An Cosantóir

22 IRISH AIR CORPS NO 3 OPERATIONS WING Ireland is well known for its mild climate and evergreen fields, but the weather here can change in an instant. It is so common to experience all four seasons within a single day, that an oft-repeated refrain goes "If you can fly in Ireland, you can fly anywhere." It was the gnarly winter of 1963-64, remembered woefully as the "Big Freeze," that proved the saying correct and demonstrated both the need for and utility of rotorcraft in the Irish Air Corps. It hadn't gotten as cold in the last 200 years with ponds, lakes and rivers freezing solid. Towns and villages were cut off and supplies ran low. People in need of urgent medical care were put in a life-threatening situation with no means of transportation. Families were stranded in their own homes with local emergency services battling through the snow to gain any access to those in need. Ireland's Defence Forces deployed troops to provide rations and evacuate those worst affected countrywide. Irish Air Corps crews did their best to drop food where possible, but it was rarely enough. High winds and low visibility were jeopardising all relief efforts. It became painfully obvious that the state needed its own, dedicated rotary division. The decision was made to form the Helicopter Wing of the Air Corps, now called No 3 Operations Wing, which would focus mainly on search- and-rescue (SAR) operations. After long consideration, the Irish government placed an order for three Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopters. The first two were delivered in 1963 and the third in 1964. The Alouette III is a light, multirole, single engine helicopter developed by the French Sud Aviation, which had seen service across the globe. A total of eight Alouette IIIs saw service in Ireland between 1963 and 2007, initially with the Irish Air Ambulance Service. Irish Air Corps helicopters were regularly deployed on SAR missions, troop transport and explosive ordnance disposal operations. The rising number of tasks and an outstanding success rate of helicopter SAR operations was an indication that a new type of aircraft was needed to meet public demand. The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma was leased from its manufacturer to fill in the role of a heavy-duty workhorse. It was only in 1982 when the Aérospatiale SA 365 IRISH AIR CORPS NO 3 OPERATIONS WING "FORFAIRE AGUS TAIRISEACT" - WATCHFUL AND LOYAL By Pte (AR) Lukasz Gancarz EC135 and AW139 with Bambi Bucket SA330 PUMA

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