DRF Luftrettung is has added a new Airbus H145 helicopter to its base in Mannheim, Germany, and is flying the aircraft as Christoph 53.
For pilot Markus Becker, the advantages are clear: “Thanks to the fifth rotor blade, the H145 is even more stable in the air, which means significantly less vibration for the interior — a brilliant difference,” Becker said in a translated statement.
Patients and crew also benefit from the higher payload of the new model. For example, more fuel can be absorbed, which means longer distances are possible in operations and emergencies.
Modernization of the fleet
The first H145 helicopter with a five-blade rotor was converted for station service at the DRF Luftrettung shipyard in December 2020. Since then, DRF Luftrettung has continuously added more H145s with five-blade rotors to its fleet. Mannheim is the 14th station to receive a machine of this type.
Mannheim station
The station was founded on July 1, 1986, and is located at Mannheim Airport. Christoph 53 is operational from sunrise (7 a.m. at the earliest) to sunset and is manned by a pilot, an emergency doctor and an emergency paramedic.
The Mannheim helicopter is an indispensable part of emergency rescue in the region around the industrially densely populated Rhine-Neckar conurbation with over two million inhabitants in the border triangle of Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate.
In 2022, the Mannheim air rescue service was alerted to 1,118 missions.
