Air Wing says farewell to a legendary chopper
According to national police spokesperson, Col Athlenda Mathe, the police helicopter is one of the 13 helicopters that were grounded by the South African Police Service for boarding and disposal.
After 6801.7 hours of flying and 30 years of service, one of the SAPS NW Potchefstroom Air Wing’s most trusted helicopters has retired.
The Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), BO105 twin-engine helicopter was sold to a private buyer, Mr Morné Saaiman, on Friday, 5 August.
This was one of seven helicopters that Saaiman bought as part of a tender by Armscor, the acquisition agency for the Department of Defence.
According to Saaiman, the intention is to rebuild the helicopters and restore it to the air.
According to national police spokesperson, Col Athlenda Mathe, the police helicopter is one of the 13 helicopters that were grounded by the South African Police Service for boarding and disposal in 2017.
“The above-mentioned helicopter was purchased in 1985 and was grounded in 2017. The SAPS decided to ground all 13 BO105 helicopters due to their age, the scarcity of parts and maintenance not being cost-effective,” stated Mathe.
She added that the SAPS is busy procuring new helicopters to meet the current and future demands of policing in the country.
