An Cosantóir

In 1986 the unit was upgraded to Wing status with the introduction to service of the AS365Fi Dauphin II helicopter. The Dauphin was at the time the first aircraft in the country to be equipped with a 'glass' cockpit, replacing the traditional 'boiler gauges' of the Alouette III with television-screenstyle cathode ray tube (CRT) instrument readouts. This gave the Wing a 24-hour SAR capability for the first time in its history, and began a new era of SAR. In 1997 the unit began supporting the recently founded Garda Air Support Unit at Baldonnel and continues to this day to exclusively provide pilots, technicians and an operating base for An Garda Síochána. On the night of Thursday 1st July 1999, the unit suffered the loss of a full crew and aircraft while deployed on SAR duty. Dauphin 248 was on its first night of a new deployment in the Southeast on 24-hour SAR duty in Waterford Airport when a call for assistance was received to search for a boat reported lost off Dungarvan in poor visibility. Following the successful completion of the mission and with further assistance provided, the helicopter was flown back to Waterford Airport just after midnight. However, visibility at the airport had deteriorated to such an extent that each attempt to land at the airport had to be abandoned. With the helicopter now low on fuel, the crew made the decision to perform a coastal approach, but tragically struck high sand dunes near Tramore during the attempt. The complete crew of Capt Dave O'Flaherty, Capt Mick Baker, Sgt Paddy Mooney and Cpl Niall Byrne lost their lives in the impact. The Distinguished Service Medal was posthumously awarded to each of the crew for acting in the truest spirit of the unit's motto, Go Mairidís Beo (That Others May Live). The introduction of a leased Sikorsky S-61 in Sligo for SAR and the introduction of a second Garda helicopter in 2002 enabled the remaining Alouette III pilots to develop the Army Support role to the greatest degree ever experienced. The pilots began to train to the NATO standard of helicopter drills for the first time, and with the permanent withdrawal of SAR in 2004, the way forward to a dedicated military role for the unit was assured. September 2005 saw the arrival of the Eurocopter Deutchland EC-135 for 302 Squadron. This was the first green-coloured helicopter operated by the Air Corps since the Puma of the early 1980s. These helicopters continue to give excellent service today in the areas of pilot conversion training, recce and aerial photography. In November 2006, 301 Squadron took delivery of the first two Augusta Westland AW 139s. Now, for the first time, it had an all green, militarily capable fleet. This former SAR squadron now had a dedicated military role to be developed, but many of the traditional skills learnt would lend themselves to this new task, particularly in the skills of fast roping and abseiling. Ironically, by 2007 the incredible Alouette III was still in service. Forty-four years of continuous operation saw the coming and going of the Gazelle, Puma, Dauphin, S61 and Squirrel helicopter types, not to mention many other fixed-wing aircraft. Not bad for an initial £50,000 each! The Alouette III remains the most important aircraft ever operated by the Air Corps, having saved more lives, given longer service, given more positive exposure to the Defence Forces, and offered the best value for money compared to any other air asset. But then, the new fleet is still young. No 3 Operations Wing today consists of four squadrons: 301 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, which employs six Augusta Westland AW139s; 302 Training and ISTAR Helicopter Squadron, which operates two Eurocopter EC135P2s; 303 Deployment & Technical Support Squadron, which carries out day-to-day and heavy maintenance on the helicopter fleet; and 304 Policing & Security Squadron, which employs two EC135T2s and a BN Defender 4000 fixed-wing surveillance aircraft. (304 Squadron is jointly operated by the Air Corps and An Garda Siochána in carrying out the gardaí's day-to-day airborne security operations). Wing HQ consists of the Operations Cell, which coordinates flying missions, training and associated taskings; the Orderly Room, which carries out all day-to-day administration; and the logistics staff, who deal with everything from survival equipment and mission supplies, to the procurement and maintenance of flight-planning computers and transport. | 29 www.military.ie the defence forces magazine

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