WIKING Helikopter Service Buys Two Airbus H145s for Offshore Ops

WIKING Helikopter Service and Airbus Helicopters have signed a contract for two H145s, which will be used for the transfer of service technicians to offshore wind farms and sea pilots to ships, as well as for air rescue missions over the North Sea.

The contract was signed on 1 June and the delivery of the first H145 is scheduled for the end of the year.

In late January, the H145 helicopter carried out a two-day flight trial to prove its operational capabilities for offshore missions. The flight test programme included missions such as approaching the wind park alpha ventus in the German Bight, landing on the transformer platform and hoisting technicians onto the offshore wind turbines.

During the transport of service technicians to wind power stations, the crew consists of two pilots and two teams of technicians.

Holger Stockmeyer, director of WIKING Helikopter Service, said: “At the beginning of this year, during an offshore demonstration we were convinced of the advantages of the new Helionix cockpit of the H145 and its 4-axis autopilot with auto-hover function. Moreover, the machine offers high performance reserves as well as a large interior, and it satisfies our strict safety requirements for the transfer of persons over the sea.”