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Irish army helicopter over Tralee

  • 21-05-2014 10:04am
    #1
    DannyD
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 852 ✭✭✭


    For the second day in a row an Irish army helicopter is visible over Tralee, Co.Kerry. It circles over the south part of Tralee town and is present for 1-2 hours. Anyone know why ?

    The heli is a Agusta Westland AW139
    d972926c90.jpg


Comments

  • #2
    DannyD
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 852 ✭✭✭DannyD


    There was a military exercise http://www.radiokerry.ie/news/army-vehicles-engaged-in-major-training-exercise-in-kerry/ but that was for one day last week.


  • #3
    Growler!!!
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,980 ✭✭✭Growler!!!


    It's part of the preparations for the Nordic Battle Group.


  • #4
    DannyD
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 852 ✭✭✭DannyD


    Thanks for the reply.
    Is the helicopter partaking in a training exercise at present?

    Tell them to keep the racket down !


  • #5
    folbotcar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 472 ✭✭folbotcar


    There may be any number of reasons for it being there and you're unlikely to find out why because it's a military helicopter after all and they are not going to tell you. Commonly though they may be training with some local unit or barracks. Helicopter experience flights or assault landings and all that.

    It could be the air ambulance but they usually come and go and don't hang around.

    Ironically as I sit here typing this an Air Corps Agusta flew past. I'm in Galway. Could be air ambulance or heading to or from the local barracks. It's a common sight here though.


  • #6
    kub
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,562 ✭✭✭kub


    folbotcar wrote: »
    There may be any number of reasons for it being there and you're unlikely to find out why because it's a military helicopter after all and they are not going to tell you. Commonly though they may be training with some local unit or barracks. Helicopter experience flights or assault landings and all that.

    It could be the air ambulance but they usually come and go and don't hang around.

    Ironically as I sit here typing this an Air Corps Agusta flew past. I'm in Galway. Could be air ambulance or heading to or from the local barracks. It's a common sight here though.

    No offence to folbotcar but just what are the Irish Army so concerned about? We are a little Island with the population of Manchester, no natural resources and puppets to our German masters, so who exactly are they afraid of?
    Small army small minds i suppose, its not exactly the CIA.


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  • #7
    Frosty McSnowballs
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,396 ✭✭✭Frosty McSnowballs


    kub wrote: »
    No offence to folbotcar but just what are the Irish Army so concerned about? We are a little Island with the population of Manchester, no natural resources and puppets to our German masters, so who exactly are they afraid of?
    Small army small minds i suppose, its not exactly the CIA.

    Well it's just plainly nobody's concern what they are up to.

    Small minds indeed.


  • #8
    kub
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,562 ✭✭✭kub


    Senor Fancy Pants wrote: »
    Well it's just plainly nobody's concern what they are up to.

    Small minds indeed.

    Well personally i couldn't care less. Waste of tax payers money.


  • #9
    Frosty McSnowballs
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,396 ✭✭✭Frosty McSnowballs


    kub wrote: »
    Well personally i couldn't care less. Waste of tax payers money.

    Completely


  • #10
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    kub wrote: »
    We are a little Island with the population of Manchester

    I know I'm being pedantic but where are you getting these figures from? Greater Manchester is listed in many places as having a population of around 2.3 million is this wrong?


  • #11
    DannyD
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 852 ✭✭✭DannyD


    Thanks for the replies. I was informed that the area where it was flying to an from was an army barracks. The fact that over a 2 hour period it must have made 20 trips would suggest an exercise as opposed to an air ambulance duty.


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  • #12
    Peregrine
    Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 26,403 Mod ✭✭✭✭Peregrine


    If we're all being pedantic, in the best interests of aviation and recognition for the Irish Air Corps, can we stop calling it an army helicopter?


  • #13
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Nimrod 7 wrote: »
    If we're all being pedantic, in the best interests of aviation and recognition for the Irish Air Corps, can we stop calling it an army helicopter?

    you first


  • #14
    coylemj
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,620 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    Nimrod 7 wrote: »
    If we're all being pedantic, in the best interests of aviation and recognition for the Irish Air Corps, can we stop calling it an army helicopter?

    Isn't it called an air corps instead of an air force precisely because it is part of the army?


  • #15
    L1011
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 71,135 ✭✭✭✭L1011


    In theory the Army is only a part of the Defence Forces...


  • #16
    astrock
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3 ✭astrock


    There was two air corp helis and the government gulfstream at cork airpott this morning around midday...may have been related


  • #17
    folbotcar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 472 ✭✭folbotcar


    kub wrote: »
    No offence to folbotcar but just what are the Irish Army so concerned about? We are a little Island with the population of Manchester, no natural resources and puppets to our German masters, so who exactly are they afraid of?
    Small army small minds i suppose, its not exactly the CIA.
    It's called opsec, Operations security. Standard in all militaries. No matter how trivial the operation is no one in the service is going to discuss it with anyone else least of all on the internet. It's a part of the job, official secrets act and all that.

    There is no need for sarcastic comments directed at the military. If you really feel the need to belittle them. I suggest you go over to military section and try your hand. You'll get a hot reception.:p

    Incidentally I had a post deleted by the military moderator on boards on the basis of opsec. Obviously I know too much!

    As for the helicopter, clearly it was a familiarisation and training exercise for the local army unit. I remember now a similar exercise here in Galway earlier this year. In fact that all reminds me of when I was on border camp with the FCA back in the eighties. I took part in one out of Monaghan barracks in the good old Alouette III. Only four of us at a time. The Alouette was so small that we had to carry our rifles with our thumb over the muzzle so that we couldn't injure the pilot while boarding. Not such a problem with the AW139 I would think!


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