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MBB Bölkow BO.105
4L-QOR D-HBBB
D-HFFF D-HGSB
D-HGSG D-HGSQ
D-HNWE
D-HHBG D-HNWE
PH-KHE PH-RPR
PH-RPZ PH-RWY
Sikorsky S-76A / B / C
D-HHNH D-HULK
D-HAAO MBB BO.105CBS-4 c/n S.626 - HeliService international - Flugplatz Emden in Germany - 3 October 2014 Flugplatz Emden (EDWE)

The MBB Bo.105 is a five-seat lightweight, general-purpose helicopter. Development of the Bo.105 started back in 1959 when Bölkow designed the Bo.103 helicopter. The Bo.103 single-seat flew first on 14 September 1961. The two-seat Bo.104 followed this study-project. Due to marketing reasons this project was stopped in favour of the five-seat Bo.105. Design work for the Bo.105 began in July 1962. Construction of the first of three prototypes began in 1964. The first Bo.105 prototype D-HAKO s/n V-1 was destroyed in ground tests and written off in October 1966. The second machine, D-HECA s/n V-2, was powered by two 317shp Allison 250C18 turboshafts and on 16 February 1967, the BO105 took off for its maiden flight in Ottobrunn (near Munich), Germany. On 14 May 1969, Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm GmbH (MBB) was formed and development of the Bo.105 continued with the first production BO-105A, D-HABV s/n S-1, flying on 11 April 1970. The breakthrough came in 1974 when the German Army ordered the BO 105 as a connection and observation helicopter. In January 1992 the MBB Bo 105 became part of the large helicopters types row of Eurocopter when the helicopter divisions of MBB from Germany and Aerospatiale from France merged to form the Eurocopter Group. In 1993 the BO 105 CBS with a 25cm fuselage stretch and extra window was certificated. Over the years, license agreements for the BO105 CB/CBS versions with the Philippines, Indonesia and Spain were concluded, and for the BO105 LS, a cooperation agreement with Canada. Until production ended in 2001, as the BO105 was superseded by Eurocopter’s EC135, a total of 1,406 BO105s had been delivered to 55 customer nations.

As a result of the merger between the Eurocopter parents Aérospatiale-Matra; DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA) and Construcciones Aeronàuticas Sociedad Anonima (CASA) in July 2000, the Eurocopter group became a division of the new formed EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space company). Taking off into 2014, EADS was rebranded as "Airbus Group". Uniting all its activities under a single brand, its helicopter division Eurocopter was rebranded as Airbus Helicopters on 8 January 2014.

MBB BO105CBS-4 s/n S.626 was built in 1983 as a BO105S and test flown by MBB as D-HDSV. In November 1983, the helicopter was permitted to fly with registration D-HNWF and in 1984, the helicopter was registered D-HNWF with Landeskriminalamt NRW as owner. The MBB BO.105S entered service with Polizei Nordrhein-Westfalen and used call sign ‘Hummel 6’. In 1987, the helicopter was upgraded by MBB to a BO.105CBS-4. In 2004, the callsign changed to ‘Hummel 13’. After the Polizei Nordrhein-Westfalen withdrew the helicopter from use in 2005, it was returned to Eurocopter Germany in Donauwörth. Registration D-HNWF was cancelled on 27 July 2005 and the helicopters received the ECD registration D-HTSD. In 2006, the helicopter was re-registered D-HAAO and was overhauld by Air Lloyd. In 2007, the MBB BO.105CBS-4 D-HAAO was registered with HeliService international GmbH, Bremerhafen, as operator and Helikopter Vermietungs- und Verpachtungs GmbH, Bremerhafen, as owner. When seen on 3 Oktober 2014, the helicopter was operated by HeliService international out of Emden airfield to transport people and equipment from/to the offshore windfarms. In June 2019, the MBB BO105CBS-4 was exported to Russia and registration D-HAAO was cancelled on 27 August 2019. The MBB BO105CBS-4 was re-registered RA-02548.

page last updated: 03-10-2019
Copyright © Jack Wolbrink, Emmen, the Netherlands
 

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