Low flying helicopter 23rd @ 4am

Gremlinertia

As title suggests, and to prevent any further signs of insanity for me, was there a chopper be it it coastguard or RNLI about? Neither flatmate or neighbour heard it, but we are on flight path for UCGH

thesandeman

Yep. I was walking the dog when it flew over. It was around on Wednesday night around the same time. Thought maybe it was a Garda chopper keeping an eye on the students.

ben.schlomo

thesandeman wrote: »

Yep. I was walking the dog when it flew over. It was around on Wednesday night around the same time. Thought maybe it was a Garda chopper keeping an eye on the students.

'Walking the dog' at 4am? How interesting!

thesandeman

Vampire humans have Vampire dogs you know!

snubbleste

It was the property tax survey unit doing aerial mapping

boboldpilot

99% certain it would be the Shannon Coastguard helicopter out on a mission. No one else would be out that late. There would need to be some serious trouble to drag the Garda helicopter all the way to Galway. Maybe if the students were trying to burn down the city centre!:D

Aerohead

Yes it was the Coastguard Helicopter I was driving past the rear of the Hospital at that time and saw it landing, its a great service for those that need it.

Storm 10

Yes it was "RESCUE 115" EI-ICG, Brand new Irish Coast Guard Helicopter its a Sikorsky S92.

Storm 10

Gremlinertia wrote: »

As title suggests, and to prevent any further signs of insanity for me, was there a chopper be it it coastguard or RNLI about? Neither flatmate or neighbour heard it, but we are on flight path for UCGH

RNLI dont have any Airborne Assets, Only the Irish Coast Guard And Irish Air Corps.

No such thing as a "flight path" for UCHG, Helicopters will land and take off into the wind as do fixed wing Aircraft but realistically only fixed wing Aircraft fly in "flight paths" eg Jets/Light Aircraft/Airliners, having said that helicopters will use a "flight path" onto a runway if requested to do so or want to land on a runway instead of a helicopter pad/apron.

Dan_Solo

Probably a transfer from Galway to a Dublin hospital.

Gremlinertia

I asked because it was very low flying, and i stand corrected on flight 'path' that's my something new for today learned

Dan_Solo

Gremlinertia wrote: »

I asked because it was very low flying, and i stand corrected on flight 'path' that's my something new for today learned

I know the guys they fly in to use the decompression chamber are meant to be kept at as low altitude as possible as it's lack of pressure that causes the nitrogen bubble formation that produces the bends.
I don't know would that sort of diving occur anywhere at night time though.

Chicken1

I know one of the guys working in the hospital, they brought in a female patient from the Aran Islands.

Dan_Solo

Chicken1 wrote: »

I know one of the guys working in the hospital, they brought in a female patient from the Aran Islands.

BTW, "patient" here can mean a mother in labour. They fly them in too, so not necessarily bad news at all.

vulcan57

Dan_Solo wrote: »

BTW, "patient" here can mean a mother in labour. They fly them in too, so not necessarily bad news at all.

That's what it was, from Inishmaan.

swiftman

baby girl born this morning

_Whimsical_

swiftman wrote: »

baby girl born this morning

Was the babies birth related to the helicopter the other night ?

If so that's quite sweet that we were all woken up for it and congrats to all concerned,particularly the mum and dad.

I have to say that while it's sometimes irritating to be woken by these helicopters I never resent it,I always just feel a pang for anyone involved and hope theyre all ok.

snubbleste

vulcan57 wrote: »

That's what it was, from Inishmaan.

Which village on Inis Meain?

_Whimsical_

swiftman wrote: »

baby girl born this morning

Btw...if it is related to the birth of a child,yours or that of someone you know,print this thread out for her.It would be so cool in years to come for her to have proof her arrival in the world woke a city up.:)

Storm 10

swiftman wrote: »

baby girl born this morning

Congrats on the baby girl, its a great service that the Coastguard and Air Corps provide, if it was not available it would be a trip in the Lifeboat to Rossaveal and Ambulance to Galway, the Helicopter is 11 minutes from Aran to Galway.

