Messages

1

Irish Aviation History / Re: Miles Hawk Trainer

« on: January 11, 2009, 04:27:33 pm »

Hi Tony,

There was a Miles based in Co Tipperary around the same time. Somewhere around Borrisileigh I think. My neighbour tells the story of having been taken up in it and is very specific about the make. It was owned privately and operated from a private strip. I know a photo exists-I can follow it up for you. Have you any info on this? Im flying out of Stansted these days so it'll be a couple of weeks before I'm back that direction again.

TM

2

Aviation Waffle / Re: Last RAF air to air kill

« on: December 31, 2008, 11:15:05 pm »

If this is what the Argentine Govt claim they would have been screaming their heads off about this.EVERYONE would know. The fact that gun camera footge shows land refutes any claim otherwise. There is no reason that this "incident" is classified. If it were classified there would be NO gun camera footage.

It is not that people here believe everything Governments say. On the contrary, I will have to bluntly say that I dont believe the story as you are telling it and the fact that you have changed your story to shore up holes in it that I pointed out only cements that.

"the Argentine Govt claim the Skyhawk was outside the exculsion zone and heading home.His wingman escaped and this is what he claimed"

I see a lot of new stuff in those few words.

You may have seen some gun camera footage. You may have seen some form of service citation. You certainly do not have the correct version of events, if there were events. Sorry, but you cant keep changing the story to cover the holes in it.

As they say on Discovery Channel............MYTH BUSTED!

Happy New Year.

TM

3

Aviation Waffle / Re: Last RAF air to air kill

« on: December 31, 2008, 10:13:14 pm »

Just one more point Paul,

If there was land in the camera footage, indicating the engagement took place over the islands, this would have put the aircraft well inside the exclusion zone, which extended well out to sea.

Nobody likes to be the victim of a tall tale but I suspect you might have been.

Rgds

TM

4

Irish Air Corps / Re: Specialisation, the future of the Air Corps

« on: December 31, 2008, 01:30:49 pm »

Numbers numbers numbers. Unless the Govt decide to pick up one or two extra 139's or 135's per year, there will not be sufficient aircraft numbers for deployment. Think how cheaply a fleet could be built up spread out over 10 years. No tendering required now.

5

Aviation Waffle / Re: Last RAF air to air kill

« on: December 31, 2008, 01:41:51 am »

Paul,

No one is disputing the capabilities of the RAF in terms of air defence. The RAF are massively capable in this area, being able to deal with most threats out there with the possible exception of the SU-30MK series which scored a hugely impressive kill ratio in this years air combat operations against US F-15 and F-16's.The fact is though that UK military operations now take place in thatres where air superiority is guaranteed and ground attack aircraft are much more useful assets. This may not always be the case and the increasing threat from a pointlessly reassertive Russia is one of the factors to be considered.
 
An interesting topic this is turning out to be. The Falklands conflict is an extremely interesting one in terms of military strategy.

With regard to the exclusion zone you mention, this was not rigid when it came to ROE. Any target inside the zone was fair game. However, cabinet approval was given for the sinking of the General Belgrano- a turning point in the war, even though it was indeed outside the exclusion zone. This resulted in the Argentine Navy heading back to port and all air operations coming from land bases. This incident is not classified.

The Brtish strategy was to deploy all shiping in task force formation, including Aircraft Carriers. They were mainly deployed to the North and East of the islands, the opposite side to where a returning Skyhawk would be. The Harrier GR.3 was extremely short legged and needed to be within a short hop of the islands to be useful, even for close air support.

An A-4 heading away from the islands would have been travelling West/North West and over water. There would have been no reason for a short ranged GR.3 to be in the area and it would not have had the legs to intercept a similarly paced Skyhawk heading away from it.

In any case, a combat aircraft returning from an operational mission regardless of it's position would have fallen well within the ROE and would therefore not need to be classified, but the fact remains that there were no UK aircraft deployed on the mission with sufficient range to either follow and engage it outside the exclusion zone, or indeed to be on a CAP mission in that area.

