The police flight squadron of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia has completed its 20,000th flight hour with the AIRBUS H145 helicopter type. The anniversary flight took place during a search for a missing person in the airspace over Detmold. The Dortmund helicopter crew was not only delighted to celebrate the anniversary, but also to have successfully completed the mission by finding the missing person.
The AIRBUS H145 was introduced in 2016 as a replacement for its predecessor, the BK 117. Today, the NRW Police Air Wing operates six H145s, which are deployed around the clock from two locations at Düsseldorf and Dortmund airports. In addition to supporting the state's police authorities, the "Hummels" are also requested by the state's fire departments to fight vegetation fires from the air. For maintenance and repairs, there is a dedicated aeronautical workshop in Düsseldorf. The NRW police aviation squadron is called upon to support the police authorities in an average of 2,000 cases per year. It is part of the NRW State Office for Central Police Services.