DRF Luftrettung celebrates Christoph Nürnberg’s 30 years of operations

German air rescue provider DRF Luftrettung marked the 30th year of service of the Christoph Nürnberg on New Year’s Day.

The station at Nuremberg Airport was founded on 1 January 1993 with the intensive care transport helicopter Christoph Nürnberg.

Thomas Münsterer, a pilot with the air rescue service, said: “We started with a Bell 412 and of course a lot has changed in the 30 years.

“We still sat in front of analog instruments in the Bell, today we fly an H145. A high-tech helicopter that could do everything itself.”

The Airbus H145 features a five-blade rotor, which was fitted at the end of 2021. “This helicopter is an Airbus masterpiece and ideally suited to our needs. We also have more capacity in the cabin, so a lot has happened in recent years,” added Münsterer.

Due to its role as an intensive care transport helicopter, Christoph Nürnberg is on duty around the clock and is increasingly needed. Station manager Wilhelm Pfitzinger explained, “The increasing number of missions proves that we are needed. We will have flown about 1,050 missions by the end of the year.”

A second helicopter, the Christoph 27, is also based at Nuremberg Airport and is available between 07:00 hrs until sunset every day. However, it is mainly used for emergencies by providing medical care at incidents, and only transporting patients to a care clinic if necessary.