I can think of one or two scenarios where this could have been possible, before the official commencement of hostilies, an A-4 on a scouting mission could have been happened upon by a Harrier and shot down as an opportune kill. Remeber the A-4 was the longest legged aircraft in the Argie inventory due to the fact that it could buddy refuel. However, there would be a record of an Argentinian loss at the time to support this. Another factor working against this was that the Argies used Neptunes which could detect the task force at long range, outside missile and at the edge of Harrier range.

I suspect there is more to this than either of us know and it would be worth further investigation. The exclusion zone reasoning by itself just doesnt add up.

Rgds

TM

6

Aviation Waffle / Re: Last RAF air to air kill

« on: December 31, 2008, 12:11:48 am »

Paul,

If the incident was "classified", there is no way the pilot who flew the mission would have a copy of the gun camera footage.There is no way that the man himself would be discussing it with anyone or indeed showing off vdeos of the event.
Before you get ratty with me let me say that Im not doubting that you friend did shoot down an A-4 during the conflict, but I would urge you to go back and check your facts. Is it possible maybe that he was a RAF GR.3 pilot that was on an exchange deployment with the RN flying the FRS.1? That would be altogether more plausible than some classified incident involving a GR.3. Think about it...classified why? The GR.3 is long gone at this stage!! Maybe check the internet youself and see do you come across his name.

Again Im not doubting that he scored a "kill" but it sounds like you might have the facts a bit mixed up. Unfortunately, there is no way the incident as you describe it took place. Go back re-check the facts, if they come back the same as you say, re check the individual.

TM

7

Irish Air Corps / Re: Parachute training for pilots

« on: June 20, 2008, 12:35:10 pm »

I wear a bale out rig for work(flying skydivers). I have never actually done a solo skydive despite flying for a skydiving company. I did receive training in how to operate the parachute if I ever need it. There's not much involved really. Bale out canopies tend to have a big surface area and are quite slow by parachute standards. Pull the left toggle to go left, pull the right toggle to go right. Pull both toggles to flare. Feet together and bend the knees and always land into wind. Thats about as much as you need to know.
As Claudel said, the MB rig is round so it's directional capabilities are quite limited. You pretty much go where the wind takes you. These canopies are very slow in terms of forward and downward speed. Remember there is a high chance that any ejectee will be unconscious, and the type of parachute used must refect this.
Airman Jack, supplementary Oxygen is required by aircrew flying above 10k. AFAIK skydivers going to 15k and above must breath pure Oxygen before exit.
On an aside folks, haven't been on here in a while. Have been flying  skydiving ops on the first GA8 Airvan to be operated in this country. 60 hours on it now. What a piece of kit. Tailor made Cessna replacement.

8

Irish Air Corps / Re: What's wrong with this picture?

« on: January 11, 2008, 11:14:50 am »

Just spotted something else..Looks like someone put an anti-tank mine under the back axle of the Panhard!

9

Irish Air Corps / 20,000+ pictures now online

« on: November 24, 2007, 02:03:50 am »

Well done Frank!! Congrats!

10

Irish Air Corps / Air Corps in Hungarian Aviation Magazine

« on: November 13, 2007, 01:34:03 pm »

From the Aranysas website:

11

Irish Air Corps / Charlie 7 is home

« on: September 01, 2007, 04:46:40 pm »

Great pics Tony thanks for sharing them!

As a matter of interest, what length/orientation of grass runway is available?

[Quote]

12

Irish Air Corps / What should the Major Air Corps Roles Be?

« on: August 20, 2007, 01:53:39 am »

Quote (SARMAN @ 19 Aug. 2007,07:38)

in what circumstance would a back up to the current service be needed?  Major flood in D4 for example!!!

If Willie had his way they are more likely to be employed on the Shannon to Heathrow route!

All joking aside though if you look at the Meath bus crash a couple of years ago, the response from the A/C was excellent. But when you delve deeper into the circumstances of that crash and most importantly the time it occured, it did happen during duty hours and that is the route of your problem with top cover.

Top cover is vital, for you and your colleagues own safety and for getting to the vesssel/persons in distress quicker by being directed directly to the scene. Going on a long range SAR mission out into the Atlantic in the threos of a winter storm(or summer given the weather recently) is a damn risky business even with a high endurance radar equipped fixed wing asset overhead. And to do so without that top cover raises the risk level enormously.

