Service Spotlight: ADAC’s German Air Ambulance & Training Innovation
- Oct 5
- 2 min read
Germany’s ADAC Luftrettung is a world‑leading helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) operator, delivering both primary rapid response and intensive interfacility transfer missions across Germany. As a subsidiary of the ADAC motoring association, ADAC began experimenting with helicopter‑based rescue operations in the late 1960s and gradually evolved into a comprehensive national network of bases. Today, it maintains a fleet of around 50–60 helicopters (EC135 / H135 / H145 models) spread over ~37–38 stations, conducting more than 50,000 missions annually. Its crew model combines a pilot, a critical care physician, and a HEMS technical crew member (paramedic); many helicopters are equipped for winching and specialized alpine rescue mission capabilities.
Deep Dive: The ADAC HEMS Academy & New Simulation Facility
A pillar of ADAC’s strength is its dedicated HEMS Academy, located near Bonn (in Sankt Augustin / Hangelar). Founded in 2009, the Academy provides integrated training for pilots, medical crews, and operational staff, combining full‑flight simulators, mission rehearsal environments, mock hospital rooms, and scenario integration from “accident scene → transfer → hospital handover.” The facility’s simulator hall supports EC135 and EC145 rotorcraft models, and the medical training spaces include a shock‑room setup and briefing/classroom infrastructure.
This month, during my visit to their new state-of-the-art training facility, the emphasis was clear: the Academy is advancing toward its next evolution. ADAC and Airbus Helicopters recently announced a joint venture—HMotion—that will centralize simulation training for the H135 and H145 platforms in a new facility near Munich (Oberpfaffenhofen). The plan is to bring all simulator activity under one roof by 2025, combining Airbus’s simulator assets with the Academy’s operational knowledge. The facility’s design ensures that cross‑professional training (pilots, clinicians, and winch technicians) can occur under realistic, integrated conditions.
