Grand Adventure 08

[ptflyer]

N1US an AgustaWestland Grand is now in the UK - enroute Aberdeen - Newcastle as I write this at 11.45pm Friday having left New York at 8am (UK time) Thursday. New York to London in about 30 hours in a helicopter!

You can track live the progress of N1US piloted Scott Kasprowicz at The Grand Adventure 2008 :: Round the World Speed Record (http://www.grandadventure08.com)

[Geffen]

SO has anybody heard of this? I would have thought that some crazy folk flying around the world in helicopter would have been worthy of a mention somewhere! Flew over Heathrow at 2356z Quite and amazing feat, if a little bonkers. :)

[VeeAny]

The grand adventure has a website The Grand Adventure 2008 :: Round the World Speed Record (http://www.grandadventure08.com/)

Gives a bit more detail.

[exlatccatsa]

Link to the A109 site The Grand Adventure 2008 :: Round the World Speed Record (http://www.grandadventure08.com/)
They're claiming a new New York to London record.

[500 Fan]

Two questions; one sensible, one slightly hypothetical.

1. Does Simon Oliphant-Jones still hold the Round-The-World Speed Record in his very bright MD500E?

2. Is a non-stop Round-The-World helicopter flight feasible with current rotary-wing technology?

In theory, at least, it is. A Sikorsky MH-53E supported by a fleet of strategically-positioned Hercules air-to-air refuelers could do it. Four or five pairs of pilots could be carried to make sure everyone is getting some rest. The limiting factor is the helicopter and its engines and gearboxes. Could they sustain the continuous use they would likely face on such a flight? (OK, that's three questions!) Allegedly, the USMC ran their AH-1W Supercobras for 48 hours continuously with hot rearming, refuelling and crew changes back in 2003 during the early phases of OIF. I don't know if Richard Branson has a heli licence but he might be the guy to make such an adventure happen.

500Fan.

[ptflyer]

Having left Milan this morning they have flow to Graz in Austria, Lodz in Poland, Riga in Latvia then St Petersburg and Yaroslavl in Russia. Final stop tonight is Kazan I think.

Last night Agusta checked out the aircraft at the Cascina Costa plant - 50 hour check maybe.

On the live tracking north of Moscow they were showing a ground speed of 182 knots!

[CS-Hover]

Anyone know landing/refuel points, ETA, ... ??

thanks

[Ian Corrigible]

1. Does Simon Oliphant-Hope still hold the Round-The-World Speed Record in his very bright MD500E?
Simon O-H holds the Eastbound record. The absolute record remains the '96 Bell 430 flight by Ron Bower and John Williams, which was set Westbound (i.e. flying against the prevailing winds).

2. Is a non-stop Round-The-World helicopter flight feasible with current rotary-wing technology?
Should be feasible. Stick it in the back of a C-17, plug into an KC-135 a couple of times (okay, 4 or 5) and - hey presto! :E

I/C

[ptflyer]

N1US and the crew are back in the US - at least at Gambell on St Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. :D:D Next stop likely to be Nome.

[ptflyer]

Was the Simon O-H Eastbound record officially recognised?

If I remember rightly they flew up into the artic to fly through most of the meridians/time zones which according to the rules published by the FAI is not allowed. Maybe the FAI changed the rules after the attempt - I don't know.

The following is posted of the FAI website outlining the requirements to be met for claiming the around the world record.

5.3.5 SPEED AROUND THE WORLD (EASTBOUND AND WESTBOUND)

5.3.5.1 The course, including the control points, shall be approved in advance by the NAC's concerned and must start and finish at the same place, crossing all meridians. The length of the course shall not be less than 36'787,559 kilometres (equal in length to the Tropic of Cancer).

5.3.5.2 All control points must be at a latitude of less than 66 degrees 33 minutes (outside the North and South Frigid Zones).

5.3.5.3 If due to circumstances the final landing cannot be made at the point of departure, the rotorcraft may be timed over the finish line on an alternate point lying beyong the original one (at a greater distance from which the start was made).

5.3.5.4 Intermediate landing places, turn or control points must be declared and agreed in advance with the NACs concerned.

5.3.5.5 Any time spent on the ground between start and finish shall be counted as flying time.

5.3.5.6 Refuelling on the ground or in flights is permitted.

5.3.5.7 Repair or replacements of parts of the rotorcrafts rotors and engine(s) are permitted except that the winglets and fuselage may not be changed.

5.3.5.8 Crew members may not be changed during the attempt. However, in the casse of an emergency a crew member, other than the pilot-in-command, may leave but must not be replaced. Passengers may be changed during the attempt.

Anyone got a definitive answer?

