Garda helicopter

BrianD

I was reading an article on The Journal and a commenter remarked that the Garda helicopter spends more time on the ground then in the air due to service issues. I hadn't seen this referenced before (though I had read of budget cutbacks affecting usage). Is there any substance to this?

LeftBase

BrianD wrote: »

I was reading an article on The Journal and a commenter remarked that the Garda helicopter spends more time on the ground then in the air due to service issues. I hadn't seen this referenced before (though I had read of budget cutbacks affecting usage). Is there any substance to this?

I am surprised by this. I think it spends more time hovering over where I live at ungodly hours of the night than it does on the ground...:pac:

starviewadams

They have two helicopter's I think though,I live beside Baldonnel and they go back and forth a few times most days and nights.Think there were reports that they would have to reduce flying time due to Garda cutbacks,but it doesn't sound like they've reduced their flying time much to me anyways!

leeroybrown

The Garda Air Support Unit run up 1500 to 2000 hours of air time a year. That's quite a lot of hours for two helicopters so of course they'll spend a lot of time being serviced. As for the "commenter", they're probably just some random Internet type saying something they heard in the pub.

clown2brown

It is true I can confirm that the GASU is affected by the recent Airworthiness Directive issued by Eurocopter which states that all EC 135 helicopters must have there main rotor heads checked for cracks every 10 flying hours. Cracks have been discovered on 3 machines in the global fleet of 135s so far. It's just a safety precaution but nevertheless a disgrace that it has gone on for a month now :mad:
More info can be found here

xflyer

Isn't it ironic that the Garda have two helicopters and an aeroplane but apparently the country cannot afford one single properly equipped HEMS helicopter?

Strange priorities.

leeroybrown

xflyer wrote: »

Isn't it ironic that the Garda have two helicopters and an aeroplane but apparently the country cannot afford one single properly equipped HEMS helicopter?

Strange priorities.

Not really. Once you've bought the second helicopter the fixed costs of having two dedicated helicopters aren't significantly higher than those of having one. The variable costs are largely related to the number of hours in the air which probably aren't significantly higher with the second helicopter. The second helicopter just provides a higher quality of service for a reasonably small extra cost.

The capital and recurrent cost of adding a dedicated HEMS service are far far greater than those associated with the Garda Air Unit and would require provision of extra facilities at multiple hospitals in order for it to work. HEMS would require a minimum of two helicopters too to provide an acceptable level of around the clock coverage during service windows. The above argument holds completely true for a HEMS service too but only once you've absorbed the vary large cost of establishing the minimum effective service level.

I'm not arguing against HEMS just saying that the numbers are very very different in scale.

An Udaras

Xflyer, Considering the size of the state, population/crime demographics and reduction in Garda numbers and it's vehicle fleet. I think the AGS choppers & fixed wing A/C are great assets in the fight against crime. One chopper (if other heli's down to maintenance or fixed wing A/C on other taskings) to respond to car chases/public order incidents or area searches in support of local Gardai.

I'm not disagreeing with your taughts over the lack of HEMS cover but hopefully the new joint HSE/IAC may provide this into the future. But I feel the Garda air support assets are justified and has been prioritized appropriately.

Hopefully a decent HEMS will also come soon.

xflyer

But I feel the Garda air support assets are justified and has been prioritized appropriately.

They are indeed. It's just that a HEMS is also justified but it hasn't been prioritised appropriately other than the bare bones service in place in Athlone and the ad hoc patient transfer services provided by the Air Corps on an almost daily basis at the moment.

That's the irony.

EI-DOR

Does the Garda 135s cover all of the South or just certain areas?

Northern Ireland has 3 Police Ships now. They recently advertised for Pilots not so long ago.

doctorchopper

BrianD wrote: »

I was reading an article on The Journal and a commenter remarked that the Garda helicopter spends more time on the ground then in the air due to service issues. I hadn't seen this referenced before (though I had read of budget cutbacks affecting usage). Is there any substance to this?

No substance what soever. They have close to 90% serviceability rate

youtheman

There are 24 hours in every day, so I'm not surprised that it spends less than 12 hours in the air. Bit on a non-story really !!!!!.

Markcheese

Prob a stupid question but what's Hmes, what's the difference between that and air-ambulance- can they night fly ? Or even land outside of a helipad at night ...

coylemj

I recall coming out of Croke Park after the Six Nations Italy rugby match a few years ago and the Garda helicopter was hovering overhead. I'm sure the chopper is useful in crime detection but for one of the lowest risk events of the year I really couldn't see the point in why it was deployed that day. Might as well have it in the air for the Leinster Final!

urajoke

coylemj wrote: »

I recall coming out of Croke Park after the Six Nations Italy rugby match a few years ago and the Garda helicopter was hovering overhead. I'm sure the chopper is useful in crime detection but for one of the lowest risk events of the year I really couldn't see the point in why it was deployed that day. Might as well have it in the air for the Leinster Final!

The Garda helicopter is NOT just deployed to fight crime it is also deployed to assist the Gardai and other authorities with crowd control during mass events e.g. when 80000+ people are congregated in one area. This is used to PREVENT people from being injured remember the Hillsborough disaster ! Yes it happened inside a ground but it developed from something that happened outside and the best vantage point is from the air.

That match and other matches and concerts are not a low risk evens they would be classified much much higher due to large number of people involved.

Garda aircraft may be deployed to incidents in the following cases:

Immediate threat to life
Incidents of a criminal, terrorist or other nationally important nature
Immediate threat of serious public disorder
Tasks leading to the prevention or detection of crime
Evidence gathering
Intelligence gathering
Photographic tasks
Traffic Management/Monitoring

http://www.garda.ie/controller.aspx?page=36

Mr Simpson

coylemj wrote: »

I recall coming out of Croke Park after the Six Nations Italy rugby match a few years ago and the Garda helicopter was hovering overhead. I'm sure the chopper is useful in crime detection but for one of the lowest risk events of the year I really couldn't see the point in why it was deployed that day. Might as well have it in the air for the Leinster Final!

As said, its there not to prevent crime, but ensure safety. Providing information on possible choke points in the crowd, traffic info etc.

Turner

They transmit live video feed via down link to the control ctr either in Croke park of Harcourt Sq.