The Fiji Air Wing
The Air Wing of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces was founded in 1987, had a base at the airport in Nausori, but was abolished in 1997. Yehonatan Shimʻon Frenḳel writes that '..the ..Air Wing was formed after the 1987 coup, when the French provided two helicopters as part of its military aid package.' Frenkel goes on to say that the air wing was disbanded after both helicopters crashed and after subsequent revelations of huge debts incurred as a result of the aircraft.
The two helicopters were:
- 1 transport helicopter Eurocopter AS 365N2 Dauphin 2 - matriculation marker DQ-FGD - in service from 1989 to 1994.
- 1 transport helicopter Aerospatiale AS 355F-2 Twin Squirrel - matriculation marker DQ-FGH - in service from 1991 to 1997.
Helicopter AS-365 N2 Dauphin crashed off the coast of the main island in July 1994, a smaller helicopter AS-355F-2 continued in service until mid-1997 and in 1999 was sold to France.
A Harbin Y-11 transport aircraft has now been reported in service by Combataircraft.com.
Read more about this topic: Republic Of Fiji Military Forces
Famous quotes containing the words air and/or wing:
“They may bring their fattest cattle and richest fruits to the fair, but they are all eclipsed by the show of men. These are stirring autumn days, when men sweep by in crowds, amid the rustle of leaves like migrating finches; this is the true harvest of the year, when the air is but the breath of men, and the rustling of leaves is as the trampling of the crowd.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Here’s a wing [laughs]. What do you like, the leg or the wing, Henry, or do you still go for the old hearts and lungs?”
—Nicholas Pileggi, U.S. screenwriter, and Martin Scorsese. Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci)