Canada’s first Airbus H145 twin-engine helicopter was delivered to the RCMP earlier this month in Langley, B.C. and it’s been named to honour an RCMP pilot who died in a 2012 training flight. The helicopter will be used by the emergency response team and be a more capable hoisting platform. It will also conduct search and rescue and medevac flights. The aircraft is a quieter and more powerful addition to the RCMP fleet and will be used for training before its official rollout at the Abbotsford International Air Show in August.
The aircraft registration is C-FDJB in recognition of the loss of David John Brolin in the training crash near Chilliwack. It’s also marked with the “Spirit of Holidave” below the cockpit. “It’s a great honour to be able to include Dave’s call sign on the side of the helicopter, as he loved his work, was dedicated to Air Services and to ensuring public safety; a part of him will always be with us,” said Deputy Commissioner Brenda Butterworth-Carr.