New hangar for Swiss Rotor Hub

The Swiss Rotor Hub is being built in a new hangar near Grenchen Airport as a center for helicopter pilots. The building owner, Centaurium Aviation Ltd., has submitted the documentation for planning permission to the Federal Office of Civil Aviation. It is hoped the helicopter center will be ready to go into operation at the end of 2021, though no later than spring 2022. Between ten and 15 jobs will be created for highly qualified professionals at the center.

According to an article in the Grencher Tagblatt newspaper, the CEO of Centaurium Aviation, Daniel Borer, is the driving force behind this project. “We will become a center for helicopter training in Switzerland, something that does not yet exist,” he said to the newspaper.

The dilapidated Farner hangar will be demolished and replaced with a new two-floor building designed by local architect Erard Architekten + Planer. However, parts of the old hangar will be integrated in the new building. The top floor will boast training rooms and accommodation for course participants.

Virtual reality flight simulators are at the heart of the new building. They will be operated by VR Motion, a company from Dübendorf, and help reduce real air traffic. What’s more, the simulators will be used to practice emergency maneuvers, load operations and rescue missions with the helicopter.

The regional airport of Grenchen is currently one of the most important training airports in Switzerland. The Swiss air rescue service just recently opened its new training base here. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the European Flight Academy and the Horizon Swiss Flight Academy trained almost 100 pilots for Lufthansa and Swiss in Grenchen each year.