Peter Sturz

After some years of needing nursing care, long-term DHC member Peter Sturz passed away in Emden (pictured left with his co-pilot Seifert at the World Helicopter Championship in 1971). His passing was also a blessing. But it still leaves his friends and acquaintances as well as our small helicopter family with grief and sadness.

In 1965, Peter chose the profession of soldier and helicopter pilot with the German Air Force. His aeronautical ability quickly allowed him to become a flight instructor. His main types of helicopters were Bell-47, Alouette II and UHID. Some 7,000 accident-free flight hours speak for themselves. His personality, his balanced nature, his helpfulness and his optimistic attitude to life turned him into a well-respected companion.

Peter specialized in marine flight, he was strongly involved in saving the city of Hamburg. He served in the SAR command centres Ahlhorn, Noervenich and Jever as well as the foreign command centres Decimomannu/Sardinia and Beja/Portugal. He also executed many supply flights for the research platform „Nordsee“ (approx. 75 km NW Helgoland).

As a member of the German Aero Club (DAeC), he was selected, along with another military flight crew, to participate with his partner Wolf-Dieter Seifert in the 1st Helicopter World Championship at Bueckeburg. Flying in a Bell-47, he scored really well: Seifert / Sturz became vice world champions in this first benchmarking of rescue flight teams! This crew demonstrated an outstanding performance, Peter and Wolf-Dieter belonged to the pioneers of helicopter sports flying of both DAeC and FAI.

Peter Sturz-Sandor leaves a void among us, we shall remember him in best memory!  

In fliegerischer Verbundenheit

Konrad Geißler,CIG-FAI    Pit Schoeffler,DAeC/LVB    Martin Eigner,DHC