An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 23 were very interested in learning the techniques on the AW139 as their experience up to that was on Alouette and other helicopters. They were extremely professional and, like the Air Wing person- nel, impressed with excellent drills. The troops had no difficulty fast roping from the helicopter and were capable of emptying the cabin in only a few seconds. Hoisting operations were initiated over the airfield. Within the Air Wing their senior aircraft technicians controlled the hoist while line aircrew went down the wire. Their aircrew, who provide SAR services in Malta, and their special forces were both very impressive – combining extreme fitness, with real operational experience and skills to perform to a very professional standard. Each day ended with a meal in the Maritime Squadron mess, which was resplendent with many gifts and mementos from previous guests from all over the world. Our hosts had allocated a few chefs to look after our team for the week, which they did ad- mirably, with excellent fare being produced every day. We learned during the week that it is an important element of Maltese cul- ture to ensure guests are well looked after, and the 8,000 calories or so we received per day were a testament to that! The next couple of days build on the hoist training and we left the comfort of the airfield for exercises on Comino, the smallest of the islands, with large cliffs that made for useful SAR exer- cises. The scenarios called for the simulated rescue of casualties trapped on the cliff face. Once completed successfully we turned our focus to the Mediterranean. It was at this point the Maritime Squadron made their pres- ence felt, providing P-61, a Diciotti-class, Italian-made ship for our training vessel. It came equipped with a helicopter deck, which was wide and clear. The commander of the AFM, Brig Gen Jeffrey Curmi, visited the Air Wing during the week to check on our progress. He spoke warmly of the Defence Forces and the considerable connections that have developed between the two countries over recent years. He also spoke of his hope for continued development of our co-operation in the air domain for the future to mirror similar con- nections with the Army and Naval Service. The training over the Mediterranean was an interesting experi- ence as although generally fairly calm it has its moments of high seas. Sicily's coastline was clearly visible during our operations. Equally of note was the intense volume of maritime traffic plying its way east and west along the sea lanes in sedate procession. The winching operations saw the AW139 helicopter show its full sophistication, with the ability to fly hands free into a hover beside P-61. All that is required is the push of a button along with what might be described as careful monitoring. This is the four-axis enhanced SAR mode, which is an impressive feature of modern helicopters and our AW139 in particular. The exercises saw us demonstrate our techniques for maritime hoist operations. Of note to the Maltese was our crew 'patter', which is the structured dialogue between aircraft commander and crew. All manner of techniques were employed to hoist simulated casualties on board the aircraft, including the use of a stretcher. It was great to see how easily we integrated with our Maltese hosts when airborne and on the ground. It was clear to us how both aviation units shared an intense motivation to perform positively, share knowledge and learn from each other. The conclusion of the training was a simulated maritime counter-terrorism exercise, which included the very difficult proposition of holding an inch-perfect hover over a vessel moving at 18kts while special forces troops slid down a rope to the deck. One wrong move could easily result in injury so the flying skills had to be right, first time.

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