and reaching communities and livestock in Northern Ireland trapped in heavy snow.

              Lt Col Clancy commended the technical advances in recent years, in particular being able to operate at night with night vision goggles on national and international air ambulance transfers

              But he described the Alouette III - an analogue single engine, single pilot helicopter - as a workhorse and one of the best helicopters ever built.

              He said each crews has several stories from over the years, some funny, sad, and some tragic.

              "We all have those kinds of events that mark our lives," he added.

              "I spent 16 tears flying search and rescue myself; there were many many journeys I took with different people over that time."

              He paid tribute to fallen colleagues who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and those who survived some of the most difficult rescues ever seen, in particular four men on two Alouettes who completed a difficult night rescue on Muckish Mountain in Co Donegal in August 1977 by one shining a light down on the other.

              "We have a motto here, That Others May Live ," Lt Col Clancy added.

              "It's that motto that these people have exemplified and lived through their actions."
              The most decorated wing of the Defence Forces has marked five decades of active service with a now and then review of operations.

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              • #8
                Air Corps celebrates 50 years of Defence Forces helicopters

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                • #9
                  "4 Eurocopters"? 2 more must have slipped in while I was lookin the other way....
                  "We will hold out until our last bullet is spent. Could do with some whiskey"
                  Radio transmission, siege of Jadotville DR Congo. September 1961.
                  Illegitimi non carborundum

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Turkey View Post
                    "4 Eurocopters"? 2 more must have slipped in while I was lookin the other way....
                    The other two are GASU.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Rhodes View Post
                      The other two are GASU.
                      Yeah, not Air Corps...
                      "We will hold out until our last bullet is spent. Could do with some whiskey"
                      Radio transmission, siege of Jadotville DR Congo. September 1961.
                      Illegitimi non carborundum

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Turkey View Post
                        Yeah, not Air Corps...
                        They're operated by the Air Corps and have Air Corps numbers.

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                        • #13
                          Has to be the most decorated unit in the DF

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by DeV View Post
                            Has to be the most decorated unit in the DF

                            http://source.southdublinlibraries.i..._Citations.pdf
                            Read post #7.

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                            • #15
                              No mention of the "Garda" Puma.


                              Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

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