SAR Topcover

[Pure Hover]

Ah quit your whinging and get on with the job. Top Cover was available and provided. The CASA was on another mission. Big deal. This is a military forum where members are well used to not having everything in place as they'd like it but you don't hear half as much grief from them.

[DeV]

Generally flying officer are of Comdt rank and below. There is an establishment of 149 Lt/Capt/Comdt in the AC (that includes non-pilots (eg engineers, ATC, line etc).

Not sure how many are pilots but I wonder how any operator would cope with
(a) being 21% undermanned in the above ranks
(b) being 13% undermanned across all ranks

[Rhodes]

On the comms issue, the S92 has the following comms fit: FM marine, VHF air band, UHF, HF, satcom and Tetra. For flight following there is also satellite tracking and AIS.
Can you tell me where there is an issue with the comms fit?

If there was no issue with comms they why did they call the Air Corps and ask them to provide a "comms link" as you call it?

To suggest that requests are put in only when there is knowledge of them being unavailable is laughable!!
To achieve this firstly there has to be a mole in No 1 Support wing! Then to support that thought process CG crews must also be involved only accepting long range jobs with the knowledge that there will be no support. It's a bit too much conspiracy theory to be honest.

The Coast Guard know exactly when the Casa's are available as they request and are given that information every week and have been doing so for years.

[Meatbomb]

It was just a comms link that they provided, not top cover by defination. Had the 92 ditched there would have been nothing the Lear could have done, they wouldn't even be able to say where the 92 went in.
This thread is 4 years old, same story, same replies.

[Rhodes]

It was just a comms link that they provided, not top cover by defination.

So CHC aircraft cant make contact with Coast Guard bases on land when operating in the Irish SAR region despite being €523 million. If they cant do the job theyre being paid to do the should be sacked or sued if not both by the DoT.

[ropebag]

So CHC aircraft cant make contact with Coast Guard bases on land when operating in the Irish SAR region despite being €523 million. If they cant do the job theyre being paid to do the should be sacked or sued if not both by the DoT.

perhaps the €523m contract didn't include the offered 'change the laws of physics' option?

[na grohmiti]

Thought they were going to do their own top cover, which is why we are paying for an extra helicopter..

[danno]

It was just a comms link that they provided, not top cover by defination. Had the 92 ditched there would have been nothing the Lear could have done, they wouldn't even be able to say where the 92 went in.
This thread is 4 years old, same story, same replies.

Would have expected the 92 to have an epirb on a hru.

[Rhodes]

Injured fisherman airlifted to hospital from ship 230 miles off coast of Co Sligo

In a successful Defence Forces operation, an Air Corps CASA aircraft provided search and rescue cover for a medical evacuation


The Air Corps Casa Aircraft

An injured fisherman was airlifted to hospital from a ship 230 miles off the coast of Sligo this morning.

In a successful Defence Forces operation, an Air Corps CASA aircraft provided search and rescue cover for a medical evacuation from the vessel floating northwest of the county at 5.30am on Sunday morning.

The aircraft left Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Dublin at that time after a request from the coast guard for assistance in a winching operation.

The plane arrived overhead of the ship, ahead of the rescue helicopter, near the uninhabited remote granite islet of Rockall at 7am.


CASA in full flight

The Air Corps crew used their maritime surveillance and communications equipment to assist the Coast Guard helicopter which arrived on scene at 11.50 am.

They winched the casualty to safety under the watchful eye of the CASA aircraft.

The rescue team then co-ordinated with Air Traffic control and the coast guard for a speedy transfer of the patient from Sligo airport to the nearest hospital.

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/injured-fisherman-airlifted-hospital-ship-4512213

[Meatbomb]

The crews of R118 and R115 were very grateful to the Casa crew for their assistance. It shows how useful the Casa is for the TC role. The story doesn't do them justice. After R118 aborted the initial lift due to the sea state they returned to Donegal airport for refuel with the intention of routing back for first light. At that stage the Casa crew opted to remain airborne and ended up remaining on scene for quite a long time! The decision was then made to task R115 to the vessel due to 118 being up all night (that was their second call that night and they had a busy afternoon the day before)

[DeV]

Question has been asked before why the CASAs aren't 24/7 declared SAR assets?!

Current strength (latest An Cosantoir):
9 X P1s available (only 2 fulltime pilots with the Sqn)
15 X P2s available (only 2 fulltime Pilots with the Sqn)
10 X SAROs

[na grohmiti]

Not enough Aircraft. You want more that 2 to ensure 24 hour cover. Coastguard have 5 helis over 4 bases to do so. Ideally you want enough aircraft available so that if one is on a call, a second is available for additional calls or to allow crew change, refuelling etc. Fixed wing SAR is rarely a short spin.

[DeV]

Not enough Aircraft. You want more that 2 to ensure 24 hour cover. Coastguard have 5 helis over 4 bases to do so. Ideally you want enough aircraft available so that if one is on a call, a second is available for additional calls or to allow crew change, refuelling etc. Fixed wing SAR is rarely a short spin.

No point buying more if we can't crew the ones we have

[na grohmiti]

Aircraft availibility influences crew training. Lack of crew training influences crew retention.
Nobody joins the aircorps to be a non flying pilot.

[DeV]

U.K. style

https://www.aerosociety.com/news/king-airs-to-the-rescue/