31
Irish Air Corps / Air Corps Fire & Rescue vehicle pictures request
« on: January 04, 2005, 11:49:22 pm »
What about this one from military.ie ?
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32
Air Corps Careers / Air Corps Life
« on: December 16, 2004, 07:06:07 pm »
Life Magazine, Sunday Independent 12/12/04
Captain Jim Gavin, 33, is chief flying instructor of the Flying Training School in the Irish Air Corps College at Baldonnel Casement Aerodrome. He is from Clondalkin and lives with his wife Jennifer, an air hostess with Aer Lingus, in the centre of Dublin
I get up at about 7am. I'm not too bad at that hour, because with the military you're regimented to get up in the morning. All pilots will have two alarm clocks, in case one doesn't work. In the flying school, you have to be very precise with time - there's no clock five minutes fast. But my wife does that, which kind of irritates me a bit. I can't get my head around that concept. She puts it five minutes fast, so she thinks she's five
minutes early, but invariably she's late anyway, so it doesn't seem to work.
I'm first up in the morning. I have tea, toast, cereal and some fruit. I shave every morning. Personal appearance and hygiene is important in the military context. You become accustomed to it after so many years. Before, I would have had longer hair and my mother would have done the cleaning for me, but you
learn to be self-sustaining.
I go to work in civvies and change into my uniform work. I'd polish my boots there. As the chief flying instructor, I have to schedule the flights for the day. We work on a two week programme, so we have an integrated training plan. We teach the pilots how to fly - how to climb, how to descend. Then we teach them aerobatics - loops and rolls, spinning the aircraft, stalling the aircraft. How control the aircraft at minimum speed, at maximum speed, and then we'll have some navigational exercises where they'll use a map and navigate themselves around the country. If they've never flown before, they'll need to fly six hours in aPC9 simulator. This is a one-to-one representation of what's actually the cockpit. So the pilot would climb in, get his G-suit, his helmet and his mask on. The G- suit is like a pair of pants with a hose on it which connects to the pneumatic system on the aircraft. In our Pilatus PC9 aircraft it can sustain up to plus 7G and down to minus 4G.
Every year we take in six cadets. All it requires is the basic standard for university education -3CIs and a European language. We look for well- rounded individuals who like to work in a team environment and have good leadership skills. They're sent down tothe Curragh for eight months and introduced to basic military life – foot drills, section tactics, military manoeuvres and some firearms. When they come back, they're itching to fly.
We teach Airline 1ransport Pilot Licensing, which is the highest level of theoretical knowledge that any pilot can study. The exams are tough enough but they've all been selected to pass. We haven't yet had a student who has failed. With the cadets' programme they stay on the aerodrome throughout the year. They're let out one night a week with a curfew at 23.59 hours, and they're off at weekends, but they must report back to base at 23.59 hours on Sunday.
We've very strict guidelines in the military about what you can drink. There's no tolerance of drugs in the Defence Forces, and if it comes up you're probably looking at a discharge. It can't be tolerated, particularly where there are weapons aircraft. As for flying, 12 hours before a flight you're allowed half a glass of wine with a meal. There's no deviation from this.
Most days I'll teach in the mornings, have lunch around 12.30,and then in the afternoons I will go flying with the students, to see how they're doing. Before they fly, we ask if they're fit to fly. This doesn't just mean are they physically fit. It means are they fit mentally, and not we don't want them flying. They might have a bit of trouble with the girlfriend or someone in their family is sick, and if they're not on form they're no benefit to me.
We concentrate highly on airmanship - that's the mental process pre-flight,during the flight and post-flight. Not only do we want good stick-pilots, need them to have a good mental capacity as well. In an emergency don't jump in and start pulling switches and moving levers. Instead we want them to analyse the situation, prioritise and then act.
I grew up in Clondalkin, close to the aerodrome, and I was always fascinated by planes. The flight path to one of the approaches was over my school, and on the final approach the aircraft used to turn over my house. As a boy I had toy planes and mother bought me all the flight magazines. I liked the military camaraderie you see in films, and I enjoyed watching the Silver Swallows doing formation flying. They were spectacular. I thought that was where I'd get abuzz, and when I joined the Air Corps I wasn't disappointed.