I live near the hospital and am awoken when it comes in to the Hospital, it never bothers me with the noise because everytime it lands its a life saved.

Well done to all concerned.

swiftman

Storm 10 wrote: »

Congrats on the baby girl, its a great service that the Coastguard and Air Corps provide, if it was not available it would be a trip in the Lifeboat to Rossaveal and Ambulance to Galway, the Helicopter is 11 minutes from Aran to Galway.

I live near the hospital and am awoken when it comes in to the Hospital, it never bothers me with the noise because everytime it lands its a life saved.

Well done to all concerned.

not my child but i do know the parents. not sure if there on boards but they might be
as you say storm,it is a great service, fantastic. one people couldnt live without.
the helicopter is great only few mins and used with very serious injury, heart related and for pregnant women. this great to take all the stress away when any of them are worrying you.
the lifeboat is also good but for lesser injury's/sickness when 80 mins is grand

extraice

can see the helicopter coming over the bay now

Gremlinertia

extraice wrote: »

can see the helicopter coming over the bay now

This looks more like a search mission i think.

extraice

landed in UCGH

Gremlinertia

Oops my bad. Gettin it wrong a lot of late, hopefully a successful mission anyway..

Dan_Solo

I assume they'll fly mother and baby back again? Would fit the timeline for a no-complications birth? That would be good.
(resisting straying into mean-spirited "taxi service" sermon here )

Storm 10

Dan_Solo wrote: »

I assume they'll fly mother and baby back again? Would fit the timeline for a no-complications birth? That would be good.
(resisting straying into mean-spirited "taxi service" sermon here )

No they do not do that and last nights operation was a critically ill patient brought in from another part of the Country,

Mrs OBumble

Dan_Solo wrote: »

I assume they'll fly mother and baby back again? Would fit the timeline for a no-complications birth? That would be good.
(resisting straying into mean-spirited "taxi service" sermon here )

I won't resist: surely it would not have been an uncomplicated birth, if someone had to be flown at night? Surely an uncomplicated labour would have been preceeded by a leisurely non-helicopter trip closer to a birthing centre, two or three weeks before the due date? Surely???

whatlliwear

there's a very low flying Helicopter flying over Lough Atalia at the moment...

Ludikrus

I'm in knocknacarra - clybaun road, a helicopter just passed over and did last night as well.

Mrs OBumble

whatlliwear wrote: »

there's a very low flying Helicopter flying over Lough Atalia at the moment...

I believe there's an on-going search for a missing man from Newcastle.

Bob_the_dog

It was a medevac of an ill newborn from Inishmann. Really hope everything ended up ok. It is a fantastic service provided to the islands and i for one didn't realise how frequent they were called upon.

(Irish Coastguard now have a Facebook page with info on call outs).

Storm 10

Its going to be very busy from now on as UCHG is the appointed Hospital for all medical transfers for the Air Corps and Coastguard helicopters along the West Coast and inland. Its wonderful that seriously ill patients can get to Hospital so quickly thanks to the brave men and women in the rescue and medical sercice. Last week the Shannon Coastguard helicopter carried out the longest mission ever, they went 150 miles South of Cork to airlift a critically ill crewman from a pipe laying ship and took him to Cork hospital, the Air Corps CASA maritime patrol aircraft flew top cover in the event of any incident with the helicopter.

shampoosuicide

the one last night seemed to be going over and back, or circling or something? idk, quite weird if it's a medivac that's presumably going straight to the hospital. this does seem to have become a thing all of a sudden

NordicDiver

shampoosuicide wrote: »

the one last night seemed to be going over and back, or circling or something? idk, quite weird if it's a medivac that's presumably going straight to the hospital. this does seem to have become a thing all of a sudden

car/motorbike accident salthill

Storm 10

shampoosuicide wrote: »

the one last night seemed to be going over and back, or circling or something? idk, quite weird if it's a medivac that's presumably going straight to the hospital. this does seem to have become a thing all of a sudden

RESCUE 115 came in from the Aran Islands, she circled twice to decrease altitude/airspeed to land at UCHG.

