Helicopter Breaks Record By Landing On Mt Everest

[User546]

http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/article_002441.shtml

Eurocopter Single-Engine Serial Ecureuil/Astar AS350 B3 Lands on Mt. Everest
May 25, 2005, 09:07

MARIGNANE, France: On May 14th, 2005 at 7h08 (local time), a serial Ecureuil/AStar AS 350 B3 piloted by the Eurocopter X-test pilot Didier Delsalle, landed at 8,850 meters (29,035ft) on the top of the Mount Everest (Kingdom of Nepal).

This tremendous achievement breaks the World Record for the highest altitude landing and take-off ever, which sets an ultimate milestone in the History of Aviation. Fabrice Brégier, President and CEO of the Eurocopter Group, world leading helicopter manufacturer, immediately congratulated the pilot and his team for this extraordinary feat. After taking off from its base camp Lukla on May 14th, 2005 at 2,866 meters (9,403ft) Didier Delsalle onboard his Ecureuil AS350B3 reached the top of Mount Everest.

As required by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI - International Aeronautical Federation), the aircraft remained landed on ground more than 2 minutes on the top of the world before flying back to Lukla.

This feat was renewed the day after.

Stepping out of his helicopter, Didier Delsalle commented: « To reach this mythical summit definitively seemed to be a dream; despite the obvious difficulties of the target to be reached, the aircraft demonstrated its capability to cope with the situation (…), sublimated by the magic of the place”.

Achieved with a serial helicopter, this absolute World Record once more contributes to underline the unique qualities of the Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B3 as a multipurpose, reliable, quick and comfortable helicopter which emerges as the most performing aircraft in the world in the most extreme conditions.

During the trial period, Didier Delsalle and his Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B3 flew some rescue missions on behalf of the Nepalese authorities demonstrating the operational capabilities of the aircraft used to set the altitude landing and take-off World Record.

This feat has been achieved further to various flight tests begun one year ago with the Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B3 among which:

--Experimental flight up to 8,992 meters (29,500 ft) in April 2004 in Istres (France),

--“Time to climb” records to the heights of 3,000, 6,000 and 9,000 meters performed on April 14th, 2005 in respectively 2 minutes 21 seconds, 5 minutes 6 seconds and 9 minutes 26 seconds. These records smash the previous ones held by an Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B1 with respectively 2 minutes 59 seconds, 6 minutes 55 seconds and 13 minutes 52 seconds,

--Experimental flight up to 10.211 meters (33.500 ft) on April 14, 2005,

--Landing at the South Pass of Mount Everest at 7,925 meters (26,000 ft) on May 12th, 2005, establishing a new altitude landing and take-off record, previously held by a Cheetah helicopter - variant of the Lama - at 7,670 meters (25,150 ft). With this landing on the top of the world, Eurocopter demonstrates that its technological innovations provide its products a length - height - ahead, set at the disposal of its worldwide customers.


To date, 3,670 Ecureuil/AStar have been sold worldwide and logged 15 million flight hours. Since its introduction on the market, the Ecureuil/AStar/Twinstar family has been benefiting of successive improvements among which its most powerful version is the Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B3. This aircraft is serial equipped with modern systems such as dual channel FADEC, Vehicule and Engine Monitoring Display, integrated GPS, etc.

424 Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B3 are currently in operation worldwide, mainly used for missions requiring high performances, such as aerial work (cargo sling capacity: 1,400kg) in very high and hot conditions.

Eurocopter is thankful to the Nepalese government and all its departments for their help and friendly support throughout this mission.

These world records are currently submitted to the official approval of the FAI. Eurocopter is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EADS. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2004, EADS generated revenues of EUR 31.8 billion and employed a workforce of about 110,000. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the international leader in missile systems. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, is the prime contractor for the Ariane launcher, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and is the largest industrial partner for the European satellite navigation system Galileo.

 

[Dan CFI/CFII]

That's totally amazing. I've seen the Squirrels taking off and landing at Gorak Shep, and the base camp, and there's really not much there for them. But he summit, goodness!

It'll take an act of God for someone to even hope to break that record! That's also the highest landing of any aircraft.

Dan

 

[mattpilot]

You know what the landing speed must of been on touchdown? Assuming he stayed above ETL the whole time (which otherwise he could of never had efficient airflow to generate enough lift), he must of touched down at around 70kts TAS.

Here's the math: Assuming his ETL is 18kts indicated (i'm not positive on this model). We will also assume the standard TAS speed increase of 2kts per thousand feet. Thus 18 + (26*2) = 70.


awesome stuff

 

[FracCapt]

Great....now we're not just gonna have to worry about the Citations clogging up the flight levels...now we have to worry about the Eurocopters too!

 

[UnAnswerd]

Anyone know if there is such thing as a pressurized helicopter???

 

[SiuDude]

It'll take an act of God for someone to even hope to break that record!....

Dan

Think about what you just wrote for a second.

 

[EagleRJ]

You know what the landing speed must of been on touchdown? Assuming he stayed above ETL the whole time (which otherwise he could of never had efficient airflow to generate enough lift), he must of touched down at around 70kts TAS.

Here's the math: Assuming his ETL is 18kts indicated (i'm not positive on this model). We will also assume the standard TAS speed increase of 2kts per thousand feet. Thus 18 + (26*2) = 70.


awesome stuff

He must have had some pretty red lights staring at him when he was hovering! I wonder how heavily the helo was modified? It can't have an IGE hover ceiling that high in stock form.

 

[mattpilot]

He must have had some pretty red lights staring at him when he was hovering! I wonder how heavily the helo was modified? It can't have an IGE hover ceiling that high in stock form.

I'm saying he didn't hover at all.

When helo's are heavy or in high density altitude, and can't maintain a hover, we do run-on landings and rolling take-offs - yes, even with skids.

Usually for this to work, you need to have enough power to be able to momentarily maintain a hover for a few sec. If that works, you get light on the skids/wheels/skii's, pitch forward and start slidding along on the ground until you get enough Translational lift which will enable you to generate more lift, thus fly. When landing, you make a very shallow approach and maintain an indicated airspeed that gives you max ETL and fly that way to the ground. Once ground contact is made you let friction slow you down.

There was a nice video once of a UH-60 doing mountain ops in the rocky's... He tried to hover to drop off guys but as soon as he slowed below ETL (max effective transational lift), he started losing rotor efficiency (read lift) and hit the side of the mountain.

 

[ultrarunner]

Great, now folks will be getting rides to the summit. But since all the climbing groups have pretty much trashed the mountian, maybe this will cut down on the garbage.

 

[Whirlwind]

Anyone know if there is such thing as a pressurized helicopter???

Yes, there is, but I don't know of any civilian helos that are such.

The Russian Mi-24 HIND is pressurized and has a service ceiling of 25,000ft. The primary reason it is pressurized however is to give it NBC protection, and it has a low 2.4 psi differental.