Rheinmünster (dpa/lsw) - For the first student pilots at the DRF Luftrettung Academy, training to become a commercial helicopter pilot began on Thursday. With the two-year course under the motto "from pedestrian to professional helicopter pilot", the academy completes the offer of its flight school, said the DRF Luftrettung. A brand new, red and white Robinson 44 Raven II is used as the training helicopter at Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport in Rheinmünster. The small, single-engine machine is ideal for training purposes.
The DRF Luftrettung based in Filderstadt near Stuttgart is one of the largest air rescue organizations in Europe. At 29 stations in Germany, the helpers fly injured people to hospitals or from clinic to clinic with more than 50 helicopters. In addition, the DRF Luftrettung brings patients back from abroad with its own ambulance aircraft. Last year, she reportedly performed 38,076 missions. That was four percent more than in the previous year (36,586). The team includes around 190 pilots, 650 doctors, 185 paramedics and 150 technicians.
