Shannon Aviation Museum celebrated the 60th anniversary of Irish Air Corps Helicopter operations with a talk by Lt Col David Browne, along with invited guests including GOC Irish Air Corps Brigadier General Rory O’Connor, and former members of No 3 Operations Wing.
The event honoured the late Terry Kelly, who played a crucial role in a rescue mission at Powerscourt Waterfall. He opened a helicopter fuel drain valve with his bare hands, leading to the addition of a fuel jettison valve by the manufacturer.
No 3 Operations Wing has conducted numerous Air Ambulance missions, including over 2800 on the Allouette helicopter and over 7,000 emergency medical service (EMS) callouts since 2011. Lt Col David Browne expressed plans to expand operations and is partnering with the United States Air Force on the introduction of the MH-139A “Grey Wolf.”
