An Cosantóir

28 | 50 Years of Heli Ops This article has been reproduced from a booklet put together by the Air Corps to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the commencement of helicopter operations. by Capt David Browne and Lt Colin Gallagher Photos 105 Sqn (Photographic) T he decision by the Irish Air Corps to purchase helicopters wasn't arrived at through major strategic planning, but rather as a result of a number of tragedies from the late '50s onwards. In 1957, following a boating accident in which five people tragically drowned on 22nd October near Clare Island, an interdepartmental committee was set up to investigate the position in regard to arrangements for rescue on the occurrence of sea and air disasters, and to make recommendations. They concluded that better radio communications at sea and a 24-hour coordination service would suffice – and that the requirement for helicopters to save lives would be so rare that it wouldn't warrant being introduced. In 1961 two shipping incidents where lives were lost (one in October near Eagle Head off the Mayo coast and a second in December off the Wexford coast) prompted a rethink of this strategy. When the involvement of RAF helicopters reduced the number of fatalities from the Halronnel off Wexford, a second committee concluded in 1962 that the men saved from the Halronnel could not, in all probability, have been saved by any other means. This report was presented to the Minister for Transport and Power Mr Erskine Childers who, after the very harsh winter of 1963, raised seven questions to the Dáil, all relating to the establishment of a helicopter rescue service. The official Dáil report (Vol 199, No 1, Tuesday 22nd January, 1963) included a paragraph stating that "The Government have decided that some helicopters should be acquired which will be available for sea and air rescue work… and the service will be administered by the Minister for Defence." An Cosantóir Dec 2013/Jan 2014 www.dfmagazine.ie No 3 Operations Wing was originally established under the name of Helicopter Flight in 1963 with the arrival of two SA 3160 Alouette III helicopters. The decision was made to commence a search-andrescue (SAR) service, operated by the Defence Forces, with the Air Corps providing the aircraft, and the Naval Service providing the Rescue Co-ordination Centre. The Alouette III, having originally been designed to meet a French Army requirement for a medical evacuation helicopter during the Algerian campaign, would suit the role very well. At the time these helicopters were so rare and in demand, the original course was carried out on an Alouette II. The first two helicopters, A195 and A196 arrived on 26th November 1963. The first SAR mission took place on 23rd December 1963, only three weeks after the service had gone operational, while the first air ambulance took place in February 1964 after a period of heavy snowfall in the west. The men of Helicopter Flight quickly distinguished themselves in those early days with a series of particularly daring rescues on Muckish and Glendalough to name but a few. These original two helicopters were augmented over the coming years with a further six Alouette IIIs, bringing the total fleet to eight airframes by 1974. At this time Helicopter Flight was upgraded to squadron status. To date, 18 DSMs have been awarded to crews of these helicopters, which provided a SAR service until August 2002. As the political situation in Northern Ireland deteriorated in the 1970s, the unit saw two new tasks develop to an unprecedented level: those of Army Support and support to An Garda Síochána. Based at Finner Camp, Monaghan Bks and Cavan Bks, these aircraft were used extensively for border recce, observation and limited troop transport. During this period they transported everything from VIPs such as Eamonn de Valera, to IEDs from Coleman's Island, while also maintaining a SAR service for the public. This intense operational activity of the Alouette IIIs led to reduced availability for training of new crews, so in 1978 sanction was given for the purchase of two SA 342L Gazelle helicopters. This aircraft was at the time the primary training helicopter of the British Army Air Corps, as well as the principal anti-tank helicopter of the British and French armies. From this moment, all helicopter conversion courses would be flown on the Gazelle, and this would last until June 2003. In 1981 the Defence Forces leased an AS330 Puma helicopter. As fortune had it, the country would then experience the harshest winter in living memory, with the highest recorded snowfalls. The Puma was invaluable to Operation 'Snowman', the greatest air relief operation the state had ever seen. Despite this, the lease for this aircraft was discontinued in 1982.

• Cover