Garda Helicopter

cc1

Anyone know what the garda helicopter was doing last night in east wall? It was hovering for ages at around 2am shining search light right through lighthouse apts

johnsds

cc1 wrote: »

Anyone know what the garda helicopter was doing last night in east wall? It was hovering for ages at around 2am shining search light right through lighthouse apts

There is more than one. What do YOU think it was doing? Garda related stuff??

urajoke

johnsds wrote: »

What do YOU think it was doing? Garda related stuff??

That pretty much sums it up.

Now if only they were like MPS and had a twitter account they could tell everyone what they do all the time.

Cessna_Pilot

Surely the answer is self explanatory!

I saw a Garda car rip past me on the M50 last night on the way home from work. A couple of minutes later they had a car pulled over in the hard shoulder. Garda related stuff?

homerjay2005

this was going around south dublin last night for ages, really low and very loud and seem to be circling for a long time.

any idea what was going on?

knucklehead6

homerjay2005 wrote: »

this was going around south dublin last night for ages, really low and very loud and seem to be circling for a long time.

any idea what was going on?

South Dublin is a pretty big area...... Nail it down some?

homerjay2005

knucklehead6 wrote: »

South Dublin is a pretty big area...... Nail it down some?

general blackrock area.

Mr Simpson

The helicopter is deployed for loads of stuff, very little of it interesting. Aerial support for property searches, searches for criminals, cars failing to stop etc.

Suasdaguna1

knucklehead6 wrote: »

South Dublin is a pretty big area...... Nail it down some?

As in Cabinteely, FOXROCK, Carrickmines........feck I nearly shat myself as I was awoken from a deep sleep.......bolted to open the curtains to see what was going on. I thought a UFO had come and then I awoke.....Garda helicopter at about 200ft shining a lamp into all our back gardens......must have been scummers in the area upto no good. The. Noise was deafening it was that low.

Anyway they didn't rob my push bike that I forgot to lock after I walked it home from local boozer. )

phonypony

Suasdaguna1 wrote: »

....feck I nearly shat myself as I was awoken from a deep sleep.......bolted to open the curtains to see what was going on.

Sounds like someone with something to hide

Suasdaguna1

phonypony wrote: »

Sounds like someone with something to hide

Genuinely not, just the noise was so loud for the heli.......that and few pints of porter on board in a deep sleep added to the mystic of what the hell was going on......and no I didn't rob the bike it's my own!!

realdanbreen

Suasdaguna1 wrote: »

Genuinely not, just the noise was so loud for the heli.......that and few pints of porter on board in a deep sleep added to the mystic of what the hell was going on......and no I didn't rob the bike it's my own!!

Have you a licence for that bike?:cool:

7yearsnerd

heard the noise as well for ages. I'm in blackrock area. It was around 5am. They must be looking for criminals. Really want to know for sure as well.

urajoke

7yearsnerd wrote: »

heard the noise as well for ages. I'm in blackrock area. It was around 5am. They must be looking for criminals. Really want to know for sure as well.

If they are using the nightsun you can be damned sure they were after criminals. I wouldn't complain about the noise some day hopefully not but you might need them.

To get and have air support was deemed required by Harcourt street it doesn't get dolled out to any Garda with a radio shouting "get me air, get me air".

kub

urajoke wrote: »

To get and have air support was deemed required by Harcourt street it doesn't get dolled out to any Garda with a radio shouting "get me air, get me air".

Afaik it is only a superintendent has the authority to call out a helicopter.

Cessna_Pilot

I don't get people wondering why the Garda Heli is out and about. I would have thought it was self explanatory no? I doubt if you heard an Ambulance scream by at three in the morning you'd be asking the same questions, or for example, a Garda car

Cessna_Pilot

urajoke wrote: »

any Garda with a radio shouting "get me air, get me air".

