O'Dea's chopper is best toy in the box
Irish Independent
09/11/2005
IS IT a bird or is it a plane? No it's Defence Minister Willie O'Dea on an all-time high writes Tom Brady .
Yesterday the Air Corps got two shiny new helicopters in its toy box.
And the minister was first to be up, up, and away in one of them. But he was careful to insist they had been delivered within budget and on time - at a cost of €12.8m.
They will be used mainly for initial pilot, instructor and instrument training, winching operations and inland search and rescue training.
But they will also have an air ambulance role and additional equipment has been fitted for those missions.
The EC135 light utility helicopters were manufactured at Eurocopter's plant in Donauworth, Germany.
Four other helicopters have been ordered from Bell Agusta at a cost of €48.4m. Two are due to arrive next year and the others in 2007.
