50,000 hours, that's around six years in the air. That's a really long time," summarised the Commodore of Naval Air Wing 3 "Graf Zeppelin", Oliver Ottmüller.
The squadron flies, operates and maintains the two 15-metre Dornier Do 228s, which bear their important task as a striking inscription on both sides of the fuselage: "Pollution Control". The twin-engine propeller aircraft from German aircraft manufacturer General Atomics AeroTec Systems are equipped with numerous sensors for monitoring pollutants on the water. They recognise oil films and other contaminants with the help of radar, infrared and ultraviolet sensors, among other things.
Naval aviators for the Central Command
The client for the flights is the Havariekommando with headquarters in Cuxhaven. The crews have found over 5,300 pollutants since the start of aerial monitoring of marine pollution. The regular flights are intended to provide information, but also serve as a deterrent. This calculation works: At the end of the 1980s, the "oil pilots" still encountered pollution in the North and Baltic Seas every four flight hours on average; today they only find an anomaly every 15 hours. In addition to the daily surveillance flights, the Do 228s are also available to the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies in the event of accidents and other major incidents. Most recently, they were involved when large quantities of oil spilled into the Kiel Canal near Brunsbüttel in December 2022.
Our task is active nature conservation and therefore also the protection of our coasts, our home. This requires a great deal of knowledge and experience, but also good communication and cooperation, said Robby Renner, Head of the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies, during the anniversary event.
Squadron Commodore Oliver Ottmüller echoed the thanks and reminded the 100 or so guests of some of the Do 228's important missions. Among other things, he pointed out that the versatile aircraft has also been deployed over land as part of administrative assistance, for example during floods on the Elbe, Oder and Rhine rivers. He looked confidently to the future and emphasised that the naval aviators would continue to be motivated and ready: "You can rely on us!"