That's only when they have a flat tyre on their bicycles :pac:

homerjay2005

Cessna_Pilot wrote: »

I don't get people wondering why the Garda Heli is out and about. I would have thought it was self explanatory no? I doubt if you heard an Ambulance scream by at three in the morning you'd be asking the same questions, or for example, a Garda car

you made the same reference above, it wasnt funny then either.

martinsvi

as I live quite close to Baldonnel I can assure you that same thing happens somewhere in Dublin almost every other night. Happened in my estate twice as well - once with a spot light, once without. Whatever they were after, I hope they found what they were looking for and I wish them all the best to keep the streets clean and people safe..

half throttle

kub wrote: »

Afaik it is only a superintendent has the authority to call out a helicopter.

Not really the case, its also at the discretion of the air support unit in emergency situations, scheduled jobs such as photos and surveillance needs authorization.

And as far as having night sun on at 200 feet, thats impossible, the night sun automatically turns off below 500'.

Cessna_Pilot

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/huge-garda-search-underway-for-burglary-gang-29558672.html

LXFlyer

homerjay2005 wrote: »

you made the same reference above, it wasnt funny then either.

To be fair it is a rather daft question. If the helicopter is in the air it is supporting Gardai on the ground in a search/chase.

That much is fairly obvious, yet this is the third thread on this topic in as many weeks that I've seen on boards.

Mr Simpson

lxflyer wrote: »

To be fair it is a rather daft question. If the helicopter is in the air it is supporting Gardai on the ground in a search/chase.

That much is fairly obvious, yet this is the third thread on this topic in as many weeks that I've seen on boards.

We get the same topic every few weeks in the Dublin City forum, and yes it is self explanatory.

Bill G

half throttle wrote: »

And as far as having night sun on at 200 feet, thats impossible, the night sun automatically turns off below 500'.

There's no minimum altitude limitation on the Nightsun. The operating manual even warns against switching it on while on the ground, so as not to ignite vegetation from the heat.

half throttle

Bill G wrote: »

There's no minimum altitude limitation on the Nightsun. The operating manual even warns against switching it on while on the ground, so as not to ignite vegetation from the heat.

I can tell you for a fact that its linked in to the rad alt and a safety cut off switch is set at 500'. It's not a night sun restriction but thats the way the gards and uk police force have it set up.

homerjay2005

lxflyer wrote: »

To be fair it is a rather daft question. If the helicopter is in the air it is supporting Gardai on the ground in a search/chase.

That much is fairly obvious, yet this is the third thread on this topic in as many weeks that I've seen on boards.

and yet here you are, not only opening the thread, but replying to it. if its daft, why you bother getting involved or dragging the thread off topic with a high horse better than you attitude?

LXFlyer

homerjay2005 wrote: »

and yet here you are, not only opening the thread, but replying to it. if its daft, why you bother getting involved or dragging the thread off topic with a high horse better than you attitude?

I did not make the opening post.

My comment has nothing to do with a "high horse attitude". It is just a rather daft question I think. Only a member of An Garda Síochána is going to know the precise details of each operation and they are not supposed to comment on operations.

Exactly what answer do people expect?

urajoke

lxflyer wrote: »

I did not make the opening post.

My comment has nothing to do with a "high horse attitude". It is just a rather daft question I think. Only a member of An Garda Síochána is going to know the precise details of each operation and they are not supposed to comment on operations.

Exactly what answer do people expect?

I think he meant "open" as in you clicked on the topic to read it, how anyone is meant to know the contents of a topic merely by a title of "Garda helicopter" and know whether they should read it is beyond me.

Yes I agree with you, asking what the heli is doing is a bit like asking someone as a Garda car goes flying passed with its blues and twos going "what are they doing?"

You can ask but those who may know may not be able to answer for operational reasons, save to say its usually important.

wicklowwonder

Is there only one Garda heli or how many have they got? Just curious. Also are they stationed at Phoneix Park Garda HQ or Baldonnel?

b757

wicklowwonder wrote: »

Is there only one Garda heli or how many have they got? Just curious. Also are they stationed at Phoneix Park Garda HQ or Baldonnel?

2, Baldonnel.

urajoke

wicklowwonder wrote: »

Is there only one Garda heli or how many have they got? Just curious. Also are they stationed at Phoneix Park Garda HQ or Baldonnel?

Owned by AGS but crewed by Aer Corp pilots.