DRF Luftrettung completes digital overhaul of technical flight operations
The German HEMS operator will replace paper-based maintenance and flight records with a fully digital system designed to improve efficiency and real-time oversight
German helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) operator DRF Luftrettung has completed the digitization of its technical flight operations, replacing paper-based processes with an integrated digital platform covering aircraft maintenance, flight records, and continuing airworthiness management.
The organization said the project made it the first civil air rescue operator to digitize the full life cycle of its technical operations, from pilots’ pre-flight checks and maintenance work orders to aircraft records and technical document archiving.
The transformation was built around the AMOS maintenance management platform and was introduced over the past year alongside a suite of digital applications supporting electronic technical logbooks, flight planning, electronic flight bags, and document management.
Prior to the project, technical logbooks and journey records were completed on paper before being transferred into digital systems, while data exchange between operational platforms relied on static interfaces that did not provide real-time information.
Under the new system, flight crews and maintenance personnel record, process, approve, and archive technical data electronically, allowing operational and maintenance information to be shared immediately between the cockpit, maintenance hangars, and continuing airworthiness management teams.
Roman Morka, Chief Technical Officer and accountable manager for Part 145 maintenance at DRF Luftrettung, said the project had focused on redesigning operational workflows rather than simply replacing paper records.
“We didn’t want to just digitize existing processes – we wanted to rethink them,” he said.
The organization said the digital platform was expected to improve maintenance planning, aircraft availability, and resource management while providing real-time oversight of technical operations.
For HEMS operators, the move reflects a broader trend toward digital maintenance management systems that support regulatory compliance, improve operational visibility, and reduce the administrative burden associated with paper-based aircraft records.
Last month, DRF Luftrettung introduced plasma and packed red blood cells on board its Christoph 42 emergency helicopter, based in Rendsburg, in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.