Everest helicopter landing recanted!

[EagleRJ]

According to Avweb, the Nepalese government is not going to allow the alleged summit landing to stand as a record...

Nepal is determined to have Eurocopter's claim of a record-setting flight to Everest stricken. Nepalese authorities say the company lied about one of its helicopters landing and taking off from the summit of the mountain. They also say Eurocopter has refused to talk about the issue with them...

 

[A Squared]

According to Avweb, the Nepalese government is not going to allow the alleged summit landing to stand as a record...

Hmmm, that's interesting, as the Nepalese government doesn't have much say in the matter. It's the Federation Aeronautique International which decides whether the record stands. As near as I can tell the Nepalese government seems to have some beef about whether the proper permits were obtained, but regardless, the helicopter either did or it didn't land at the summit, and the permitting or lack thereof doesn't change that. Eurocopter has video which they claim shows that the helicopter did land there, and if that can be authenticated, seems like the record should stand.

 

[dane]

Well,

the sherpas name was Tensing Norgay. He carried all the stuff Sir Edmund couldn't.

Regards,

dane

 

[mzaharis]

Isn't the question mostly one of whether the video was a landing on one of Everest's subpeaks (Lhotse, I think), or Everest itself? I think that that's the basis of the Nepalese dispute.

 

[EagleRJ]

The FAI doesn't allow lawbreaking in record attempts. The party attempting the record must secure whatever permission is required of the local authorities in order for the record to be recognized.

The Nepalese government controls this matter, as without their consent, there is no record. They seem to believe that Eurocopter didn't land on the summit, and claim not to have given permission for an attempt, so it appears that Eurocopter did precisely nothing.

 

[Swede]

Have you guys seen pics of Everest's summit? It's a small patch of wind-blasted snow, corniced and overhanging into Tibet. Usually the jet stream is dumping 60+ knot winds up there for months at a time.

Impossible to "land" there. MAYBE a guy could touch the skids to the summit, keeping the power near 100%.

Now the South Col is very possible, but for rescue purposes, most of the altitude-related deaths on Everest are well above the South Col.

There's a famous rescue of a guy in 1996 named Beck Weathers

http://speakerseries.com/spk2001/weathers.htm

but I think it was from around 19,000 feet. The only way to get off the mountain above the South Col is to walk, no one has the strength to drag non-ambulatory climbers from the ridge above the South Col.