WorldAirPics.com Forum
Irish Related Topics => Irish Air Corps => Topic started by: Silver on November 11, 2011, 09:21:33 pm
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I recently read an article about the visit of the Learjet to this year's Malta Airshow. The article stated that the cost of sending the Learjet to the show was in the region of €10,000 (I read elsewhere that it cost c.€13,000).
As somebody interested in promoting the Air Corps I'm very much in favour of sending aircraft to foreign airshows. However it got me thinking "How far would €10,000 - €13,000 go towards paying the fuel costs of a reformed 'Silver Swallows' Display Team ?" ..(utilising the PC-9M's).
I believe a display team would have much more scope and impact when attending airshows abroad than sending a single (often static) aircraft. A display team is a great, positive way of promoting Ireland abroad, as well as providing 'esprit de corps' of the Defence Forces.
When I last suggested that the AC should put together a display team, some suggested that the then Finance Minister Brian Lenihan (RIP) would 'go through the roof' because of the extra cost/fuel used by a display team. However if c.€10k can be sanctioned to send one aircraft to Malta, I believe such an amount could also be sanctioned to fund (part fund?) a part-time display team.
If we could afford to send 5 x Fouga jets abroad a few times per year back in the recessionary-1980's, surely we could now afford to do likewise utilising 5 x turboprops?
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Wholeheartedly agree Silver. PC9 instructors should be capable of putting together a basic routine quite quickly for the first year's displays, and build on that into the future. Solo PC9 has appeared abroad flying a very good solo display (it's on YouTube), a shortened version of which could be featured in a team display, making a 12 minute display very achieveable with a modest expenditure on fuel costs.
Was a real shame that on my first visit to RIAT this year there was no AC presence at all, and its almost the shortest flying time to any air show, let alone the Daddy! False economy!
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Will we ever see a new display team formed?
Is it current lack of interest on the part of crews?
....or lack of approval from the top brass?