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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 Until production ended in 2001, as the BO105 was superseded by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.
The ICAO Aircraft Type Designator for the MBB BO.105CBS-4 is B105 |
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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. |
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The 1983-built MBB BO-105CBS-4 D-HHBG s/n S-625 was testflown as D-HDSU. Registration N4572M was alloted for this helicopter but ntu.
In 1985, the helicopter was registered 9V-BNP in Singapore, but soon restored as D-HDSU befor the airframe was exported to Australia
where it was registerted VH-NSL and VH-HPO. In 1989, the MBB BO-105CBS-4 was returned to Germany and was registered D-HDSU again before it
was registered D-HHBG with ADAC Luftrettung GmbH on 13 December 1989. In service with ADAC Luftrettung the helicopter used callsign
"Christoph" that is used for the German lifeliner helicopters since 1970 and is derived of Saint Christophorus, the Patron Saint
for all travellers. The MBB BO-105CBS-4 D-HHBG was used several times as backup for the ADAC/ANWB EMS-helicopters in the Netherlands
and was operated as: "Lifeliner 1"
in Amsterdam, "Lifeliner
2" in Rotterdam and "Lifeliner
4" in Groningen. In 2006, the MBB B0.105 CSB-4 D-HHBG was sold to Air Almaty in Kazakhstan and registered UN LA-130.
The registration D-HHBG was cancelled on 15 May 2006. In Kazakhstan the UN LA-130 was re-registered UP-EC101. In 2020, the MBB BO-105CBS-4 was registered RA-02536 in
Russia.
On 3 September 2004, the ANWB/ADAC' MBB Bo.105 CBS-4 D-HHBG 'Christoph' was seen at the helipad of the 'Circuit van Drenthe' near Assen in the Netherlands
when operated as the HEMS-helicopter during the Superbike motorraces. |
