Messages

31

Irish Air Corps / Battlefield Support Helo Requirement

« on: August 02, 2006, 12:55:29 pm »

Would it not be better to buy more AB/AW-139's and keep the types to the minimum?
    But I do recognise that the NH-90 does provide considerable extra capacity.
     IMHO, it is a better choice for the medium helicopter then the EH101.....but the truth is that a 1/2 dozen Pumas should have been bought years ago, but well history is history.

32

Irish Air Corps / Flying Complaints

« on: July 18, 2006, 03:54:24 pm »

Bog of allen was the low level training area in the past, so I am told by a senior NCO within Bal', but I doubt if it is suitable in the present context, I doubt if their will be many almost featureless battle fields, just for the convience of the irish Air element , should such ever be deployed abroad, The glen and around that area should provide a suitable challange however...

33

Irish Air Corps / Salthill Air Show 2006

« on: June 27, 2006, 11:41:58 am »

err, Fouga, as far as I can remember, the dummys are normally painted white.

34

Irish Air Corps / cessna

« on: April 30, 2006, 07:01:07 am »

They are still there, P.Doff, 'A' Coy, 62 batn, Wed nights, still recuiting I belive.

35

Irish Air Corps / cessna

« on: April 29, 2006, 07:19:27 am »

I meant the Army Reserve, the service formally known as the F.C.A.
Hopefully there is going to be more to them then we have seen so far...

36

Irish Air Corps / cheap Gripens!

« on: April 28, 2006, 06:14:24 am »

The Gripen apperes to be a useful aircraft and would fit into an Irish requirment for a serious combat aircraft, should such a requirement ever surface.
But it seems that current civil service policy is that only new equipment should be bought, however, it would be difficult to class thes fine aircrafts as secondhand.

37

Irish Air Corps / cessna

« on: April 28, 2006, 06:06:27 am »

I suspect we will see more after hours flying by the Irish Air Corps in the next few years, although I have already seen a fair bit myself over the years when I lived along what appeard to be one of their flight paths, [I am now a bit off them , but not by much].
When the new reserve finally gets up and running,I belive there training requirements will definitly see a big increase in weekend flying.
Hopfully this will see an expansion both in personall and equipment above the pathetic numbers allowed by our present, shortsighted, ignorant, moronic, government.

38

Irish Air Corps / AB139 Pics

« on: April 05, 2006, 12:53:53 pm »

I belive the tender said " should be of military spec" not must be, I have the tender doucument somewhere here, when i remember where I put it '> I will let you know, unless someone beats me too it..

39

Irish Air Corps / Marchetti Fleet for Sale

« on: February 14, 2006, 09:53:38 am »

I am not sure that removal of the firing circuits is absolutly necessary.
I heard a few years ago that some busnessman in Calafornia expressed an intrest in getting them for one of them 'you too can fly a fighter!' places, but like a lot of things one hears.......
I would like to add my name to the list of people who think one should be preserved[hopfully in working order].
But I think they probally have been taken out of use because the Air Corps is moving away from piston engins altogether[has this already happened?- not sure if the King Air thingie is piston or turbo?] so much as I would be in favour of the idea I do not see it happening, it would probally be a waste to preserve it non working when it could be put to use elsewhere.

40

Irish Air Corps / New Air Corps EC135s - First pictures

« on: November 06, 2005, 11:37:33 pm »

and this[regrettably they are not mine];

41

Irish Air Corps / New Air Corps EC135s - First pictures

« on: November 06, 2005, 11:35:15 pm »

and how about this

42

Irish Air Corps / Willie O' Dea, Read This

« on: November 04, 2005, 08:56:24 am »

Alright, we possably should have inteceptor and perhaps limited strike capablity in this country, but we have to be reaalistic about it .
Because of government stupidity, in the area of defence , we are playing catch up with the rest of the world.By the end of the present purchasing round we will have 6 helicopters, about a third of what we need  for minimum air-mobility.
Considering the amount of overseas activity this country's DF gets up to, that is a disgrace.
It is a disgrace of such degree, that none of the so-called government should be allowed the privalage of signing on , never mind the massively overpaid positions that they currently hold.
But this is only a part of what needs to be corrected first, Bal' for it's improvments and add-ons is still a RFC WW1 base.You could, in theory operate modern fighters from there.
But , I am not sure that any tax-payers want huge amounts of their money risked in this way.
The Air Corps should probally be the subject of a new White Paper all of it's own, setting out a proper plan for its future, outlining it's mission statement , and prepareing it to deploy overseas, when necessary, as welll as provide proper security/law enforcement assistance for this country....
Without a properly thought out plan, and the ba**s to carry it out then we will end up with,at best, some wastes of time and money like the fougas. My 2 cent worth.

43

Irish Air Corps / New Air Corps EC135s - First pictures

« on: November 01, 2005, 12:55:49 pm »

'Word at the moment in Bal' that the EC-135's will arrive on Thursday, [time not yet available] with an offical recption on Sunday.

44

Irish Air Corps / most exotic air force aircraft to visit ireland?

« on: October 27, 2005, 07:04:03 pm »

'hate to ruin your day, P Doff, but I am pretty sure Bal has never had a Mig visiting.......
Shame,....... I am open to correction,......

45

Irish Air Corps / Pakistan

« on: October 11, 2005, 01:54:52 am »

'The money it would take to send A111's over there would do more good in the hands of relief agencies on the scene.'
I don't really agree with you there FM . If it were a case that helicopters were urgently needed then the expense of getting them there would be more then justified.
 But, and this[IMHO] is the real problem with such deployment proposals; in order to get the maximum possable use out of even as little as 3 machines, you have to send a lot of aircrew, there is no point in them being there if your pilots are time expired.
For a force as small as the Air Corps, doing this would seriously weaken the normal shedule of training and operations required.
So until there is an expansion of the Air Corps up to a more realistic level in both equipment and personall then such overseas adventures appear unlikely, just my 2 cent worth.....