If you want to fly an aircraft and get comfortably paid, the money is in commercial aviation, but we're here for a purpose, to serve the State. It's probably an old concept which has been lost in the economic climate. We're here to serve the country and proud to do so. There's a sense of togetherness about it. I still get a great buzz out of flying. If you're at the top of your game you feel at one with the aircraft. There are some lovely cloud formations, cumulus in particular -they're like cotton wool and beautiful to fly around. You get a great sense of freedom. It could be foggy in Baldonnel but above the clouds there's none of that. As we say, the sun always shines in our office.
In conversation with Ciara Dwyer
Captain Jim Gavin, 33, is chief flying instructor of the Flying Training School in the Irish Air Corps College at Baldonnel Casement Aerodrome. He is from Clondalkin and lives with his wife Jennifer, an air hostess with Aer Lingus, in the centre of Dublin
I get up at about 7am. I'm not too bad at that hour, because with the military you're regimented to get up in the morning. All pilots will have two alarm clocks, in case one doesn't work. In the flying school, you have to be very precise with time - there's no clock five minutes fast. But my wife does that, which kind of irritates me a bit. I can't get my head around that concept. She puts it five minutes fast, so she thinks she's five
minutes early, but invariably she's late anyway, so it doesn't seem to work.
I'm first up in the morning. I have tea, toast, cereal and some fruit. I shave every morning. Personal appearance and hygiene is important in the military context. You become accustomed to it after so many years. Before, I would have had longer hair and my mother would have done the cleaning for me, but you
learn to be self-sustaining.
I go to work in civvies and change into my uniform work. I'd polish my boots there. As the chief flying instructor, I have to schedule the flights for the day. We work on a two week programme, so we have an integrated training plan. We teach the pilots how to fly - how to climb, how to descend. Then we teach them aerobatics - loops and rolls, spinning the aircraft, stalling the aircraft. How control the aircraft at minimum speed, at maximum speed, and then we'll have some navigational exercises where they'll use a map and navigate themselves around the country. If they've never flown before, they'll need to fly six hours in aPC9 simulator. This is a one-to-one representation of what's actually the cockpit. So the pilot would climb in, get his G-suit, his helmet and his mask on. The G- suit is like a pair of pants with a hose on it which connects to the pneumatic system on the aircraft. In our Pilatus PC9 aircraft it can sustain up to plus 7G and down to minus 4G.
Every year we take in six cadets. All it requires is the basic standard for university education -3CIs and a European language. We look for well- rounded individuals who like to work in a team environment and have good leadership skills. They're sent down tothe Curragh for eight months and introduced to basic military life – foot drills, section tactics, military manoeuvres and some firearms. When they come back, they're itching to fly.
We teach Airline 1ransport Pilot Licensing, which is the highest level of theoretical knowledge that any pilot can study. The exams are tough enough but they've all been selected to pass. We haven't yet had a student who has failed. With the cadets' programme they stay on the aerodrome throughout the year. They're let out one night a week with a curfew at 23.59 hours, and they're off at weekends, but they must report back to base at 23.59 hours on Sunday.
We've very strict guidelines in the military about what you can drink. There's no tolerance of drugs in the Defence Forces, and if it comes up you're probably looking at a discharge. It can't be tolerated, particularly where there are weapons aircraft. As for flying, 12 hours before a flight you're allowed half a glass of wine with a meal. There's no deviation from this.
Most days I'll teach in the mornings, have lunch around 12.30,and then in the afternoons I will go flying with the students, to see how they're doing. Before they fly, we ask if they're fit to fly. This doesn't just mean are they physically fit. It means are they fit mentally, and not we don't want them flying. They might have a bit of trouble with the girlfriend or someone in their family is sick, and if they're not on form they're no benefit to me.
We concentrate highly on airmanship - that's the mental process pre-flight,during the flight and post-flight. Not only do we want good stick-pilots, need them to have a good mental capacity as well. In an emergency don't jump in and start pulling switches and moving levers. Instead we want them to analyse the situation, prioritise and then act.
