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  • Disband the Aircorps.

    - An Independent Air Corps is a waste of resources. Discuss.

    Some proposals.

    -Get the A/C to hand in their blue uniforms and revert to being part of the Army.

    -Hand over the SAR and Fishery Protection roles to private contractors working for the relevant department (marine) directly.
    Do the same with MATS and GASU.

    -Sell Baldonnel for a king's ransom. Relocate to a regional airport and set up necessary buildings there. Reinvest remainder.

    -The new Army Air Corps can become something like the airwing of the USMC, wearing dpms, operating both suitable fixed wing and rotary aircraft in support of the military operations.

  • #2
    So the aircraft operated on behalf of the Garda will fall under Garda jurisdiction then?
    "Everyone's for a free Tibet, but no one's for freeing Tibet." -Mark Steyn. What an IMO-centric quote, eh?

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    • #3
      Outsourcing services is a must, but any of the ideas no matter how tempting must be looked at in the light of official and unofficial policy, its doubtful whether an army aviation wing would be any better funded than the current "independent" corps.
      The likely outcome of a downgrading of the corps would be reduced funding over all.
      "It is a general popular error to imagine that loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for it's welfare" Edmund Burke

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      • #4
        sounds like a good idea. it would mean more money for equipment for the real soldiers:flagwave: :flagwave: :flagwave: :flagwave: :flagwave:

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        • #5
          1. The Air Corps is part of the Army. Should they chose to go around in pink tutus, that fact remains the same.

          2. Any job that doesn't involve bombing/strafing targets for the infantry or transporting soldiers someplace should be left to the civvies.

          3. Flog Baldonnel and attach an airbase to a couple of regional airports. Many of them could do with the business.

          4. Buy aircraft. Lots of aircraft.
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          • #6
            Flog Baldonnel and attach an airbase to a couple of regional airports. Many of them could do with the business.

            Bad idea. That way you lose the coherence and synergies you get with having all your gear and people in one place (Finner/Sligo aside obviously).

            On Baldonnel, lease a part of it sure, use those runways for something else other than just Cessnas, but the HQ should remain there. A lot of the active units could move alright, but they should go to one place, and Shannon seems like an obvious condidate, if for nothing other than political reasons. Its where the MPAs should always have been for a start.

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            • #7
              I think selling Baldonnel is a must. Ryanair would buy it in a heart beat. The SAR wing of the air corps should be on the west coast.

              Army - Dublin
              Navy - Cork
              A/C - Galway sounds good to me.

              I don't think I can come down on the side of disbanding the AC but it can't be left as it is.

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              • #8
                The Casa spends much of its time in Cork Airport, Shannon is actually quite far from the coast. It would make sense to base the Maritime squadron(or whatever they call themselves today) At Cork airport,as a unit of the Naval service. The Civvies seem to be doing a good job with SAR,and until the AC are equipped better than them it should remain that way. Until the AC is in a position to competitively tender for the dept of marine contract,then they are wasting their time at SAR.
                The Gardai never wanted air corps pilots. can you imagine how useful a patrol car would be if it had an army driver at the wheel? This is effectively what the AC are doing with the GASU. The only involvement they should have operationally is perhaps training GARDA pilots. Contract out MATS also,leave whats left to a proper army air corps,belonging to the army.
                Make Baldonell civilian/military..Ryanair would be delighted to use the VIP reception as a terminal..Leave military and government aircraft repair in the vast hangars.


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

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                • #9
                  Is Baldonell any use for fixed wing aircraft. I remember reading somewhere that its runways were breaking so that the government jet couldn't take off from it. Has this been resolved.

                  My reasons for thinking we should sell Baldonell is for the same reasons why the government is looking at its Dublin barraks. The real estate is worth too much right now. If MATS were outsouced (to RyanAir ) then we really wouldn't need an A/C base near the seat of government

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                  • #10
                    An intelligent discussion on the future of the AC? Surely this can't be happening. I've hardly read one comment or sugestion that I disagree with.

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                    • #11
                      OK, another point.

                      If the Air Corps relocated to a civilian airport, they could use civilian airfield management, firefighting and possibly maintenance staff (possibly using the British system of sponsored reserves) This would free up a lot of personnel/money to reallocate to more operational duties.

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                      • #12
                        All good ideas, but I still wouldnt trust the state to pass any savings onto the DF.
                        "It is a general popular error to imagine that loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for it's welfare" Edmund Burke

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                        • #13
                          Probably not but I'm sure a reorg in the Air Corps cannot be too far away. And the government will be looking for more service for less money.

                          Maybe dual airport use can be done with the breakup of Aer Rianta. Shannon or Cork might make a bid to host the AC that makes it too difficult to turn down.

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                          • #14
                            If MATS were outsouced (to RyanAir ) then we really wouldn't need an A/C base near the seat of government

                            1) A country the size of Ireland does not need a MATS in the first place,
                            2) If we needed a MATS service it should be based at dublin Airport which is closer to the seat of government and is stopping there now
                            3) the gov hits the DF(including the AC) when ever the budget gets tight but still needs new planes for MATS ? does this make sence to any body else.

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                            • #15
                              Sorry, went off the topic there,

                              In my view the AC should not be disbanded but its role and the resources it requires to carry out that role should be discussed at gov level, surely out of embaressment at what several different goverments have allowed to happen to the AC they would invest some resourses that are needed.

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