Starting from Monday, 13 helicopters will become a common sight in the skies.

In the picturesque town of Sankt Augustin, near Bonn, the stage is set for a significant event in the world of law enforcement. On September 22, 2025, the 44th training course for professional helicopter pilots of the Federal Police and state police forces from Brandenburg, Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia will commence.

This multi-day exercise will see 13 helicopters embark on a formation flight, covering a route that includes Sankt Augustin, Gifhorn, Hamburg, Fuhlendorf, Barth, Neubrandenburg, Blumberg, Bautzen, Kassel-Calden, and returning to Sankt Augustin on September 26.

The training school in Sankt Augustin is not only the hub for the Federal Police's flight service but also serves as an air traffic school, training and further qualifying police officers as pilots for both federal and state police helicopter operations.

The federal police flying group, one of the largest police flight service organisations worldwide, plays a central role in this training and qualification process. With a fleet of currently 93 helicopters of various weight classes, it ranks as the second-largest operator of civilian aircraft in Germany after Lufthansa.

The operational flight operations of the federal police flying group primarily serve to support the daily tasks of the federal police, such as border, rail, and maritime surveillance. In addition, they are available for all short-term police situations and for deployments in the context of disaster relief.

The training course for helicopter pilots lasts approximately 22 months and includes the introduction of crews to the procedures of formation flight. Upon completion, officers will contribute significantly to internal security as part of federal police or state police flying squadrons.

The regular provision of air transport capacity for federal police intervention forces on weekends is one of the focus areas of the federal police flight service. Close cooperation between the 13 federal states that also operate their own police air vehicles increases the effectiveness and efficiency of operations.

License handover for the officers is scheduled for December 11, 2025. The federal police helicopters, available for all short-term police situations, will continue to play a crucial role in maintaining law and order across Germany.