Klik her for at se PDF'en - Air Greenland

Over the years, a drawing combining a helicopter and
a polar bear has acquired a cult following at Air Greenland.
The person behind the nanopter is Bernd Hobohm.
Bernd Hobohm came to Greenland for the first time when he
went to sisimiut with Action on Aid in 1977. Here, the organisation
built a playground and in the years up to 1984 there were
several camps, among them one in Qaanaaq, where he helped
to build housing for hunters.
– On the way from Thule Airbase to Qaanaaq i flew for the first
time in a small helicopter – a Bell 212 – and i was thrilled to
bits. i have always been fascinated by polar bears, so the drawing
almost drew itself. i gave a copy of it to a guy who worked
for the local KGH store as a thank you for a boat trip.
Back in Berlin, where Bernd came from and lived until he moved
to Ribe more than twenty years ago, he received a letter from a
helicopter pilot named Helge. The pilot had seen the drawing in
Qaanaaq and he asked for permission to use it privately. He was
given permission, but over time the drawing was forgotten – at
least by Bernd. Bernd was busy with all sorts of other things and
who today is an illustrator, wood-carver and producer of advertisements.
Polar bears often turn up in his work.
With all these projects, more than 24 years were to pass before
Bernd returned to Greenland. in 2011, Bernd and his wife Dagmar
visited a good friend at a sheep station in south Greenland.
– One day we received a visit from a pilot from Narsarsuaq. i
remembered the drawing and asked if he knew the pilot from
back then. He did and, even stranger, he knew the drawing!
82
froM air greenl and’s world
The Nanopter
By Jesper Kunuk Egede
DetectiVe Work
Two days later in Narsarsuaq, Bernd got the surprise of his life:
A sticker depicting the small helicopter and the polar bear was
stuck to the nose of Air Greenland’s helicopter. ice Patrol Narsarsuaq
also used the drawing.
– i nearly fell down on the runway,” says Bernd”...to see it in use
after 27 years!”
The investigation became a game and it led Bernd to claus
Motzfeldt at Air Greenland in Nuuk. claus had come across a
copy of the drawing in a helicopter workshop in Paamiut and
had fallen in love with it. claus started his own piece of detective
work, trying to solve the puzzle of who had created the
drawings. Helge was dead and no-one knew where the drawing
had come from. so claus re-drew the drawing in new, Air
Greenland colours and the new version became so popular, that
Air Greenland wanted to use it to make refrigerator magnets.
– And just at this moment, i turn up after 24 years and coincidentally
meet the people who have actually been looking for me
– it’s really weird, grins Bernd.
With good will and the assistance of Bernd and claus, the nanopter
has now been turned into a fridge magnet which can be
bought at airports in Greenland and on board Air Greenland’s
Airbus. For every magnet sold, DKK 10 is given to children’s
charities in Greenland and Air Greenland hopes to collect DKK
30,000 from the sales of these magnets. in this way, the drawing
will benefit even more people.