Comments: This Sikorsky S.61N, EI-CNL (c/n 61746), is one of four S.61Ns operated by CHC (Ireland) Ltd., formerly Bond Helicopters (Ireland) Ltd., under contract to the Irish Coast Guard (formerly the Irish Marine Emergency Service (IMES)) as medium/long-range Search and Rescue (SAR) and MedEvac helicopters. A fifth S.61N has been leased to the Irish Air Corps for SAR duties from Sligo Airport.
This helicopter was registered on 19 December 1996 after a lengthy career in Britain, the USA, and South Africa. It is the secondary SAR aircraft based at Shannon, and can be deployed to the other ICG SAR stations at Dublin or Waterford when the S.61N there is down for maintenance. The photo was taken at Shannon on 31 August 2002. |