I grew up in Clondalkin, close to the aerodrome, and I was always fascinated by planes. The flight path to one of the approaches was over my school, and on the final approach the aircraft used to turn over my house. As a boy I had toy planes and mother bought me all the flight magazines. I liked the military camaraderie you see in films, and I enjoyed watching the Silver Swallows doing formation flying. They were spectacular. I thought that was where I'd get abuzz, and when I joined the Air Corps I wasn't disappointed.
If you want to fly an aircraft and get comfortably paid, the money is in commercial aviation, but we're here for a purpose, to serve the State. It's probably an old concept which has been lost in the economic climate. We're here to serve the country and proud to do so. There's a sense of togetherness about it. I still get a great buzz out of flying. If you're at the top of your game you feel at one with the aircraft. There are some lovely cloud formations, cumulus in particular -they're like cotton wool and beautiful to fly around. You get a great sense of freedom. It could be foggy in Baldonnel but above the clouds there's none of that. As we say, the sun always shines in our office.
In conversation with Ciara Dwyer
33
Irish Air Corps / Happy Christmas 2005
« on: December 16, 2004, 06:26:08 pm »
Merry Christmas to the board members and the members of the Defences forces on land, sea and air.
35
Irish Air Corps / The PC-9's go active
« on: December 06, 2004, 07:21:05 pm »
There was a lady on, who lives near Gormo wondering what was going on with planes firing near the beach. But she was impressed with the display aerobatics!
Edit: He didnt say how many were involved, just said they [Pilatus PC-9] were being tested.
Edit: He didnt say how many were involved, just said they [Pilatus PC-9] were being tested.
36
Irish Air Corps / The PC-9's go active
« on: December 06, 2004, 03:19:01 pm »
According to a commandant from the press office, speaking on the Gerry Ryan Show this morning, it has 2 x 12.7mm machine guns and 2 x 2.75" Rocket pods
37
Irish Air Corps / Who are you and what do you do?
« on: November 19, 2004, 10:16:43 pm »
Im an NUIG student, hoping to apply for the IAC this year!
39
Air Corps Careers / Cadetships 2005
« on: October 13, 2004, 05:38:48 pm »| Quote (matt_k @ 05 Aug. 2004,15:34) |
| Does anyone know when the next cadet competition begins?? |
The military.ie website has been undated stating:
"Next Competition will be advertised in the National Media in January 2005."
40
Irish Air Corps / Radar coverage ?
« on: October 12, 2004, 10:32:59 am »
Quoting from the same article in the air defence thread:
..."military radar cover is virtually non-existent on the west coast. meaning a hijacked plane could e across Ireland and heading for Sellafield within 10 minutes - before we even knew it was overhead"
..."military radar cover is virtually non-existent on the west coast. meaning a hijacked plane could e across Ireland and heading for Sellafield within 10 minutes - before we even knew it was overhead"
41
Irish Air Corps / Ireland's air defence -
« on: October 11, 2004, 10:09:40 pm »
Did anyone else read the article in Ireland on Sunday last? Written by Tom Prendeville, titled "What a disaster". Its basically an article of how unprepared Ireland is, in the event of different types of attacks.
Some paragraphs that might be of interest to this thread!
...in the event of any sort of air attack, we have not got one air-worthy fighter jet and we would have to rely on outdated ground-to-air missiles - or unbelievably, an officer brandishing a service revolver from the open door of a surveillance helicopter...
...Hard as it is to believe, the Air Corps aerodromes at Baldonnel and Gormanstown have no aircraft with an on-board armaments
...'We have no facilities at all to sramble jets. None of our fleet of seven trainer jets, two fishery patrol craft and eight helicopters have missile defences on board machine guns of any kind' admitted John Nolan, a Department of Defence.
...The only anti-aircraft weapons system the army has in its possession is the sophosticated L70 ground-to-air missile system. It is more suited, however, to protecting static poisitions from potential air attack...
