Not long ago, my German wife and I took a day trip to Peine, Germany. Peine is a little town 40 km east of Hannover, and according to the half-assed google search I just did, it has a population of about 48,000 people. In the 1950s, 7.5 kg of medieval silver bullion were unearthed beneath the streets of Peine, because apparently, those filthy medieval Germans never discovered the piggy bank.
So there we were, enjoying a couple of brew doggs at a café in the middle of the town square, when a very loud propeller-type noise descended upon us. The wind started to kick up something fierce, just blowing shit all over the place:
“What’s that noise?” I asked, wincing as a piece of dirt flew into my eye.
“I think it’s an ADAC helicopter,” said my wife.
“… What the fuck is an ADAC helicopter?”
So, apparently, ADAC is the largest automobile club in Europe. It’s a lot like AAA in America, in that they help out stranded motorists and provide emergency life flights for their members. And since this helicopter was soon joined by a police car and a stretcher, I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what we were seeing in Peine that day. Some old bastard probably keeled over in the apartment building next door — “This is it, Doris! This is the big one!” — and ADAC showed up to haul his white ass to the hospital.
Here’s the video I recorded. Check it out, and have a great week everyone!
— OGM
Oh God, My Wife Is German. 
Yeah, we get the ADAC helicopter landing in the middle of a small park near us in Berlin. We think this helicopter is for traffic reports, but one never knows with the mysterious ADAC helicopter.
As for your helicopter, you praying for the tops of the trees to be chopped off; I was wondering if the tops of the Litfaßsäule (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising_column) would be circumcised.
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I hope you didn’t get too much crud blown into your beer.
The slow propeller illusion is caused by the rolling shutter effect of your smartphone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_shutter
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My brew dog was the first thing I protected. Then my eyes. Priorities, man. :)
Thank you for the link! How are things at nosuch.org?
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Neat video! There’s an old retired ADAC helicopter on permanent display in the visitor park near the Munich airport. That’s teh only reason I knew about them. :D (http://stevenglassman.com/2014/08/28/munich-flughafen-besucherpark/)
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Cool! Thank you Steven!
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At least the helicoptor wasn’t one of those black ones! It might have come for YOU!!
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Right? That’s why I hide all day in my dungeon-like office. :)
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Hi there!
I saw one of these landing near my balcony in Cuvrystraße, Berlin, more than ten years ago, obviously to rescue a peson in need. Don’t worry, their pilots are great, and they don’t chop off trees. I’ve also heard that to become a rescue helicopter pilot, you need several years of professional experience (or hundreds of flight hours) and additional training so you could act as an additional medic if needed. They’re doing a great job, and they don’t only rescue ADAC members, but fly in whenever they’re called. Basically, every organisation that has helicopters with medical equipment is part of Germany’s rescue system, and whoever is nearest will take the call, except the military.
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Joining ADAC was akin to joining a cult, that combined with car insurance sent the husband and I to the nearest brewery for the rest of the evening!
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As it should be. As. It. Should. Be!
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You took a day trip to Peine? I’m an American living in Peine. I guess if you are living in Hannover you’d do it for the peace and quiet… except for that helicopter of course ;-)
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Nice! Whatcha doin’ in Peine?
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