Heldair Show Maritiem

Saturday, 15th September 2007, the airport close to Den Helder is the location for the aviation event ‘Heldair Show Maritiem'. The airport is normally split into two parts; the civil part known as Den Helder Airport, and the military part, which is used by the Royal Netherlands Navy: Marinevliegkamp de Kooy. The event was the result of a cooperation between Den Helder Airport and Marinevliegkamp De Kooy, and it the public access to both parts for one day.

Marinevliegkamp de Kooy

Marinevliegkamp de Kooy was founded in 1918, and fixed-wing aircraft from the Royal Netherlands Navy were based here. However, during the Second World War, the airport fell into German hands. The allied forces bombed the airport to the extent that it could no longer be used and it was closed, only to reopen a few years later. A reinforced runway was built in 1960, and civilian companies have been allowed to fly from de Kooy since the 1980s. Since the closure of Marinevliegkamp Valkenburg at the end of 2006, Marinevliegkamp de Kooy is now the only Naval Air Station in the Netherlands, and the homebase of the Groep Maritieme Helikopters (MARHELI) which operates SH-14D Lynx helicopters. This location is also near the harbour where the Royal Netherlands Navy's entire fleet is based.

Den Helder Airport

The airport is ideally situated for transportation to and from the offshore rigs (both oil- and gasproducing platforms) in the southern and central North Sea. Nowadays, companies like Bristow, CHC and DanCopter are based at Den Helder Airport, and they are all engaged in transporting personell to and from the rigs and the producing platorms, each of which serves several customers.In the morning, people had a chance to make their maiden flight, at only 30 euro for ten minutes.There was a long queue for the registration desk. A CHC Sikorsky S-61 and a AB139 from CHC provided the flights. A DanCopter EC.155 also made a few flights. The flying display started in the afternoon with a variety of displays, including helicopters, fast jets and even geese. One highlight was the participation of the Breitling Team. Christian Moullec flew a silent demonstration with his ultralight, in formation with several geese and a pair of cranes.

After a number of other displays, a pair of Lynx helicopters took the sky. A hijacked coach with passengers was parked in front of the crowd, to represent a possible terrorism situation. Dutch special units are trained to put an end to such situations of extreme violence, and other life-threatening situations. The pair of Lynx helicopters delivered a team of the Special Intervention Service to the scene. (The Special Intervention Service, or Dienst Speciale Interventie (DSI), is the new unbrella agency at the National Police Services Agency, and it was set up in 2006, as a response to present-day terrorism.)

During a low pass from behind, a few explosions (flash bangs) were simulated using pyrotechnics, to confuse the terrorists in this scenario. The helicopters then made a quick turn and took up their positions, hovering behind and in front of the coach. The special unit quickly left the helicopters using fastropes. The Lynx in front of the coach stayed in position with a sniper onboard, while the second Lynx took some distance off. The situation was quickly brought under control and the terrorists were taken into custody, then and loaded into a van that transported them from the scene. Both teams then repositioned for a quick pick-up. The fastropes were again trown out of the helicopters, and both teams connected themselves to the fastropes while the Lynx helicopters hovered above. Each member of the team is required to signal when ready. The helicopters quickly departed the scene. It had all taken less then sixty seconds.

The static display featured several highlights, one of them a NH90 helicopter. This particular helicopter made its first flight in August this year, and is the first of twenty that will replace the ageing Lynx fleet. After several delays, delivery of the first NH90 is now scheduled for 2009. The NH90 could be seen with two serials: N 088, the serial assigned to this particular example, and a temporary Italian military test registration. It will keep this registration until it is delivered. The NH90 was also scheduled to fly a display, but unfortunately it had been slightly damaged while being towed out of the hangar earlier that morning. This certainly disappointed both the visitors and the base personnel, who would have loved to see their future helicopter flying!

Another highlight was a Polish Navy Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite. The Polish Navy bought four former US Navy Super Seasprites in 2002, and it operates them from two Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates that were decommissioned by the US Navy and sold to Poland. The SH-2G Super Seasprite was an intermediate weight helicopter for the US Navy, but it was phased out in 2001.

In the morning, it became clear that the daily work must go on, even during the show. About ten ‘o clock, the Kustwachtcentrum (Netherlands Coastguard Centre) called in a SAR alert. A person on board the M.S. Cellus required medical attention. A Lynx helicopter was scrambled to fly to the ship, which was approximately 27 miles west of Den Helder. The patient was stabilized on board the ship, then taken onboard the Lynx and flown to de Kooy, where an ambulance was waiting for to provide transportation to the Gemini hospital in Den Helder. Flight to and from the rigs also continued.

About 50,000 people visited this free event, which was blessed with splendid weather. That is something that the organisation would like to see repeated in 2009.

This article was published in the Winter 2007 edition of Helicopter Life.