On 14th March 2006 Jetwash Aviation Photo's visited the Irish Air Corps at Baldonnel to get a closer look at this small but varied air arm. We were not disappointed. Thanks must go to Flight Sargeant Michael J. Kelly for arranging our visit and to the personel who escorted us for being such wonderful and cheerful hosts. We visited all of the operational areas together with the base museum and stored aircraft. Every one of the Irish Air Corps and Garda's aircraft were present except Gulfstream 251 and PC-9M 263, which was with Pilatus in Switzerland for an overhaul.
Cessna FR.172H of 104 Sqn
Stored SF.260WE's awaiting a buyer. The aircraft were sold in 2007 and all but one has now left.
255 AS.355N Ecureuil of the Garda on the flightline after an early morning mission
All Garda Air Support Unit (GASU) aircraft are flown by Air Corps personnel under the guise of 106 Sqn
Last operational SA.365F Dauphin 301 Sqn. These are being replaced by the EC.135's and AW.139's
Initially introduced in June 1986, five such aircraft entered service with one sadly being lost in accident on 2nd July 1999
SA.316B Alouette 3 of 302 Sqn. These aircraft have been in use since 1963.
252 CASA 235MP of 101 Sqn
The CASA 235's are used for maritime patrol and fishery's protection and are fitted with FLIR (Forward Looking InfraRed)
and ESM (Electronic Surveillance Measures) in the nose and have been in service since 1995.
It's stablemate number 253 taxying out for an early morning maritime patrol mission.
The CASA's can spend up to eight hours in the air during a mission.
Britten-Norman BN.2T Defender of the Garda
Cessna FR.172H of 104 Sqn in the VIP hanger
EC.135T-1 of ther Garda undergoing maintenance to the infra red camera.
Since our visit a further EC.135 has joined the GASU fleet at Baldonnel
Learjet 45 of 102 VIP Squadron.
Pilatus PC-9M taxying back to dispersal after a mission
The PC-9's were introduced in mid 2004 and are used for pilot training. The PC-9M is powered by a Pratt & Whitney
PT6A turboprop engine and incorporates Martin-Baker ejector seats. It is a state of the art platform that can be used as
a basic or advanced trainer with the capability to carry up to six hard points for underwing stores.
PC-9M in the maintenance hanger.
The first PC-9 arrived at Baldonnel in April 2004, replacing the venerable Fouga CM.170 Magister.
One of the newly arrived EC.135P-2's on the ramp. The first one was delivered in November 2005.
Its sister ship (270) was also present on the platform during our visit (below)
Thanks goes to Flight Sargeant Michael J. Kelly for arranging our visit to Baldonnel
A log of the aircraft seen during our visit can be found here: