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Silver Swallows
The Silver Swallows is the name of Irish Air Corps Aerobatic Team. Active from 1986 to 1998 and reformed in 2022. The team was originally equipped with four Fouga Magister, Fouga CM170 Magister jet trainers, and was drawn from the Light Strike Squadron of the Irish Air Corps based at Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, Ireland, Baldonnel near Dublin. It now uses the Pilatus PC-9M. The name ''Silver Swallows'' was derived from the colour of the aircraft, and the V-shaped tail of the Magister aircraft the team flew. Throughout its history the team was operated on a part-time basis, with the display duties of the team being secondary to the primary roles of the Light Strike Squadron. Display history This four-ship team first performed for the 60th anniversary of the formation of the Air Corps in 1982 with silver Fouga Magister trainers with a display designed to keep the team as close as possible to the crowd, and incorporated the concept of breaking up and reforming while flying aerobatic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irish Air Corps
The Air Corps () is the air force of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Organisationally a military branch of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Ireland, the Air Corps utilises a fleet of fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft to carry out a variety of duties in conjunction with the Irish Army, Irish Naval Service and Garda Síochána. The headquarters of the Air Corps is located at the Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, County Dublin. The Air Corps has an active establishment of 886 personnel. Like other components of the Defence Forces, it has struggled to maintain strength and as of December 2023 has only 689 active personnel. Unlike the Army or the Naval Service, the Air Corps does not maintain a Military reserve force, reserve component. While established as an army air corps in the 1920s, the Irish Air Corps was not operated as a separate military service until 1997. It is primarily built around various supporting roles rather than actually controlling Irish airspace, ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RAF Fairford
Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force (RAF) List of Royal Air Force stations, station in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. While being an RAF station, Fairford hosts United States Air Force personnel. Since 2019, the base has played host to a Lockheed U-2S Dragon Lady detachment from the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron, 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron. It is the USAF's only European airfield for heavy bombers and routinely supports Bomber Task Force (BTF) operations. Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an airfield for United States Air Force B-52s during the 2003 2003 invasion of Iraq, Iraq War, Operation Allied Force in 1999, and the first Gulf War in 1991. RAF Fairford was the only TransOceanic Abort Landing site for NASA's Space Shuttle in the UK. As well as having a sufficiently long runway for a shuttle landing (the runway is long), it also had NASA-trained fire and medical crews stationed on the airfield. The runw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1986 Establishments In Ireland
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal enter the European Community, which becomes the European Union in 1993. * January 11 – The Gateway Bridge in Brisbane, Australia, at this time the world's longest prestressed concrete free- cantilever bridge, is opened. * January 13– 24 – South Yemen Civil War. * January 20 – The United Kingdom and France announce plans to construct the Channel Tunnel. * January 24 – The Voyager 2 space probe makes its first encounter with Uranus. * January 25 – Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Army Rebel group takes over Uganda after leading a five-year guerrilla war in which up to half a million people are believed to have been killed. They will later use January 26 as the official date to avoid a coincidence of dates with Dictator I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aerobatic Teams
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment, and sport. Additionally, some helicopters, such as the MBB Bo 105, are capable of limited aerobatic manoeuvres. An example of a fully aerobatic helicopter, capable of performing loops and rolls, is the Westland Lynx. Most aerobatic manoeuvres involve rotation of the aircraft about its longitudinal (roll) axis or lateral (pitch) axis. Other maneuvers, such as a spin, displace the aircraft about its vertical (yaw) axis. Manoeuvres are often combined to form a complete aerobatic sequence for entertainment or competition. Aerobatic flying requires a broader set of piloting skills and exposes the aircraft to greater structural stress than for normal flight. In some countries, the pilot must wea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amhrán Na BhFiann
"" (), or in English, "The Soldier's Song", is the national anthem of Ireland. The music was composed by Peadar Kearney and Patrick Heeney, the original English lyrics written by Kearney, and the Irish-language translation, now usually the version heard, by Liam Ó Rinn. The song has three verses, but only the choral refrain is used as the national anthem. The Presidential Salute, played when the President of Ireland arrives at an official engagement, consists of the first four bars of the national anthem immediately followed by the last five. History Origins The song was originally written in English as "A Soldier's Song". It was composed "early in 1910 or late in 1909", with words by Peadar Kearney, and music by his childhood friend and neighbour Patrick Heeney, who had collaborated on songs since 1903. Kearney assisted Heeney in setting the refrain. Heeney composed it with his melodeon. Seán Rogan, later of the Irish Citizen Army, may also have helped with the mus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Collins Barracks, Dublin