[EPacH]

Simon O-H 's record was and is the official single pilot eastbound record as recognized by the FAI. :D This is the one that beat Ron Bower's Jetranger record with Simon O-H in a very elderley 500E. Ron Bower's two pilot two engine record, in the Bell 430, is the official westbound record (i.e against the prevailing winds).

[Chalkers1]

ptflyer:

Think you confusing Simon OH's trip with another attempt. A know that a crew much earlier did try it that way around, but like you correctly state - it falls outside the regs set by the FAI. Simons trip ticked all the boxes, his highest lattitude being N65.34 at Kulusuk, Greenland.

Simons record stands at 17d, 14h, 2m

The FAI also subcategorize the attempt into different weight categories, Rons and Simons Eastbound trips are in Cat C, the Grand is in Cat E. So officially they are different records.

The Grand website states their trip is an attempt to break Rons time of 17d, 6h which was westbound. So I have to admit i'm a little confused as I understood the records are considered separate between westbound and eastbound? But regardless, they are doing a very impressive job with a difficult task. Good on them!

[ptflyer]

Chalkers1 and EPacH

Thanks for clarifying that.

I was confusing this with the 13.5 day flight by Stephen Good and Michael Smith, also in a Hughes 500, that did go up to near the North Pole in July/August 1997, which would not comply with the FAI requirements as they are written now.

[exlatccatsa]

N1US new record 11 days 7 hours 3 minutes.. beating the previous by 5 days 23 hours 10 minutes.. 20078miles in 271 hours average speed 74.1 kts!!

Forum :: The Grand Adventure :: Round the World Helicopter Record 2008 (http://www.grandadventure08.com/forum/)

[Brilliant Stuff]

Congratulations!!!

[SASless]

From the HAI web site this morning.

I wonder what these two will try next?


Scott Kasprowicz and Steve Sheik Break the Around-the-World Speed Record in an AgustaWestland Grand Helicopter

Aviation duo’s remarkable feat accomplished in 11 days, 7 hours and 2 minutes - breaking old record by ALMOST 6 days!

On Monday 18th August pilots Scott Kasprowicz and Steve Sheik succeeded in flying around the world in a helicopter in only 11 days 7 hours and 2 minutes - setting a new world speed record. The pilots broke the current record by almost 6 days with an average speed of 74 knots over the entire 11 days including stops, with an average speed of 150 knots while in the air. The record of the flight will be submitted to the National Aeronautic Association for ratification.



The achievement involved Kasporwicz’s factory-standard AgustaWestland Grand helicopter covering 18 countries, 24 time zones, 49 states, 78 fuel stops and almost 21,000 nautical miles in less than 12 days. Other accomplishments on this historic flight include a new speed record for New York to London, flying that leg of the trip in just over 40 hours and breaking the old record by 35 hours. The aviation duo arrived back at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Monday morning bringing to a close their “Grand Adventure” around the world.

“We are so glad to be back home. This has been the trip of a lifetime and is a remarkable achievement for all of us. We had some challenging situations, especially in Russia, and the planning and coordination at each control point was key to our success,” said Kasprowicz after landing at LaGuardia Airport. “The support we received from AgustaWestland around the world was unprecedented and their employees went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure every detail was taken care of. We pushed the aircraft to its limit and this trip is a true testament to the Grand’s superior performance.”

Unlike previous flights to break the world helicopter speed record, Kasprowicz performed this mission in his factory-standard executive configured AgustaWestland Grand helicopter. No mission specific modifications or additional fuel tanks were added to improve the aircraft’s performance.

Renzo Lunardi, Senior Vice President Commercial Business of AgustaWestland, speaking after the crew’s arrival back in New York said, "Congratulations to Scott Kasprowicz, Steve Sheik and the support team from everyone at AgustaWestland for setting an outstanding new around-the-world flight record. We have watched with amazement the progress of N1US around the globe and we are delighted that the AgustaWestland Grand performed as well as the crew - averaging around 2,000 miles per day is an incredible feat. I am sure this is a record which will stand for many years."

During their 11-day journey, Kasprowicz, who is also the former Deputy Secretary of Transportation of Virginia, and his co-pilot Steve Sheik travelled eastbound across the Atlantic into Europe via Greenland, traversed western and eastern Europe into Russia, crossed 11 time zones in Russia, returned to North America over the Bering Strait crossing the US and returning to New York City. For details on this historic record-breaking flight, visit their journey at The Grand Adventure 2008 :: Round the World Speed Record (http://www.grandadventure08.com)

In February, Kasprowicz and Sheik broke the speed record for the fastest transcontinental helicopter flight from New York to Los Angeles in the same aircraft. The record-breaking flight was achieved in just 15 hours, 9 minutes and 10 seconds with only six fuel stops and covering 2,139.8 nautical miles.