The first helicopter mechanics
With the introduction of the first helicopters, operators were naturally required to train specialised personnel to ensure their proper operation. Helicopters require regular maintenance and periodic overhauls, which may vary considerably depending on the model’s size and technical complexity. Manufacturers, together with national and international regulatory authorities, impose strict requirements governing the correct operation of aircraft. As with motor vehicles, helicopters must be certified for airworthiness and entered in an official register. This certification confirms that the aircraft complies with all technical standards and applicable legal regulations.
In the summer of 1949, Air Import acquired the Hiller 360 HB-XAI, the first civil helicopter registered in Switzerland. Responsibility for the maintenance of Air Import’s aircraft was entrusted to Pilatus, which therefore also assumed responsibility for the helicopter.
The first helicopter mechanic in Switzerland was almost certainly Reinhold Günthard (1914–1973). After completing compulsory schooling, he began an apprenticeship as a mechanic and subsequently worked for Alfred Comte Schweizerische Flugzeugfabrik. He later joined Willi Farner Flugzeugbau in Grenchen. During the Second World War, he carried out maintenance work on military aircraft. After the war, he was employed by Pilatus Flugzeugwerke in Stans. In August 1949, Günthard travelled to France to attend a training course on Hiller helicopters with Helicop-Air, the European distributor for Hiller and a close partner of Air Import. At the same time, Albert Villard—who would become Switzerland’s first helicopter pilot—trained at Helicop-Air’s school, where he obtained his pilot’s licence.
In Switzerland, Günthard was assisted during maintenance operations by Belgian chief technician Guy Warnez, who also held a pilot’s licence. On 1 March 1950, Air Import employed Walter Demuth as a helicopter mechanic; he later obtained a commercial helicopter pilot licence. Other mechanics employed by Air Import included Josef “Seppi” Knecht, Ernst Bänzinger, Mr Roth, and Hans Hunger. Routine maintenance was generally carried out by Air Import, while major overhauls were performed by Pilatus.
In autumn 1953 the Schweizerische Helicopter AG started its activity using a helicopter Bell 47G. The maintenance work of the new company's helicopter was contracted to the Alpar aviation company. For this reason Jean Seydoux (who later became a commercial helicopter pilot), who at that time was Alpar's chief-mechanic, was sent to France. Near Paris the Fenwick Aviation company trained him in the maintenance of the Bell 47 helicopter series. Kurt Haldimann, already an aircraft mechanic of Alpar, was also trained as a helicopter mechanic along with his work colleagues Eduard Krebs and Peter Röhm.
In Valais the maintenance of the Bell 47J Ranger HB-XAU flown by Hermann Geiger was initially carried out by Ernst Bänzinger, with the assistance of Fernand Martignoni. Martignoni was employed by the Valais Section of the Swiss Aero Club, first as an aircraft mechanic and later as a commercial fixed-wing and helicopter pilot.
In the summer of 1958, Hermann Geiger’s nephew, Armand Geiger, attended a training course for mechanics at Costruzioni Aeronautiche Giovanni Agusta, focusing on the maintenance of the Bell 47 series. From that time onward, he personally assumed responsibility for the helicopter’s maintenance, while major overhaul work continued to be performed by Agusta’s technicians.