To those who don't know: Yes we have an Air Corps

Bob the Builder

Steyr wrote: »

She is also used in an Air Ambulance role.

But would I be right in saying it is used primarily for transport of government personnel? ...I can't imagine that the aircraft would have too many air ambulance tasks.

AW139's can and have been fitted with GPMG's.

Cool! I never knew that!

pclancy

Lol! Air Ambulance for any senior minister that feels like a weekend in Paris to buy his misses perfume and dinner...

Steyr

nevf wrote: »

But would I be right in saying it is used primarily for transport of government personnel? ...I can't imagine that the aircraft would have too many air ambulance tasks.

From military.ie

The Air Corps currently operates one Learjet 45. This aircraft entered service in 2004 and operates seven days a week usually in the Ministerial Air Transport role.

In addition to its transport role, the Learjet 45 regularly carries out national and international patient transfer services in conjunction with the Department of Health and Children. In order to do such, the aircraft can be modified within an hour whereby seats are removed from its interior allowing a fully independent Lifeport stretcher system to be installed in the cabin.

This system allows patients to be transferred directly from an ambulance to the aircraft by use of a specially modified loading ramp. The Lifeport stretcher system then provides a fully independent electrical, oxygen, vacumn and air source to medical personnel on board the aircraft for the patient transfer. The system is designed to transport patients requiring advanced life support.

Roles
Presidential & Ministerial transport
Military & VIP transport
Air ambulance

nevf wrote: »

Cool! I never knew that!

274 ready to Air Fire GPMG http://www.worldairpics.com/photo/1021663/L/

Reg'stoy

Spotted these from the Naas road are they the only two or have they plans for getting some more.

Bob the Builder

Steyr wrote: »

...

Thanks Steyr for all that...

pclancy

Reg'stoy wrote: »

Spotted these from the Naas road are they the only two or have they plans for getting some more.

ROFL! Now that's more like it, easy to maintain and deploy right into the heart of any terrorist threat at any time of day. Who makes those excellent Jets, Tommy? Mattel? Grumman? I think we should get a fleet of them straight away in time for the next major NATO excercise so that we can prove to the world that we mean business....

Could we even see a top gun school begun in Baldonnell?

jmayo

Steyr wrote: »

From military.ie

The Air Corps currently operates one Learjet 45. This aircraft entered service in 2004 and operates seven days a week usually in the Ministerial Air Transport role.

In addition to its transport role, the Learjet 45 regularly carries out national and international patient transfer services in conjunction with the Department of Health and Children. In order to do such, the aircraft can be modified within an hour whereby seats are removed from its interior allowing a fully independent Lifeport stretcher system to be installed in the cabin.

This system allows patients to be transferred directly from an ambulance to the aircraft by use of a specially modified loading ramp. The Lifeport stretcher system then provides a fully independent electrical, oxygen, vacumn and air source to medical personnel on board the aircraft for the patient transfer. The system is designed to transport patients requiring advanced life support.

Roles
Presidential & Ministerial transport
Military & VIP transport
Air ambulance




274 ready to Air Fire GPMG http://www.worldairpics.com/photo/1021663/L/

Having the Learjet marked as air ambulance is a joke.
Half the time it is probably over in Brussels/Strasbourg or wherever carting some "important" minister or other.
Anyway having a fixed wing as air ambulance in this country is almost redundant unless of course the patient is being transferred overseas.
Maybe harney's grand plan is to phase in co-location between Irish public hositals and French public hospitals :rolleyes:

Air Ambulance services should not be done by Air Corps. It should not involve having to fly from Baldonnel. It should not involve having to change an aircraft configuration.
Each province should have it's own Air Ambulances located at airport closest to major regional hospital with some full time crews and also rostered part time medical personnel from nearest major A&E.
But of course that would be forward thinking and would mean government would have to spend money wisely and not just the habit of saddling Air Corps with anything that involves going airborne :mad:

pclancy

Yep totally agree. Why cant they stop wasting our bloody money, and all the EU bigwigs or fatcats needing "minesterial transport" can get an Aer Lingus flight like the rest of us? I really dont think we need something like that just so some lucky Aer core pilots can get nicely set up on the road to their ATPLs....

Reg'stoy

I read somewhere that when traveling overseas there are seats booked on normal scheduled flights, just in case, so ministers won't miss meetings if the goverment jet goes 'tech'. I think this came to light when Bertie got stuck in the states and he was able to get home as a seat had been reserved for him prior to making the trip. I seem to remember thinking at the time as to why we needed a jet if seats are already booked on normal flights.

