at 23,000' @ 11oC, pulling MCP whch is only sucking 105lpm the only speed to give me a descant climb is 45 knots but its a healthly 700' fpm roc, Nepal
VF thank you for the pictures truly wonderful, interesting to note that at 23,000 feet the summit of Everest is still just about a mile above you.
A couple of questions, what is the highest you have flown, I assume in the B3 and what is the highest landing, how marginal is the landing at that height?
VF: Very judicious move to have two parallel GPSes up there!
I guess you have a pretty decent survival kit/emergency pack along with you when flying in such a harsh environment. What kind of stuff do you carry onboard?
P.s. You should have your own Nepal Ops thread here!
I like to record my stuff on my own GPS, also good for flight planning from the bedroom Just a basic survival kit, good for up to about 15,000' not higher, otherwise we are carrying too much weight.
We carry charter pax, rescue patients, mountianeering gear, mountaineers, general cargo both internal & sling, also do Human Cargo Sling rescues for difficult locations on the mountain
Yes - Sagarmatha is still 6,215' straight up from my height of 23,000'.
23,000' is the RFM certified ceiling for this machine the B3+
I have landed up to 19,000' in the B3+, if Your light she is not to bad for power but You have to be very careful as Your operating right on the gong limit, recording any exceedance, also your at the right pedal stop so no more tail-rotor authority left. & the controls are very mushy with the machine very very unstable up here.
The B; I have taken to 14,000' setting up for a zero/zero touch down as no HIGE power & running take-off as we where very heavy, The B2 up to about 16,000' & same deal there often less than HIGE so approaches have to be spot on for a nice clean light flop down & a very judicious cushion creep departure to the edge of the pad/cliff then fall off into the gorge to get airspeed as once Your off the pad & out of the cushion its only down from there till You have that magic 35-45 knots then your heart starts pumping again yippee & climbing again
Thanks for the compliments on my pix, I am very happy & grateful that You enjoy??? Thanks again for saying so, Your words inspire me to post more........
We are preparing to conduct 'Mountain Flying Certified' courses soon for experienced PPL, CPL & ATP Pilots who want to expand there skills into these extreme flying techniques, starting next year. Conducting commercial ops, Cargo Sling & Human Cargo Sling Rescue to 19,000' & higher if the candidate is up to speed. All on the AS350 family; B, B2, B3+ & B3e. More info when the course is approved & ready to start
Always know where the wind is...........& do everything into wind...... except piss
Yet another happy punter here, thoroughly enjoying the pictures from Nepal. You might in turn be interested in the following link, BBC "Rivers of Ice", which shows the changes to the glaciers in your part of the world over the last 80 years.
You have certainly livened up our Rotorheads Around the World
Along with many others I look at your photos with a degree of envy for both the flying involved and the culture in which you live. If you have the opportunity to tell us more about where you live and some of the people that you meet in another thread, then I am sure that many of us would be intrigued
Vertical Freedom, what's your real job? Scouting for the next Bond movie location? How come you always find yourself in some exotic place? Can't wait to see your pics. Thanks.
Always know where the wind is...........& do everything into wind......
