German motoring and EMS operator ADAC has sold two of its early ambulance-role Eurocopter EC135s to a British operator.  The two EC135P1s will be the first P1 models on the UK register – prior to serial 0501 being imported for the West Midlands Police, every 135 in the UK had had Turbomeca power, and by that time the P2 and T2 were the standard models.  The aircraft are currently being prepared by ADAC’s maintenance arm ALT (ADAC Luftfahrt Tecknik) at their Bonn facility – the work includes removal of all the air ambulance equipment and a complete respray.  The pair are expected in UK during November.

The EC135s have been bought by Western Power Distribution for their WPD Helicopter Unit, whose fleet currently consists of two Eurocopter AS355F1 Twin Squirrels and three Bell 206B JetRangers  flying approx 2,400 hours a year throughout the UK on low-level line patrol work.  The company dates its history back to 1963, when it started off aerial patrols with an Agusta-Bell 47J for the Port of Bristol Authority.  Previously known as SWEB Helicopter Unit, the helicopter operation was renamed to WPD Helicopters following the takeover of SWEB (South Western Electricity Board) by Western Power Distribution from the US.

WPD will eventually replace its AS355s with the acquisition of the two 135s – industry sources have advised HeliHub.com that the aircraft involved are serials 0109 D-HIPT and 0112 D-HAIT, and are reportedly going to be come G-WPDA and G-WPDB on the British register.

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com