An Cosantóir

38 The Learjet 45 aircraft, tail number 258 currently operated by 102 Squadron 102 SQUADRON By Comdt Peter Smyth, Sgt Leona Walsh, Cpl Carmel Bennett and Cpl Ashley Stafford, 102 Squadron 102 SQUADRON I have heard it said that variety is the spice of life. Having served in 102 Squadron for various periods since 2008, and having the privilege of being the current OC, I can say with certainty, that variety is one thing we do not lack in 102. Having evolved from Training and Transport Squadron into its current day guise, 102 Squadron has been tasked with various role and missions throughout its history and has operated a number of types including the Hawker Siddley 125, Beechcraft Super King Air 200 and the Gulfstream IV. Today, the squadron operates within No 1 Operations Wing, utilising a Learjet 45 and our primary roles are Ministerial Air Transport (MATS), air ambulance and service support. When it came to writing this piece, our goal was to offer a real insight into the squadron and quite simply, the best way to do that was through its people and by sharing some of the unique experiences they have had over their time serving in 102. As I spoke with the men and women of 102 and we talked about what memories to focus on, it was a vivid reminder of the breadth of missions and taskings the squadron has fulfilled over the years and the inevitable impact on those involved. Here is a flavour of those missions as told by the people who lived them. Sharon Commins Repatriation October 2009 Cpl Ashley Stafford – Flight Attendant In 2009, Sharon Commins, an aid worker from Ireland working with the charity GOAL in Sudan, was kidnapped and held hostage from July until October of that year. During this period, the Irish Government were actively involved in trying to secure her release and it was in this context that 102 Squadron carried out a number of missions to Sudan. In October, it looked as though an end was in sight and 102 Sqn was tasked with positioning the Gulfstream GIV to Khartoum, Sudan as part of the ongoing efforts. Cpl Ashley Stafford, 102 Sqn Flight Attendant, was a part of the crew for this mission. "We left Baldonnel on the GIV aircraft and flew to Sudan via Cairo. There was a team on board including diplomatic and medical staff and we arrived into Khartoum in the evening time. I remember that we did not have an exact timeline but the plan was to head to a hotel and await further update. There were some delays on arrival with our documentation but we made it through and headed to a lo- cal hotel for rest. As it turned out, it was a relatively quick turnaround and we got word that things were progressing well and plans were being made for our departure with our intended passenger. Back on board the aircraft, we awaited the arrival of our passengers and I remember being briefed by some of our team on the considerations for when the delegation arrived. I won't get into the details but I remember think- ing the key thing for me was to try and makes things on board as comfortable and normal as possible. I wanted to ensure we looked after the passengers, one in particular of The Gulfstream GIV aircraft , tail number 251, as operated by 102 Squadron from 1992-2014

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