...On that, the defence forces source added: 'If the worse came to the worst, the luckless citizens of our east coast would have to rely on an armed officer on board a Garda Squirrel sureveillance helicopter brandishing his service revolver and firing at a rouge 747 jet hurtling across the open sky at 500 miles an hour. Its the ultimate Bruce Willis scnario but, outlandish as it seems thats what it amounts to. Our only tangible defence is the RAF intercepting the aircraft in time or a British-based ground missile battery hitting the target'
Some paragraphs that might be of interest to this thread!
...in the event of any sort of air attack, we have not got one air-worthy fighter jet and we would have to rely on outdated ground-to-air missiles - or unbelievably, an officer brandishing a service revolver from the open door of a surveillance helicopter...
...Hard as it is to believe, the Air Corps aerodromes at Baldonnel and Gormanstown have no aircraft with an on-board armaments
...'We have no facilities at all to sramble jets. None of our fleet of seven trainer jets, two fishery patrol craft and eight helicopters have missile defences on board machine guns of any kind' admitted John Nolan, a Department of Defence.
...The only anti-aircraft weapons system the army has in its possession is the sophosticated L70 ground-to-air missile system. It is more suited, however, to protecting static poisitions from potential air attack...
...On that, the defence forces source added: 'If the worse came to the worst, the luckless citizens of our east coast would have to rely on an armed officer on board a Garda Squirrel sureveillance helicopter brandishing his service revolver and firing at a rouge 747 jet hurtling across the open sky at 500 miles an hour. Its the ultimate Bruce Willis scnario but, outlandish as it seems thats what it amounts to. Our only tangible defence is the RAF intercepting the aircraft in time or a British-based ground missile battery hitting the target'
42
Air Corps News / Radioactive cargo
« on: October 05, 2004, 03:41:40 pm »
The government has dispatched the Coast Guard and the Air Corps to insure that ships carrying weapons-grade plutonium do not pass through Irish territorial waters, although it does not know the ships’ location.
The shipment, which is in transit from the US port of Charleston to Cherbourg in France, is believed to have passed within 150 miles of the Irish coast in recent days.
A spokesman from the department of the environment said the government had received assurances from the US and France that the two vessels would remain in international waters.
“The Coast Guard and the Air Corps have been dispatched, but we have no reason to believe that the assurances we have had are false. There isn’t any reason to go through Irish waters to get from the US to France.”
The government had not been given the co-ordinates of the ships, he said, and did not know when they would be at their nearest point to Irish shores.
“Normally those sort of details about the route and when the vessels will berth are not given for security reasons.”
The leader of the Green Party, Mr. Trevor Sargent, welcomed the Government’s decision to deploy its forces to monitor the coastline, but he has said it was still relying too heavily on diplomatic assurances.
“I’m not happy that the Government seems to see this as an isolated incident. Under the current plans, 34 tonnes of nuclear material is due to be shipped.”
The cargo of 134kg of plutonium oxide taken from the warheads of US missiles will be reprocessed in France into nuclear reactor fuel before being shipped back to the US next year. The radioactive cargo is being transported on ships owned by British Nuclear fuels.
“Nuclear waste shipments from the US to Europe must be discontinued as they are not only a deadly hazard in themselves but they herald a whole new generation of nuclear reactors using MOX fuel made for weapons grade plutonium,” Mr Sargent said.
The potential dangers which the nuclear flotilla posed should not be underestimated, he said.
“Fire on a plutonium shipment would result in a radioactive cloud, hundreds of square kilometres large, in a matter of hours. An accident could lead to plutonium fallout in Ireland”
Meanwhile, the anti-nuclear activists arrested on Sunday after they entered a military exclusion zone near the military facilitates at Cherbourg port have been released.
The activists were part of a Greenpeace-organised flotilla, which was awaiting the arrival of the armed nuclear convoy.
The French former Round the World yacht race winner, Eugene Riguidel, Mr. Jon Castle form Guernsey and a Swedish protester Ms Pernilla Svenberg, were released at 11 a.m. yesterday after spending the night in a French prison.
