Ever since I was around ten years old, growing up in West Berlin near the East German border, I’ve been fascinated by helicopters flying overhead on border patrols and other missions. Whenever one passed above our house, I would stop and listen — captivated by the sound and the mystery of flight. Being a child of the Cold War, I somehow miss that era, and perhaps that’s why my passion for military rotary aviation remains so strong.

At that time, there was no centralized database where one could trace the history or current whereabouts of a specific helicopter — which inspired me to build one myself. My first attempts were made using MS-DOS, long before modern computers made such projects easier. In 2003, after getting my first notebook, I was finally able to turn my ideas into reality.

At that time, there was no centralized database where one could trace the history or current whereabouts of a specific helicopter — which inspired me to build one myself. My first attempts were made using MS-DOS, long before modern computers made such projects easier. In 2003, after getting my first notebook, I was finally able to turn my ideas into reality.

Today, with the help of more than 700 helicopter enthusiasts from around the world and a dedicated programmer, my database has grown to include over 108,000 individual helicopters, each documented with photos and detailed information at www.htdi-int.com