Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 29 Jan 2003

Vol. 560 No. 1

Written Answers. - Air Corps Training.

Emmet Stagg

Question:

204 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Defence the cost of training and the usual time provided for such training for a qualified winchman-woman, and a winch operator as employed in the search and rescue aircraft operated by the Air Corps [2028/03]

Minister for Defence (Mr. M. Smith)

The Air Corps is responsible for the training of winchman-woman and winch operators employed by it. The amount of training required depends on the aptitude of the student, the level of previous experience and the particular aircraft.

Initial basic training is run over a period of about seven weeks and involves 66 hours of ground school training and 11 hours of flying training. A trainee first trains as a winchman-woman and then advances to a winch operator. The standard procedure, once basic training has been completed, is to train on an Alouette helicopter and then, after a period of experience at this level, to convert to Dauphin and S61 type helicopters. Initial Alouette training for winchman-woman is 12 weeks. The course for advancement to winch-operator is two weeks and conversion courses for different types of helicopters thereafter are usually of about two weeks duration. Conversion and advancement are subject to experience at the previous level.

The total instructional and flying hour costs, associated with such training, are €16,600 for the basic training course, €28,700 for the Allouette winchman-woman training course and €10,000 for the Allouette winch operator training course.

The costs of conversion to different types of aircraft depends on the particular aircraft and the level of experience of the particular individual.