Collins Barracks () is a former military barracks in the Arbour Hill area of Dublin, Ireland. The buildings now house the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History. Previously housing first British Armed Forces and later Irish Army garrisons through three centuries, the barracks were the oldest continuously occupied example in the world. Built in 1702, and further extended in the late 18th century and 19th century, the complex's main buildings are neo-classical in style. Originally called simply The Barracks, and later The Royal Barracks, the name was changed in 1922 by the Irish Free State to "Collins Barracks", in honour of Michael Collins, who had been killed earlier that year. Since 1997 the barracks have been home to collections of the National Museum of Ireland (for ''Decorative Arts and History'' exhibits), and the original structures have seen some award-winning redevelopment and conservation work to support this new role. History 18th century to 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Day Of Commemoration
In Ireland, the National Day of Commemoration () commemorates all Irish people who died in past wars or United Nations peacekeeping missions. It occurs on the Sunday nearest 11 July (see Irish Calendar), the anniversary of the date in 1921 that a truce was signed ending the Irish War of Independence. The principal ceremony is held at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin, Ireland. Background The commemoration of Irish soldiers and wars has been fragmented within Ireland for historical and political reasons. Ceremonies to honour Irish soldiers who fought in the First World War have been held in Ireland in November on Remembrance Sunday and Remembrance Day since the war's end. These are mainly organised by the Royal British Legion and observed by Unionists and ex-servicemen and relatives. The focal points were St Patrick's Cathedral and the Irish National War Memorial Gardens, both in Dublin. Though many Irish nationalists served in Irish regiments of the British Army prio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Officer Commanding
The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as they see fit, within the bounds of military law. In this respect, commanding officers have significant responsibilities (for example, the use of force, finances, equipment, the Geneva Conventions), duties (to higher authority, mission effectiveness, duty of care to personnel), and powers (for example, discipline and punishment of personnel within certain limits of military law). In some countries, commanding officers may be of any commissioned rank. Usually, there are more officers than command positions available, and time spent in command is generally a key aspect of promotion, so the role of commanding officer is highly valued. The commanding officer is often assisted by an executive officer (XO) o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Air Corps College (Ireland)
The Air Corps College (ACC; ) is the principal training and learning establishment of the Irish Air Corps. Its role is to instruct Officers, NCO's, recruits and cadets, in aspects of military aviation. The Air Corps College is based at Casement Aerodrome, the Air Corps principal base of operations and is composed of three schools: the Flying Training School (FTS), the Technical Training School (TTS) and the Military Training School (MTS), each of which provides specific training depending on the role the new recruit is going into. The Flying Training School The Flying Training School is responsible for the training and education of all new Air Corps Officers and Cadets for their new role as Air Corp military pilots. The school utilises Pilatus PC-9M trainer aircraft in all training conducted. Training lasts for approximately 18 months and teaches all the principles of aircraft piloting and flight in general. The library at the College holds the Madeleine O'Rourke Collection o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pilatus PC-9
The Pilatus PC-9 is a single-engine, low-wing tandem-seat turboprop training aircraft designed and manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. Developed as a more powerful evolution of the preceding Pilatus PC-7, the PC-9 features an enlarged cockpit and a ventral airbrake while possessing only a low level of structural commonality with its predecessor. During May 1985, the maiden flight of the prototype PC-9 was conducted; four months later, type certification was received and permitting deliveries to commence that same year. During the mid-1980s, Pilatus teamed up with British Aerospace to market the PC-9; the first production order for the type was placed by the Royal Saudi Air Force. Production of the PC-9 has continued into the twenty-first century and in excess of 250 aircraft have been produced across five different variants. One of these variants, the Beechcraft T-6A Texan II, has been produced under licence by the American firm Beechcraft in the United States. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire to the east, Wiltshire to the south, Bristol and Somerset to the south-west, and the Wales, Welsh county of Monmouthshire to the west. The city of Gloucester is the largest settlement and the county town. The county is predominantly rural, with an area of and a population of 916,212. After Gloucester (118,555) the largest distinct settlements are Cheltenham (115,940), Stroud (26,080), and Yate (28,350). In the south of the county, the areas around Filton and Kingswood, South Gloucestershire, Kingswood are densely populated and part of Bristol Built-up Area, Bristol built-up area. For Local government in England, local government purposes Gloucestershire comprises a non-metropolitan county, with six districts, and the Unitary authorities ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal International Air Tattoo
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the world's largest military airshow, held annually in July, usually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England, in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust. The show typically attracts a total of 150,000 to 200,000 spectators over the weekend. RIAT often features upwards of 200 aircraft over the weekend in July, visiting from countries across the globe. RIAT has 200+ static aircraft attend over the weekend and normally around 25+ flying displays each day of the event. History The first Air Tattoo was staged at North Weald Airfield in Essex in 1971, with just over 100 aircraft taking part. The event was founded by Paul Bowen and Timothy Prince, who were CAA air traffic controllers, and Air Marshal Sir Denis Crowley-Milling. From 1973 to 1983 it was held intermittently at RAF Greenham Common, initially under the title of the Royal Air Forces Association, South Eastern Area, Air Tattoo before moving to RAF Fairford in 1985 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