Does Gordon Brown not use BA to fly the flag, have never seen Bertie use Air Lingus doing the same or am I wrong.

cp251

I'll never understand the carping about the MATS service. Look it's the 21st century now. We are part of the EU, we live on an island. We can afford a couple of aeroplanes to transport our government and leaders around. The fact that they have a few other roles is no harm either.

As for scheduled services, well that's a non runner. Aer Lingus doesn't go to all the places Bertie might need to. How would it look if our Prime Minister turned up in some distant destination on a BA or Air France flight?

What I do object to, along with everyone else is the use of Air Corps aircraft as convenient taxis for ministers opening pubs or whatever. Recalling the famous use of the CASA by Harney. Also Bertie's habit of insisting the Gulfstream fly from Baldonnel to Dublin Airport for his convenience just tells you all you need to know about the man. Not for him the arduous journey down the M50. What a joke that is.

jmayo

cp251 wrote: »

I'll never understand the carping about the MATS service. Look it's the 21st century now. We are part of the EU, we live on an island. We can afford a couple of aeroplanes to transport our government and leaders around. The fact that they have a few other roles is no harm either.

As for scheduled services, well that's a non runner. Aer Lingus doesn't go to all the places Bertie might need to. How would it look if our Prime Minister turned up in some distant destination on a BA or Air France flight?

What I do object to, along with everyone else is the use of Air Corps aircraft as convenient taxis for ministers opening pubs or whatever. Recalling the famous use of the CASA by Harney. Also Bertie's habit of insisting the Gulfstream fly from Baldonnel to Dublin Airport for his convenience just tells you all you need to know about the man. Not for him the arduous journey down the M50. What a joke that is.

Yeah Aer Lingus doesn't cover the Caymans
It could be worse he could demand that heli pick him up and fly him to airport :rolleyes:
Now imagine what fun they would have it they had C130, somebody bar the crew could actually have flown down with Harney to open the offie...

FiSe

cp251 wrote: »

I'll never understand the carping about the MATS service. Look it's the 21st century now. We are part of the EU, we live on an island. We can afford a couple of aeroplanes to transport our government and leaders around. The fact that they have a few other roles is no harm either.

I think that every nation has it's very own VIP planes. BUT those yokes are manned by not neccessary military personel. And these are, the bigger ones, as well abe to fullfill some other roles, transport of military personell and their equipment to and from their missions overseas, for example.

And you're right, it would look bit tacky when Mr. B arrives in BA or AF aircraft, but how it looks when Irish/UN soldiers arriving with that Ryan fella's crafts....One more reason to get this sorted once and for all

IRLConor

cp251 wrote: »

As for scheduled services, well that's a non runner. Aer Lingus doesn't go to all the places Bertie might need to. How would it look if our Prime Minister turned up in some distant destination on a BA or Air France flight?

Not just that, but sometimes there just isn't a scheduled flight that will fit your needs. For example, there are limited services to Brussels and none to Strasbourg. If you need to be in Dublin in the morning (for Dail work) and Brussels/Strasbourg in the afternoon (for EU work) or vice-versa then commercial scheduled services are hard/impossible to use.

IRLConor

jmayo wrote: »

Now imagine what fun they would have it they had C130, somebody bar the crew could actually have flown down with Harney to open the offie...

AFAIK there are multiple non-crew seats in the CASAs. Not many, but more than one.

cros13

IRLConor wrote: »

I like the idea. I've thought that if - sorry when - I make billions I'll have a new de Havilland Mosquito built. Two beefy turboprops, modern materials and avionics but the same basic principal and shape. Purely for the nerd value.

Cool videos BTW.

De Havilland Gnat is the thing. It may be a jet, but its small and capable.
Nowdays you could fit so much into that tiny airframe too.

lostexpectation

what would be the long range sea patrol aircraft with wepaons?

ah interesting vids, we will not have (if we don't already) eu aircraft patrolling our seas as part of this new border control agreement sure there eu boats patrolling right up to the sea borders of africa aren't there and if not within them?

i presume there a big difference between our seaclaims and airspace.

has an irish air force ever 'fired in anger'?

FiSe

I believe it could happen during WWII or "Emergency", purely because of frustration :eek:

But the only "real" operational flights were made during civil war. Bristol F2B was used to attack anti-treaty forces during fighting aroun Blessington in 1922, I think, you can google exact date.
But it wasnt Irish Air Corps back then

lostexpectation

wow i'll have to look that up, those bloody english and the germans for that matter eh!

shall we send these propaganda videos to the german ambassador and and to that love ulster guy