Irish Air Corps finally retires Cessna 172s at Baldonnel

摘要

AFTER SERVING the Irish Air Corps (IAC) for 47 years, the Reims-Cessna FR172H Reims Rocket was officially stood down from operational use during a ceremony at the IAC's main base, Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, on June 21. From here, the type was operated by 104 (Army Co-operation) Squadron as part of No 1 Operations Wing. The unit had five aircraft in service: serials 203, 205, 206, 208 and 210. Originally, the IAC purchased eight aircraft, the first four of which were delivered on October 4, 1972, followed by the remainder on October 13 of that year. One aircraft, 204, was lost on September 20, 1978, followed by a second, 209, on November 10, 1993. A single FR172K, 243, was purchased as an attrition replacement for 204, but this too was written off, on May 6, 2004. Another aircraft, 207, was retired many years ago and became a ground instructional airframe at Baldonnel. The type is being replaced by three Pilatus PC-12NGs. The first 'green' airframe arrived in the US on June 2 last year, for outfitting with mission equipment. Delivery of the first two should take place later this year, followed by the third in 2020.