Written answers
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Department of Defence
Air Corps Equipment
Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Defence the number and type of aircraft available to the Air Corps for training and or other purposes including rescue; the number of such aircraft normally air worthy at any given time; the number of any such aircraft mothballed or otherwise deemed not airworthy for whatever reason on average over the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39960/12]
Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I am advised that there are a total of 27 aircraft operating from Baldonnel, of this total 3 aircraft are operated for Garda Síochána related activities (namely two EC 135 Helicopters and 1 Fixed wing craft). The remaining 24 aircraft are available to the Air Corps. The types of the aircraft are as follows:
TYPE OF AIR CORPS AIRCRAFT IN OPERATIONAL SERVICE
| Helicopters (8) | No. | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| EC 135 | 2* | Two used for pilot training. *1 of the pilot training aircraft is currently out of operational use due to a recent landing incident. |
| AW 139’s | 6 | General purpose military operational and training - 1 AW 139 currently used for the Emergency Aero medical Service (EAS) |
| Fixed Wing (16) | No. | Usage |
| Gulfstream IV | 1 | Dedicated to the Ministerial Air Transport Service. |
| Learjet 45 | 1 | Dedicated to the Ministerial Air Transport Service. It is also available as an air ambulance. |
| CASA | 2 | Maritime patrols, fishery protection and the reporting of inshore pollution. In the course of fishery protection patrols the CASA can be used from time to time in support of the Customs National Drug Team at the request of the latter body. |
| Cessna | 5 | Provides support to Army and Garda operations and can undertake Inland Fishery Protection. |
| Pilatus PC9 | 7 | The PC9s provide basic flight training for Cadets. |
The maintenance of the aircraft fleet falls into three broad categories: scheduled, unscheduled and routine/daily. The use of Power by the Hours/Performance Based maintenance contracts assists the Air Corps in keeping downtime of aircraft at the absolute minimum. The Air Corps operate a maintenance plan which endeavours to ensure that the maximum number of operational flying hours is available from aircraft when most needed. With regard to disposal of aircraft for the period in question, the Beechcraft Super King Air 200 and its associated spare parts have recently been sold through an open tender competition to Davis Aviation, USA.
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