The MBB Bo.105 is a five-seat lightweight, general-purpose
helicopter. Development of the Bo.105 started back in 1959 when Bölkow
designed the Bo.103 helicopter. The Bo.103 single-seat flew first on 14
September 1961. The two-seat Bo.104 followed this study-project. Due to
marketing reasons this project was stopped in favour of the five-seat
Bo.105. Design work for the Bo.105 began in July 1962. Construction of
the first of three prototypes began in 1964. The first Bo.105 prototype
D-HAKO s/n V-1 was destroyed in ground tests and written off in October
1966. The second machine, D-HECA s/n V-2, was powered by two 317shp
Allison 250C18 turboshafts and on 16 February 1967, the BO105 took off
for its maiden flight in Ottobrunn (near Munich), Germany. On 14 May 1969,
Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm GmbH (MBB) was formed and development of the Bo.105 continued
with the first production BO-105A, D-HABV s/n S-1, flying on 11 April 1970.
The breakthrough came in 1974 when the German Army ordered the BO
105 as a connection and observation helicopter. In January 1992, the MBB
Bo 105 became part of the large helicopters types row of Eurocopter when
the helicopter divisions of MBB from Germany and Aerospatiale from
France merged to form the Eurocopter Group. In 1993, the BO 105 CBS with
a 25cm fuselage stretch and extra window was certificated. Over the years,
license agreements for the BO105 CB/CBS versions with the Philippines,
Indonesia and Spain were concluded, and for the BO105 LS, a cooperation
agreement with Canada. Until production ended in 2001, as the BO105 was superseded by
Eurocopter’s EC135, a total of 1,406 BO105s had been delivered to 55
customer nations.
As a result of the merger between the Eurocopter parents Aérospatiale-Matra; DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA)
and Construcciones Aeronàuticas Sociedad Anonima (CASA) in July 2000, the Eurocopter group became a division of the new formed
EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space company). Taking off into 2014, EADS was rebranded as "Airbus Group". Uniting
all its activities under a single brand, its helicopter division Eurocopter was rebranded as Airbus Helicopters on 8 January 2014.
The 1979-built MBB Bo.105CBS s/n S-425 flew first with the registration D-HDMX. In May
1979, the Bölkow was registered D-HARU and operated with the Polizei Hamburg
as ‘Libelle 1’. After the Polizei Hamburg withdrew the helicopter from
use in 2004, the aircraft was sold to the Netherlands Police Force [KLPD].
On 7 February 2004, the MBB BO.105CBS-4 was registered PH-RPX with the Politie Luchtvaart Dienst.
On 4 November 2008, Dutch Police' MBB BO.105CBS-4 PH-RPX was registered with KLPD Dienst Luchtvaart Politie, Schiphol.
Early 2010, all seven MBB Bo.105's in service with the KLPD Dienst Luchtvaart Politie were withdrawn from
use. The helicopters were offered for sale by Domeinen and stored at Domeinen in Soesterberg. In September 2010,
the MBB Bo.105's were transported to the Heli Holland heliport near Emmen and stored. The PH-RPX was registered with
the new owner B M Aviation B.V., Amstelveen, on 5 November 2010. After the CofA expired over a year, registration PH-RPX
was cancelled on 6 January 2012. The same month, the helicopter departed in a container on its way to Papua New Guinea.
In 2012, the MBB Bo.105CBS was registered P2-NHW in Papua New Guinea with Manolos Aviation, Rabaul, East New Britain Province.
In 2009, two AgustaWestland AW139 Long Nose configuration and six
Eurocopter EC135 P2+
helicopters replaced the MBB Bölkow BO-105s in service with the KLPD Dienst Luchtvaart Politie.
On 21 July 2009, the first two of the EC135 P2+ helicopters, PH-PXA and PH-PXB, arrived at Schiphol East and the first of the AW139 helicopters, PH-PXZ, arrived 13 October
2009.
Luchtvaart déjà vu