Helicopters will cicrle the pad at UCHG to slow down and descend if they are moving too fast, nothing weird about it whatsoever.

They will also land/take off into the Wind.

Storm 10

Ludikrus wrote: »

I'm in knocknacarra - clybaun road, a helicopter just passed over and did last night as well.

That was RESCUE 115.

shampoosuicide

Storm 10 wrote: »

RESCUE 115 came in from the Aran Islands, she circled twice to decrease altitude/airspeed to land at UCHG.

Helicopters will cicrle the pad at UCHG to slow down and descend if they are moving too fast, nothing weird about it whatsoever.

it's weird when you're house is nowhere near the hospital

Storm 10

shampoosuicide wrote: »

it's weird when you're house is nowhere near the hospital

Ah yes I can understand that but if she is moving quick you can imagine her turning circle for descent/airpseed los will be big enough, lovely noise out of the S92.

Dan_Solo

NordicDiver wrote: »

car/motorbike accident salthill

But the flight itself was a transfer to Dublin?

thesandeman

Storm 10 wrote: »

Yes it was "RESCUE 115" EI-ICG, Brand new Irish Coast Guard Helicopter its a Sikorsky S92.

It's defiantly much louder or hangs around longer than previous ones though.
It doesn't bother me and as somebody else said it can only be for the good in some kind of way when it's around.

Dan_Solo

thesandeman wrote: »

It's defiantly much louder

Bloody minded, those helicopters!:D

thesandeman

LOL. Almost as bloody minded as my predictive text.

vulcan57

Here she is on the pad at UCHG last Thursday night 28/02/13

islanderre

Class picture Vulcan57....... lighting is brillient

Gremlinertia

Beautiful pic there vulcan..

Storm 10

thesandeman wrote: »

It's defiantly much louder or hangs around longer than previous ones though.
It doesn't bother me and as somebody else said it can only be for the good in some kind of way when it's around.

She ( New S92 ) is 25% faster and has longer range/endurance than the previous S61N, The S61N was loud too but 100% the S92 can be heard from quite a distance away but the S61N was always way more louder upon landing as they had to use way more power as she was landing, the S92 is so advanced that she uses less than 60% power when landing.

Interestingly enough you may still catch or hear the old S61N when she arrives at UCHG as they are still in use with RESCUE 118 based at Sligo Airport. RESCUE 116 ( Dublin ) & RESCUE 117 ( Waterford ) still all use the S61N as they are awaiting the arrival of S92's for each base.

jkforde

have they changed their approach into UCHG for the new chopper because it's been flying directly overhead (Fort Lorenzo) for the last two weeks.... or is each path it takes solely based on current wind conditions and destination?

Storm 10

THe approach is into the wind so they will land into the wind direction, they were in last night with a casualty and as I type they are coming in again, what a brilliant service

vulcan57

jkforde wrote: »

have they changed their approach into UCHG for the new chopper because it's been flying directly overhead (Fort Lorenzo) for the last two weeks.... or is each path it takes solely based on current wind conditions and destination?

Depends a lot on where they're coming from as well. They make a habit of coming in over Barna and Knocknacarra when coming in from the Islands. If there's a diver, especially if the bends are a possibility, they will often come right down the bay as far as possible to keep the altitude low. If they're coming up from the south they will come straight across the bay. Obviously, this is not writen in stone, and weather and wind will play a significant role in their approach

jkforde

since the flight mentioned by the OP I've noticed flights over the house at least once a day now, there was even one very low flying two nights ago around 4am-ish that actually shook the house a bit. and I've noticed a definite increase in helicopter activity in general over the city in the last few weeks. is it all emergency/medical flights to/from UCHG or what's up?