Helicopter Eurocopter On Mount Everest Summit

Thin air, altitude, peril, danger, but the helicopter can overcome all this. This is why we love helicopters so much. Enjoy the video.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• mount everest
• mountain ascent
• rock climbing
• helicopter
• Eurocopter
• mt everest summit
• summit
• Trex 700
• trex 600

[justinhall83]

This is an unnoficial record and this video does not look like it makes it to the top, weres the little flags? Do they get taken down in the off-season?

[CSDCHI]

This video is posted on Eurocopter's official site so it must be real. Also, I would assume that since high winds prevail at the summit, and it snows a lot, and the mountain is still growing, that the little flags woud get covered over of blown off at some point and new ones would need to be placed there.

[gvstrickland]

It most likely has to do with weight. The heavier the helicopter, the more vertical thrust the blades have to produce in order to maintain equilibrium flight..

[CSDCHI]

Ok, so what you're saying is that they helicopter was light with only one person going to the top, if they used the helicopters to rescue people they helicopter will be too heavy and may not be able to maintain altitude. I understand now.

[CSDCHI]

That is a question I had too, and to date have not received an answer from anyone.

[Captainhelicopter]

The FAI (International Aeronautical Federation) Rotorcraft Commission has confirmed the ratification of mr. Delsalle’s record ‘highest take-off’on March 3, 2006.

And no, this does not make rescuing climbers from the ‘Death Zone’ above 8000 meters by helicopter a viable option. Weather conditions are far worse then, wind speeds even exceeding the never-exceed airspeeds of the chopper, bad visibility, not to mention the extra weight of a 2 or 3-man crew including gear and winches/longlines etc.

[Captainhelicopter]

And indeed, it was a perfectly pretty day, wind speed on the summit around 75 mph (120 kmh). So, it’s not hovering at all, its technically flying at around 60-65 knots airspeed, more or less in ground effect.

This same AS350 has been flown to 10.211 meters (33.500) on April 14, 2005 according to Eurocopter. The Mount Everest ‘landing’ was part of a series of high-altitude/high-rate of climb tests.

[Captainhelicopter]

I do a bit of climbing and a bit of helicopter flying and used do some aeronautical engineering so let me try to get a few things straight:

It was a perfectly normal AS350 B3, stripped of most of its interior, thus saving around 250 lbs (120kgs), with half-empty fuel tanks (1 hour endurance). So, only one or two little camera’s on the chopper for weight-saving purposes.

[xpilot13]

Il y a encore, six ans après, des doutes et des contestations. Non n'importe quel pilote n'aurait pas pu faire cela, sans doute pas non plus tous les pilotes d'essais. Le manque d'air est compensé par les vents terrifiants.... et puis Didier était le "premier" grimpeur cette année-là, les conditions ayant été jusque là trop mauvaises et il ne lui a fallu pas plus de vingt minutes pour faire Lukla-Everest et retour ce qui explique sa solitude au sommet : Il était convenu qu'il ne gênerai personne

[bigncornfed]

As far as a documentary video goes, this one sucks! Why didn't they have at least one other camera on the ground at the base camp for climbers? I have seen dozens of videos shot from high base camp (18,500 ft) where individual climbers can be seen summiting so why couldn't they ask an expedition to turn on a camera and point it at the summit that morning? There are more cameras attached to a teenage base jumper than to this chopper...REALLY!? frickin' french minimalism.

[22640cal]

@jjsemperfi I am too, I'm curious to know all the "data" on this flight, like winds/temps aloft, gross weight, fuel load and such

[Canoodle4Yoodle]

"On May 14, 2005 an AS350 B3 piloted by Eurocopter test pilot Didier Delsalle (fr:Didier Delsalle) touched down on the top of Mt. Everest, at 8,850 metres (29,035 feet) .[3] This record has been confirmed by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale" From Wikipedia + Rotorcraft World Records

[jjsemperfi]

I'm just a little skeptical that even a stripped AS350 could hover OGE on Everest at 28,000 ft. Seems fake to me.

[Dracony345]

Super!

[SpotTheSteez]

shit i would rather do that than actually climb it lol