The three have been charged with trespassing on a military base and are due to appear in court in November.
Olivia Kelly
Irish Times - 5th October.
The shipment, which is in transit from the US port of Charleston to Cherbourg in France, is believed to have passed within 150 miles of the Irish coast in recent days.
A spokesman from the department of the environment said the government had received assurances from the US and France that the two vessels would remain in international waters.
“The Coast Guard and the Air Corps have been dispatched, but we have no reason to believe that the assurances we have had are false. There isn’t any reason to go through Irish waters to get from the US to France.”
The government had not been given the co-ordinates of the ships, he said, and did not know when they would be at their nearest point to Irish shores.
“Normally those sort of details about the route and when the vessels will berth are not given for security reasons.”
The leader of the Green Party, Mr. Trevor Sargent, welcomed the Government’s decision to deploy its forces to monitor the coastline, but he has said it was still relying too heavily on diplomatic assurances.
“I’m not happy that the Government seems to see this as an isolated incident. Under the current plans, 34 tonnes of nuclear material is due to be shipped.”
The cargo of 134kg of plutonium oxide taken from the warheads of US missiles will be reprocessed in France into nuclear reactor fuel before being shipped back to the US next year. The radioactive cargo is being transported on ships owned by British Nuclear fuels.
“Nuclear waste shipments from the US to Europe must be discontinued as they are not only a deadly hazard in themselves but they herald a whole new generation of nuclear reactors using MOX fuel made for weapons grade plutonium,” Mr Sargent said.
The potential dangers which the nuclear flotilla posed should not be underestimated, he said.
“Fire on a plutonium shipment would result in a radioactive cloud, hundreds of square kilometres large, in a matter of hours. An accident could lead to plutonium fallout in Ireland”
Meanwhile, the anti-nuclear activists arrested on Sunday after they entered a military exclusion zone near the military facilitates at Cherbourg port have been released.
The activists were part of a Greenpeace-organised flotilla, which was awaiting the arrival of the armed nuclear convoy.
The French former Round the World yacht race winner, Eugene Riguidel, Mr. Jon Castle form Guernsey and a Swedish protester Ms Pernilla Svenberg, were released at 11 a.m. yesterday after spending the night in a French prison.
The three have been charged with trespassing on a military base and are due to appear in court in November.
Olivia Kelly
Irish Times - 5th October.
43
Air Corps Careers / 23rd Air Corps Cadet Class
« on: September 30, 2004, 03:18:06 pm »
Secretary General, Acting Chief of Staff, General Officer Commanding the Air Corps, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to be here in Casement Aerodrome on one of the most important occasions in the Air Corps' calendar. I want first to offer my congratulations to the three young men who have just received their commissions. Today is a very special day for them and for their families. It is a day when they and their families are entitled to feel very proud of what they have achieved. A few moments ago these young officer pilots took an Oath to the Irish State and its people. They have chosen a career of service to their country - a career for which courage, commitment and professionalism will be their guiding light. This Oath distinguishes them from others and it requires others under their command to make the same commitment in the performance of their duty.
This ceremony marks the culmination of a period of commitment, dedication and, above all, hard work. These young men have been very busy indeed since they entered the 23rd Air Corps Cadet Class in September 2002. After a few days of familiarization here they headed to the Curragh where they joined cadets from the Army and the Naval Service to undertake seven months of military training as members of the 79th Cadet Class. This essential part of their military training involved instruction in such skills as basic field craft, map reading, weapons training and tactics. The training of our cadets is varied and wide ranging and is designed to equip these young people with the best and most modern foundation for their careers as leaders in one of the most respected professions. The Defence Forces of today make very challenging demands of all its members. In order to meet these demands our young officers must have the best possible preparation, training and education.
Having completed their training in the Curragh in April 2003, the Cadets were given an immediate opportunity to atone for any spiritual misdemeanors that they may have committed when they participated in the military pilgrimage to Lourdes. Then, following a week of contrition, penance, contemplation and self-denial, they returned to Casement where they commenced ground school. A small matter of 750 hours of lectures later, they were finally ready to commence the eagerly-awaited flight training phase of their training.
