Important note: If you want a shiny or new looking tag, do not buy this edition! This series clearly shows the long and intensive period of use of the Bo-105 – each Aviationtag bears traces of German Bundeswehr history and certainly has bumps, scratches and paint chips, which also makes the uniqueness of each individual tag. In some variants, the front and/or back are provided with a thermal printing process and are not lasered. This print is quite sensitive and can be damaged if you don’t treat the tag with care. This edition is more suitable for the display case than the key-chain. If you still want to use the Aviationtag as a key- or as a luggage tag, we strongly recommend using the Aviationtag protective cover.
The Bo 105: Ludwig Bölkow and Emil Weiland began designing the Bo 105 in 1961, which would go on to make its maiden flight on 16 February 1967. As well as being used as a multi-purpose civilian helicopter, the model continues to be deployed mainly by government users such as the police, military, civil defence and disaster relief forces, as well as in air rescue down to this very day. It was in the Bo 105 that the newly developed rigid rotor head was introduced and that twin-engine propulsion with two shaft turbines first came to be used in civilian helicopter construction.
In 1969, before the helicopter entered into series production, Bölkow merged to form the Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) group. Decades later in 1991, MBB and Aérospatiale merged to form Eurocopter, now the largest helicopter producer worldwide. Production of the Bo 105 ended in 2001 when Eurocopter introduced its successor, the EC135. By 2001, more than 1400 Bo 105 helicopters had been sold in 55 countries worldwide, many of which are still in service today.