Hamburg, 19.01.2006 : Today will be the last day for "Anneliese", the German  airforce gives it's last but one rescue base to the Federal Police, former Federal-Border-Patrol.  The new crew will fly a Bell Two-Twelve. The SAR-71 flew more than 49.200 (31.12.2005) missions since 1973.

This model has the callsign "Medevac 71 38" and flys in reality in the north of Germany.

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"In 1973, the Armed Forces' hospital in Hamburg also got a helicopter for EMS and SAR purposes. Ever since, this has been a Dornier Bell UH-1D helicopter. It's radio callname is ''SAR Hamburg 71'', also known more briefly as ''SAR 71''. For usual EMS purposes, Hamburg's fire brigade and EMS dispatch centre coordinates the helicopter's missions. Whenever an SAR task is to be done, the Air Force's RCC (Rescue Coordination Centre) in Muenster is responsible for ''SAR 71''. SAR missions are quite rare when compared to the number of aeromedical missions in EMS. Yet this is the most important job that ''SAR 71'' is responsible for so SAR missions will always be seen as more important task than medical emergencies.

"SAR 71" is mostly active in an area that is in no more than 80 kilometers of distance to the helicopter`s homebase. Any place which is located in this area can usually be reached by the aircraft within about 25 minutes of flight." (Source : www.SAR71.de)

On March 14, 2002 SAR-71 crashed, all five people on board died, it was a dark and sad day for the German HEMS........

The model: I made this nice heli during the summer holidays '05. It didn't take so long, because I made earlier on some Hueys in 1:48 and I prepared that work very well. For two years you can't find anymore this kit in stores, I bought it on a famous auctions-page with those four letters.

In the cabin you can see the full medical equipment, like bags, ampoules, a second stretcher, Stif-Neck, vacuum-stretch, etc. ...

Belts and the orange rescue-tab are made of crepe paper (this "softer" paper). The pilot's seat isn't always orange, it's just the pilot's jacket.

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The helicopters, which fly as SAR-71 are from the "LTG-63" in Hohn. LTG means Air Transport Squadrom, they've C-160 Transalls too.

"Pone nos ad marem" (latin) is the slogan of this base. The Huey will be replaced by the new NH-90. German army pilots learn to fly with the EC-135 at Bueckeburg (www.hubschraubermuseum.de).

I had my first helicopter encounter with this rescue helicopter, it was so exciting.

Oh, I've to say that "she" has here own TV-serial on the second german channel (ZDF),  the "Rettungsflieger" (~Rescue-pilots).

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(CH-53 GS, EC-665 Tiger, "normal" Medevac and a flight-school Huey)

I hope you like it :)

Julian