In the 12 months since then, these young men have undergone an intensive and demanding programme of flight training and are now qualified to fly the single-engined Marchetti and the twin-engined Beechcraft Super King aircraft. Earlier today they were presented with their military pilot "Wings" in official recognition of their qualification as pilots and today we formally bring their time as Air Corps cadets to a close with the award of their Officer Commissions.
The 23rd Air Corps Class has the distinction of being the final Air Corps Class to have trained on the Marchetti. Henceforth, Air Corps cadets will train on the new Pilatus PC 9M turbo prop trainer aircraft, eight of which were delivered earlier this year at a total overall cost of sixty million euro as part of the ongoing Defence Forces modernisation programme. These aircraft – and the new Pilatus simulator building currently under construction here - will support the training of our cadets to the very highest standard.
Today, as we look to the future, we also reflect on the continuation of a proud record of service to the nation by the Air Corps and its pilots. Already, 2004 has been a memorable year for the Air Corps. The new Learjet came into service in January, the first Pilatus trainers arrived in April, and I plan to place the contract for the new utility and light utility helicopters before the end of the year.
The Air Corps rose splendidly to the challenge of Ireland's EU Presidency during the first half of this year and the greatly increased level of demands for the Ministerial Air Transport Service was successfully met. The Service was heavily used - with a total of 177 missions being performed during this period. This contrasts with the 158 missions that were flown during the whole of last year. Despite the heavy demands placed on the service during this exceptionally busy period, the level of service provided by the Air Corps was efficient and reliable. I was particularly pleased with the positive feedback that I received from the Taoiseach and my Ministerial colleagues regarding the MATS service. Once again, I would like to express my appreciation to every member the Air Corps for their contribution to the successful conduct of Ireland's Presidency.
Tragically, in the middle of this busy period, the Air Corps was to lose one of its young pilots when, in early May, Second Lieutenant Raymond Heery died in an air accident in County Offaly. This sad event shocked us all greatly and reminded us forcefully once again of the risks that the members of our Defence Forces must face in the course of their careers.
Great progress has been made in modernising the Air Corps' fleet, its equipment and infrastructure in recent years. I consider it essential to ensure that the investment level of recent years continues into the future. I am conscious of the need to invest in the future of the Air Corps – it must remain an organisation that can attract and retain people of the highest calibre, such as those being commissioned today.
As I have said, this is an important day in the lives of these three young men who stand before us.
Emmett, John and Oisin, as pilot officers of the Air Corps you have chosen a very challenging and demanding career – but one that is also very fulfilling and rewarding. I earnestly hope that you all will enjoy the many positive and enjoyable aspects of military life. Foremost amongst these are the comradeship, the challenges and the very high level of job satisfaction that comes from leading and serving others. The future is bright for the Air Corps and undoubtedly you will each have your part to play in its continuing success.
Finally, I'd like to complement all of your instructors from the Flying Training School without whose patience, dedication and experience this event could not have taken place. A word of thanks too to the band of the Western Brigade and the Air Corps Pipe Band for their musical contribution to this ceremony.
Congratulations to one and all and I hope that you enjoy the rest of the day.
Thank you very much.
This ceremony marks the culmination of a period of commitment, dedication and, above all, hard work. These young men have been very busy indeed since they entered the 23rd Air Corps Cadet Class in September 2002. After a few days of familiarization here they headed to the Curragh where they joined cadets from the Army and the Naval Service to undertake seven months of military training as members of the 79th Cadet Class. This essential part of their military training involved instruction in such skills as basic field craft, map reading, weapons training and tactics. The training of our cadets is varied and wide ranging and is designed to equip these young people with the best and most modern foundation for their careers as leaders in one of the most respected professions. The Defence Forces of today make very challenging demands of all its members. In order to meet these demands our young officers must have the best possible preparation, training and education.
