Many of the people who are slagging off the Air Corps don’t know what they are talking about. Look at some facts:
1.The Irish Air Corps first started flying choppers back in the early 1960s. Up to the 1999 Dauphin crash in Waterford they never had a fatal crash (including all SAR operations). Name one other military organisation who can boast over 30 years of rotary flying without a fatality (I guess the answer is none).
2.Not only that, but up to that date they still operated every helicopter they ever bought (says something for the maintenance as well as the flying).
3.I’m sure some of you will be quick to point out the fact that the initial SAR was with a VFR Aloutte (onshore only). But you never heard of the two pilots who got distinguished flying medals : one winched a casualty off a cliff face (at night) while another Aloutte hovered close by using his landing light to assist operations. Over the years they completed 1000’s of SAR missions, and you can bet that not all were in summer conditions. So give them some credit.
4.The safety statistics have taken a bit of a hit in the last few years, I believe they have lost an Aloutte and Gazelle (each due to engine failure). But 3 aircraft lost, with one fatal accident, in combined military and SAR operations, is not bad.
5.The Air Corps have always been seen as a training establishment for Aer Lingus and Ryanair. This is why they had to put a 10 year ‘signing on’ period for qualified pilots. With the current boom in aviation you will find a mass exodus of pilots who have done the 10 years service. So I’m not surprised if there is a shortage of pilots with 1000’s of hours.
6.They’re not perfect, but a I’m sure that an unbiased analysis of the Air Corps helicopter pilots (and their fixed wing counterparts) would find they compare favourably with any other military establishment worldwide.