hopefully i can answer some of the posed questions on this thread.
there is a possibility of the aer corps leasing a 2nd S-61 from CHC Ireland Ltd, as a troop transporter, but nothing confirmed at the moment. to be based at the don.
257 in sligo has the exact same automated systems and avionics package as the on-line aircraft at shannon, waterford and dublin.
it has slightly different adelt system , winch, and the FLIR is a later addition to the ones fitted on the other aircraft.
i think the reason for the possible leasing of the 2nd 61 is to get the necessary service backup, (qualified engineers already in place) replacement parts, if needed, from the pool of parts carried by CHC Ireland for the 61 fleet.
this is the reason these aircraft spend very little time off line and not like the military, where they buy X amount of aircraft Y amount of parts, when the parts dry up, the aircraft are canabalised, mothballed, and pushed into a corner. The dauphins are a good example of that, the fleet is coming to the end of their life span because of no spare parts for that particular aer corps model and these are half the age of some of the S- 61 aircraft based in Ireland, which will be in service for the forseeable future.
257 is an all weather SAR heli. Its capabilities at the moment
are limited only by half a crew being on board and mismanagement by certain individuals in the aer corps. things have got nasty and personal and CRM has long gone. whats going on there, in sligo, at the moment is irresponsible and putting peoples lives at risk including the general public who might be unfortunate enough to need the service. if it continues it is possible that the aer corps will be saying bye bye to SAR and all SAR will be carried out by the Coastguard.
we have been reading about it , in the papers for the last month or so and I am surprised nobody on this bulletin board brought it up for discussion. except for one individual who hinted at it (P.Diddy)
