ROTORCRAFT INTERNATIONAL
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POLIZEI The Workday of a German “Polizei” Helicopter Pilot BY CATERINA HESSLER The state of Thuringia, the “green heart” of
the Federal Republic of Germany, is famous for its vast forests and the low mountain range of the “Rennsteig.” The capital Erfurt is the home of the state´s police helicopter squadron. The pilots there fight for law and order and sometimes for people´s lives, too.
German police captain and helicopter pilot Stefan Haupt
On a Friday morning at about six o’clock, enters
the hangar of
“Polizeihubschrauberstaffel Thüringen” (police heli- copter squadron of Thuringia, Germany) after starting his working day with a rich and good meal at the local butcher. The grass around the runway
of Erfurt Airport, where the squadron is located, is still covered with dew. On the apron stands a Eurocopter EC145 helicopter with the call sign “Habicht 1” (Hawk 1). Haupt´s colleagues have just pulled the heli-
copter to the apron and have started with the pre- flight
check. Checking the helicopter and the
equipment is part of the every day routine in order to keep up the high flying and safety standards. The EC145 or BK117 has been in service for the Thuringia police for almost two years now. The former type flown in the service was the well- known BO-105. Of the squadrons two BO-105, one was sold to the aerobatic team “Flying Bulls”
ROTORCRAFTPROFESSIONAL 22
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