An Cosantóir

75 the Sqn's crew room. We shipped in some boxes of Tayto, Club orange, and a host of Irish chocolate. My partner made some soda bread, scones and cupcakes to add to the festivities. That day the Irish cultural footprint was large in 32 Squadron. The base Padre even invited us to a pint of Guinness in the local Irish Pub; we readily obliged. I remember after Paddy's Day COVID 19 really started to make an impact in Australia. At first, Australia was no different to the rest of the world. Strict lockdowns and border controls meant for a huge adjustment and less flying in the RAAF. Slowly Australia and the RAAF readapt- ed to COVID and things started to reopen. After a few months, our King Air conversion culminated in a five day cross country trip with 2 sectors per day. The route took us across the entire east coast and westward to Darwin. All four of us successfully qualified as co-pilots. We were operationally rated and eager to get some hours in the air after the uncertainty of lockdowns. The next year involved operating all over Australia, completing personnel and logistic transport flights across the vast continent of Australia. 32 Squadron was regularly tasked with overnight trips and weeks away supporting army and Air Force operations. Dave and I landed at over 55 different airfields during the course of our time there. Wing Commander Andrew "Blue" Daley and the Executive Team always tried to get us "Irish" on to the missions that allowed us to see the country. Even with COVID restrictions they made their best effort to get us to see the enormity of Australia. We have seen a diversity of military air bases, civil/military cooperation and remote operations in the outback where the closest town could be an eight hour drive away. The RAAF are next to none with the calibre of their pilots. I flew as a co-pilot with aircraft commanders who had just over 300 hours on type and 500 hours overall time. They were some of the most capable and professional that I've flown with. The RAAF relies upon tried and tested pro- cedures, written by experienced personnel and thorough command checks. Command checks were always some- thing co-pilots in the Squadron actively sought out. A pilot progression guidebook (PPG) paved the pathway for moti- vated co-pilots to become aircraft commanders. The PPG encompasses all aspects a commander should know, outlining discussion points for commanders and co-pi- lots. Once each aspect was "signed off" by experienced captains, it showed the potential commander possessed a grounding of information and was potentially ready for a command check. The command check was a thorough process. It con- sisted of some initial "run up" flights, with reports written by experienced personnel to gauge the readiness of the co-pilot for command. The potential commander would then complete an instrument rating test with a newly qual- ified co-pilot, a simulator emergency check, an interview with the executive team, a flight with Wing Commander Daley and lastly a 2-day command check which consisted of an overnight tasking with multiple sectors and ap- proaches. This mixture of well thought out operational procedures, a clear progression plan alongside a thorough command check, ensured that aircraft commanders were confident and capable at relatively low hours. I was lucky enough to be given command in 32 Squad- ron. It was an honour to get the vote of confidence from the Squadron and the executive team, as this was the Air Corps, first operational deployment with another Air Force. I believe this is the first time that the Air Corps has had an aircraft commander in another country's Air Force. I left Australia on the 14th of August 2021 1 year and 8 months to the day. Capt Finnegan is continuing his hard work over there, helping to adjust the next cohort of Irish pilots, Lt Patrick Doherty and Lt Mark McLoughlin who are currently on their aircraft conversion. Members of the Squadron struggled to believe me when I told them that one of the newest Irish pilots was actually named "Paddy". I believe that Australians and Irish have a lot in com- mon, a shared heritage, a diverse culture and two great international rugby sides. Our procedures, demands and challenges are not dissimilar. I believe both sides have benefitted from this relationship. I hope it will continue long into the future. Lt Ward & Lt Finnegan with Wing Commander Andrew Daley Roulettes Aerobatic Team 32 Squadron's multi-engine KA350i Aircraft AIR CORPS DOWN UNDER

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