Andi Siebenhofer

Andi Siebenhofer

Andi Siebenhofer in 2010
Born Andreas Siebenhofer
(1977-01-07) January 7, 1977
Knittelfeld, Styria, Austria
Residence Erbil (Arbil, Hawler), Iraq
Nationality Austrian
Occupation General Manager and owner of The 7 Group
Years active 1995–present
Website The 7 Group

Andi (Andreas) Siebenhofer, born on 7 January 1977 in Knittelfeld, Styria, Austria is a former Austrian extreme sports athlete and entrepreneur.

Life

Siebenhofer grew up in a working-class family in Kobenz, near the Styrian city of Knittelfeld. At the age of 16, he became an extreme sports athlete. He also began an apprenticeship and worked 7 years as an engineer/train driver for the ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railway).

Extreme Sport

2000, first world record: From 8 April until 22 May, he initially climbed the Huascarán without any outside help. With its 6,785 meters, it is the highest mountain in Peru. Instead of coming down, he flew with a paraglider to the valley, world record.
2004, 23 December: second world record, longest non-stop flight with a motorized paraglider, 850 km across the Mediterranean. After getting into a storm,[1] he landed just next to the military headquarters of North Egypt in Marsa Matruh and was imprisoned.

Entrepreneur

Siebenhofers former gyrocopter-base in Hungary

Early – 2005 – he became aware of so-called gyrocopters in Europe. He established the gyrocopter distribution and training headquarters in Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Denmark and Spain. The foundation was the Meidl Airport[2] in Fertőszentmiklós, Hungary, where he also established a flight training school.[3]

Other manufacturers committed Siebenhofer as a test pilot.[4]

Today – since 2009 – he is the owner of the “The 7 Group”, Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. In this year, he will receive the assignment to establish the first training headquarters for Kurdish pilots in Iraq, from Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil, Iraq, in cooperation with the US Army. Gyrocopters, as well as (as of 2011) helicopters, will be deployed.

2010 and 2011, further gyrocopters will be delivered to the Kurdish interior ministry and pilots will be trained. To prevent terroristic encroachments, the interior ministry will monitor the approach- and take off paths of the airports in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.

Beginning in 2011, Siebenhofers company will deliver helicopters of the type Eurocopter EC 120B for the traffic police in Iraqi Kurdistan. Just as with the gyrocopters, he will train the pilots as well as the ground crew.

14 January 2014: First flight of Kurdish-only crew

14 January 2014 was a historic day in Kurdish history: For the first time ever, a Kurdish-only crew flew a helicopter (EC 120B) over Arbil. The crew were Brigadier Khalid Ali Barzinji and First Lieutenant Sarhang Barwari, both trained by The 7 Group.

Turn police helicopters into Medevac helicopters to bring back wounded Peshmerga fighters

During the advancement of the Islamic State towards Kurdistan, Siebenhofer did not leave Kurdistan, although he knows he is a target of IS.[5] He is still involved in training and coordinating the missions of the Kurdish police.[6] Although the helicopters so far on duty by the Kurdish Police are not equipped for Medevac missions Siebenhofer personally and his company, The Kurdish Aviation Team, did their utmost and risk their lives when flying to the front line for evacuation of wounded Peshmerga fighters.

Trivia

Siebenhofer's landing on St. Peter's Square on 28 March 2003

In 2003 Siebenhofer became internationally known.[7][8][9] In the course of a protest action and with 2000 signatures in his baggage, he flew with his paraglider in five days 900 km from Seckau Abbey in Styria to the Vatican City, where he landed on St. Peter's Square on the 28 March. He wanted to hand over signatures to Pope John Paul II. He was arrested due to violation of airspace, but released the following day.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.thermik.at/siebenhofer/Siebenh.pdf Wahnsinnsflug. Mit dem Motorschirm über dem Mittelmeer – im Gewittersturm – gleitschrim-magazin
  2. ↑ Meidl Airport, gyroplane base
  3. ↑ Siebenhofer establishes flight school in 2005
  4. ↑ Maiden flight of an ArrowCopter, Siebenhofers Report from ArrowCopters maiden flight.
  5. ↑ Er fliegt der Gefahr nicht einfach davon - Kleine Zeitung, 28 September 2014
  6. ↑ Zagros TV with Andi Siebenhofer (CEO) The 7 Group, Kurdistan Iraq, 21 October 2014
  7. ↑ Andi Siebenhofer bei Vera, ORF
  8. ↑ IPACIFISTI – La Repubblica, 29 March 2003
  9. ↑ Landung in Rom - Berliner Zeitung, 29 March 2003

External links

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