An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir July / August 2024 www.military.ie/magazine 14 | www.military I am currently employed as rear aircrew on the Learjet 45 & Pilatus PC12 in 102 Squadron, No. 1 Ops Wing. I joined the Defence Forces back in early 2017 as line personnel. Once I finished training, I joined No. 1 Ops Wing as Logs staff in tools and safety equipment stores. I enjoyed my time spent in stores as I was able to learn a lot from the technicians about the maintenance procedures for the aircraft we had in the hangar. In 2019 I was given the opportunity to go overseas to UNDOF with the 59th Infantry Group. It was a great trip to be on as it has given me the opportunity to see how the Army operates as a functional unit. When I returned from overseas a course came up to join 102 Squadron as Ground Crew. At that time I didn't know much about the course or what 102 Squadron do so I spoke to several of the crew within 102 Squadron who informed me that after completing the ground crew course it would lead onto the Aircrew course. This was exciting for me because I learned that this would involve travel around Europe and seeing new and interesting places along with completing Air Ambulance missions. This side of the Air Corps really appealed to me. When I initially applied for the course, there was an interview where I was asked certain questions to see if the role would be best suited for me. After the interview I was delighted to find out that I was selected for the course. On the course itself I learned more about what the job entails such as stocking the aircraft, aircraft danger areas, VIP handling and also many other different responsibilities. It was also a great added bonus to receive Tech pay 2 once I was qualified and started working full time in the squadron. I have been with 102 Squadron since 2020 and during this time I was fortunate enough to complete a Potential NCO's course in 2021. Soon thereafter I began the Aircrew course to progress my career in 102 Squadron. The course to become qualified as Aircrew on the Learjet-45 and Pilatus PC12 is around 8 weeks long with both theory based and hands on lessons. The course has a variety of different aspects to learn about such as, dealing with different handling agents, HACCP, emergencies that can arise on board the aircraft and also completing Air Ambulance missions. After completing the theory side of the course I began training on multiple flights to put the theory into practice. These flights included Ministerial Air Transport, Military Transport and Patient Transfer Operations. I had to complete 5 flights in total on the Learjet to become qualified and a further 3 on the PC12 to be rated on that aircraft. On top of all the training we receive in house we also go to Savannah, Georgia in the United States to complete cabin safety training. This was a great opportunity to further my skills and share insights into problems that can arise with people from many different walks of aviation. Once I completed all my training and the flights required to fully qualify me as aircrew I was promoted to Corporal in 102 Squadron. This was the beginning of my aviation career and as an added bonus, I now qualified to receive both tech and flying pay. While working day to day in 102 Squadron my day can vary from carrying out normal military functions to going flying for a wide variety of operations. These A DAY IN THE LIFE OF 102 SQN AIRCREW ARTICLE BY CPL RORY COMERFORD PHOTOS BY CPL RORY COMERFORD Cpl Comerford performs many different checks before all flights

• Cover