An Cosantóir

58 By Lt Col Niall Buckley (OC No 3 Ops Wing ), Sgt Major John Green (Unit Sgt Major) and Lt Seán Curran (302 Sqn) NO. 3 OPERATIONS WING NO. 3 OPERATIONS WING As Aer Chór na hÉireann enters its second century there are so many positives to reflect upon. As one of the newly independent Irish State's pioneering arms, it bravely took on the challenges and dangers of what was then a very new technology. Manned flight was barely two decades old when Aer Chór na hÉireann was born out of the Irish Volunteers fight for national inde- pendence. As the decades passed, newer aviation tech- nologies emerged. In the late 1950s and early 1960s a number of notable incidents and maritime accidents resulted in the tragic loss of life. Following discussions at Government level, the decision was made that the Irish Air Corps (IAC) would pioneer this new helicopter capability on behalf of the State. As before, the IAC was tasked with leading the development of a new technol- ogy that was barely two decades old. Little did anyone think that this decision would see the establishment of a Unit that would go on to help save thousands of lives and become the most highly decorated Unit in the history of the Irish Defence Forces. In 1963, the arrival of two SA 316B Alouette III (AL III/ AL3) helicopters signalled the beginning of our ser- vice, and within three weeks of going operational, we received our first tasking. The original training was carried out on the Alouette II due to AL III shortages. The AL III proved itself highly capable and was well suit- ed to Ireland and it outlived many other helicopter types in the IAC fleet. To this day it elicits a great sense of nostalgia in our more 'senior' Pilots and Aircrew, while wonder is the more common response from the Aircraft Maintenance Technicians who kept them airworthy all those years – despite many a young Flight Officer endeavouring to prove that practice autorotations can sometimes end with tail strikes! The Unit's history has seen it go from the early days of helicopter operations and the development of a nation- al Air Ambulance service, which was one of the first in Europe, to the Unit's primary military role and decades of 'Army Border Operations' from the early 1970s, from Finner Camp and Monaghan Barracks due to the North- ern Ireland security environment, to day Search and Rescue (SAR), which led to night SAR with the arrival of the Dauphin II helicopters as well as Naval helicop- ter operations with the LÉ Eithne. This was eventually followed by the establishment of a dedicated Garda Air Support Unit in 1997. Soldiers, Sailors, Presidents, Tao- isigh, Gardaí, neo natal babies and animal fodder were all transported in the same aircraft (not at the same time mind). Suffice to say there are no shortage of 'war stories' among those that crewed these flights or kept them in the air. By 1974, the total helicopter fleet had been increased to eight airframes with 'Helicopter Flight' being upgraded to Squadron status. Wing status followed as did many new airframes and roles. Numerous awards and dis- tinctions accompany the 22 Distinguished Service Med- als (DSM) that 'No 3' or 'Helis' have won over the past six decades. Notable awards include the only double DSM recipient for bravery in the Defence Forces as well as four posthumously to the R111 SAR crew who died when their Dauphin SAR helicopter struck sand dunes at Tramore on 01 July 1999 while returning from the Waterford SAR Detachment's first night mission: Cpl Niall Byrne DSM, Sgt Paddy Mooney DSM, Capt Mick Baker DSM and Capt Dave O' Flaherty DSM. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dílse. From the early 1970's, the political and security sit- uation in Northern Ireland was rapidly deteriorating. There was soon a requirement for both the Army and An Garda Siochána to be supported from the air. AL IIIs were based in Finner Camp, Monaghan Barracks and Cavan Barracks. They were used extensively for border reconnaissance as well as Army and Garda airlift. This intense operational activity led to reduced Alouette III availability for crew training, prompting the procure- ment of two SA 342L Gazelle helicopters in 1978. Top to Bottom: the Gazelle, Alouette and Dauphin showcase the diversity of aircraft in the Air Corps helicopter fleet.

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