Having completed their training in the Curragh in April 2003, the Cadets were given an immediate opportunity to atone for any spiritual misdemeanors that they may have committed when they participated in the military pilgrimage to Lourdes. Then, following a week of contrition, penance, contemplation and self-denial, they returned to Casement where they commenced ground school. A small matter of 750 hours of lectures later, they were finally ready to commence the eagerly-awaited flight training phase of their training.
In the 12 months since then, these young men have undergone an intensive and demanding programme of flight training and are now qualified to fly the single-engined Marchetti and the twin-engined Beechcraft Super King aircraft. Earlier today they were presented with their military pilot "Wings" in official recognition of their qualification as pilots and today we formally bring their time as Air Corps cadets to a close with the award of their Officer Commissions.
The 23rd Air Corps Class has the distinction of being the final Air Corps Class to have trained on the Marchetti. Henceforth, Air Corps cadets will train on the new Pilatus PC 9M turbo prop trainer aircraft, eight of which were delivered earlier this year at a total overall cost of sixty million euro as part of the ongoing Defence Forces modernisation programme. These aircraft – and the new Pilatus simulator building currently under construction here - will support the training of our cadets to the very highest standard.
Today, as we look to the future, we also reflect on the continuation of a proud record of service to the nation by the Air Corps and its pilots. Already, 2004 has been a memorable year for the Air Corps. The new Learjet came into service in January, the first Pilatus trainers arrived in April, and I plan to place the contract for the new utility and light utility helicopters before the end of the year.
The Air Corps rose splendidly to the challenge of Ireland's EU Presidency during the first half of this year and the greatly increased level of demands for the Ministerial Air Transport Service was successfully met. The Service was heavily used - with a total of 177 missions being performed during this period. This contrasts with the 158 missions that were flown during the whole of last year. Despite the heavy demands placed on the service during this exceptionally busy period, the level of service provided by the Air Corps was efficient and reliable. I was particularly pleased with the positive feedback that I received from the Taoiseach and my Ministerial colleagues regarding the MATS service. Once again, I would like to express my appreciation to every member the Air Corps for their contribution to the successful conduct of Ireland's Presidency.
Tragically, in the middle of this busy period, the Air Corps was to lose one of its young pilots when, in early May, Second Lieutenant Raymond Heery died in an air accident in County Offaly. This sad event shocked us all greatly and reminded us forcefully once again of the risks that the members of our Defence Forces must face in the course of their careers.
Great progress has been made in modernising the Air Corps' fleet, its equipment and infrastructure in recent years. I consider it essential to ensure that the investment level of recent years continues into the future. I am conscious of the need to invest in the future of the Air Corps – it must remain an organisation that can attract and retain people of the highest calibre, such as those being commissioned today.
As I have said, this is an important day in the lives of these three young men who stand before us.
Emmett, John and Oisin, as pilot officers of the Air Corps you have chosen a very challenging and demanding career – but one that is also very fulfilling and rewarding. I earnestly hope that you all will enjoy the many positive and enjoyable aspects of military life. Foremost amongst these are the comradeship, the challenges and the very high level of job satisfaction that comes from leading and serving others. The future is bright for the Air Corps and undoubtedly you will each have your part to play in its continuing success.
Finally, I'd like to complement all of your instructors from the Flying Training School without whose patience, dedication and experience this event could not have taken place. A word of thanks too to the band of the Western Brigade and the Air Corps Pipe Band for their musical contribution to this ceremony.
Congratulations to one and all and I hope that you enjoy the rest of the day.
Thank you very much.
44
Irish Air Corps / SIAI Marchetti SF.260
« on: September 27, 2004, 08:44:50 pm »
On page 106 of Wings over Ireland, it says E denotes Eire!
45
Irish Air Corps / Eyesight Requirement
« on: September 15, 2004, 05:06:48 pm »
As far as I know, the Air Corps dont accept laser surgery for cadet applicants:
"Vision must be uncorrected and not less than 6/9 in each eye with normal night vision."
Best thing to do would be to ask your optician whether you're eyes are not less than 6/9.
"Vision must be uncorrected and not less than 6/9 in each eye with normal night vision."
Best thing to do would be to ask your optician whether you're eyes are not less than 6/9.