An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir April 2014 www.dfmagazine.ie 14 | W hile many people may not expect to find the Air Corps' No 1 ops Wing on a list of the most operationally active units in the Defence Forces, it's not really a surprise con- sidering that probably no other unit can integrate so readily with its colleagues across the DF – Army, Navy, ARW – or with international organisations. The ability to quickly move from one type of task to another is down to having the right people in the right place and An Cosantóir recently had the eye-opening opportunity to meet some of these key players. A fixed-wing unit, No 1 Ops Wing comprises five squadrons: 101 Sqn is the CASA maritime patrol aircraft, 102 Sqn is the Gulfstream and Learjet, 103 Sqn is maintenance, 104 Sqn is the Cessnas, and 105 Sqn is better known as Photo Sec- tion. Co-ordi- nating all the squadrons is the Operations Cell, manned by Sgt Robbie Tracey and his staff. As fixed wing aircraft can cover massive dis- tances very quickly, across multiple countries, the Ops Cell is essential in prevent- ing a routine flight from becoming an international incident through the provision of real-time information, weather updates, and briefings for crew, as well as arranging flight paths and diplomatic clearance as required. There is a constant flow of information from the ops staff to the squadrons, government departments, and overseas aviation authori- ties, and Sgt Tracey can rarely be seen without the duty phone talking with one of them. The ops staff decide which type of aircraft will be flown for a particular mission, constantly juggling the requests that come in with maintenance schedules and the priorities of the day. 101 Sqn, with their CASA 235s is commonly referred to as Maritime Squadron, but they do a lot more than that as the flexibility of the CASA's interior setup allows it to be stripped out and refitted for a wide variety of missions and be ready to fly within an hour. Taskings this year have included: air ambulance, parachute opera- tions, dropping infrared flares, co-operation with the ARW, and search operations. With its forward-looking infrared (FLIR) system, which detects heat signatures at long range, 24 hours a day, in all weather conditions, and radar with a top range of 200 nautical miles, the CASA is a significant force multiplier for the Defence Forces. One of the key members of 101 Sqn is Sgt Gerry Mooney, who has over 6,200 hours flying time as part of the SARO (Sensor and Airborne Radar Operator) team. His typical week would include at least one high-level operation flight and several low-level flights, some of which are conducted at only 250 feet. A lot of these flights are conducted in close co-operation with the Naval Service, assisting them in their search for drug smugglers and illegal fishing vessels or rescuing sailors in distress. At this height constant interaction between the SARO, photographer, pilots and ships is essential, as a mistake could result in a missed interception of an illegal vessel or a collision. A normal flight would last between five and seven hours but distances vary considerably. "Sometimes we're so far west we're closer to Iceland than Derry!" Sgt Mooney told us. 102 Sqn is probably the most misunderstood as it is often seen as solely providing the Ministerial Air Transport Service (MATS). This is because a lot of their other jobs and the work that goes into them is often not as widely reported. The best view of what 102 Sqn is capable of can be seen in the busy schedules of the flight attendants, who, by the way, are qualified in everything from etiquette to emergency procedures, to first aid. Sgt Leona Walsh is the senior flight attendant in Baldonnel, with 15 years experience. Her role is essential in maintaining the by CPL PAUL MILLAR PhoToS AIR CORPS PHOTO SECTION No REST for

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