What are your options? Really all you and your colleagues want is the added assurance that you get home to your wives and family at the end of your duty shift. If you refuse to fly long range rescues without it, you become the villian and the guy in life raft has an even worse day.You cant win and my sympathies are with you.One wonders if it will take a tragedy to change the current situation.

Should top cover be privatised? That would be one option. 24hr availability, wider areas searched more quickly and the ability to air drop survival equipment and direct the primary rescue assets such as you guys on to the scene,thats if you havent found it first(he says back tracking quickly).

However, you are right. We do have two very capable aircraft available already and they should be available to provide this service. Now we are back in duty hours territory.Things are improving it seems..but unfortunately not on a 24 hr basis just yet.

No offence taken by the way.Sometimes bitter is good..especially with a double gin!

13

Irish Air Corps / What should the Major Air Corps Roles Be?

« on: August 18, 2007, 07:59:54 pm »

The posession of winch equipped helicopters with an ability to operate in a SAR role in extreme circumstances, whether thats inland or otherwise is indeed a back up service. What else would you call it? Were the new helis delivered with winches for increased drag purposes because there is a surplus in Jet A??  Nice to see you bringing your bitterness to another board SARMAN. Even to the point of calling the users here underinformed??

14

Irish Air Corps / What next aircraft?

« on: August 16, 2007, 12:32:14 am »

He possibly meant the KTX-2, now known as the T-50.

15

Irish Air Corps / What should the Major Air Corps Roles Be?

« on: August 03, 2007, 12:41:48 pm »

ST,

An interesting post there with some good questions raised. Allow me to respond to some of the points you made. Firstly let me say that I do in fact agree with some of the points you made, I am however aware of some of the changes that are taking place and would be sensitive to the fact that people from the AC can and do visit this board and would be wary of making potentially morale sapping comments that take away from the good work that actually is being done. Baldonnel is a whole different place than it was only five years ago. Let me assure you of that, not least in the areas of productivity and discipline.Ask anyone who's tried to get out the gate before the end of duty hours.
Anyway to respond:
 
GIV and Lear45
Both highly specialised in tasking. What else would you have them do? The Lear is Air Amb capable but there are access issues for stretcher bound patients. You must understand that one of the primary reasons governmental/presidential transport is not farmed out to charter operators is security.   Lastly, the GIV/Lear combination is probably the most cost effective way of providing MATS at the moment. Certainely more cost effective than the ACJ/BBJ Bertie wanted.

SKA200
What you said.

CASA
Without doubt could and should have a higher usage. The embarassment of a large number of floating bales of cocaine on the Cork coast should go a long way to fixing this problem. Definitely a secondary role that will be given a higher priority in future.

PC-9
Farm out training to foreign air forces and lose the PC-9's?? Bad idea. The PC-9 actually do have a military as well as training role, albeit limited. Would this foreign air force provide us with the military capability the PC-9s have when we need it.We do actually use them in a military capacity from time to time. Would you like to see the basic military capability lost? No ability to perform even limited CAP for summits or visits of foreign leaders? Yes there is SPARE CAPICITY, I wouldnt term it under utilisation. This is not a civilian operator, and you must not look at it as such. In military terms, spare capacity is actually a good thing, especially if the security situation changes and also in terms of maximising airframe calender life.

C172's
Hour/Command experience builders. Need repalcement. But with what? As you said they do a job.

Helis
Reserving judgement is the best course of action. Let me assure you that lessons have been learned from the Dauphin mistakes and the AW139's are much less diverse in whats expected of them and therefore have the potential to excel in their intended roles. Revisit this subject in a year and you can be sure that we will have seen results.

Are there still some problems? Yes. Are efforts being made to solve them? Yes. Have some of the major problems been addressed? Most definitely. The wheels of change have been turning in Baldonnel for some time now.The mindframe has changed. Denying the Air Corps further funding for fleet improvment/limited expansion is a dangerous game. Would you prefer to see the Air Corps develop or reach a certain point and stagnate?