New Record
 

Read about an English Chappie claiming an FAI record for 1000 kg ( class e) piston helicopter of 50 kph !!.

Is this right 50 kph is hardly breakneck speed. Anyone know what model it was ?

Neil

Widgeon,

Since it's Quintin Smith (of HeliAIR) I would guess its an R44, but you could e-mail them to find out for sure www.heliair.com There are some folks on the forum that SFH from heliair that would most likely know.

Cheers
CRAN

widgeon

The helicopter was an R44.
The FAI record is for: Speed over a recognised course by a piston engine helicopter in the 1000-1750kg t/o weight category. The course is Ward Hunt Island (off Ellesmere Island) - the North Pole.

I think the clock continues to run through all stops. If I'm right about that, it would explain what seems like a low average speed for a speed record.

The "English Chappie" is Quentin Smith, a flight instructor chappie who is one of the owners of HeliAir (Denham), a Robinson distributor and one of the top helicopter training schools here in the UK.
Much more important, he also contributes to Rotorheads! :cool:

Come to think about it, he hasn't contributed much recently - Q? :confused:

Probably 'cos he's been at the North Pole !

Nice one, Q: well done ! congratulations to you and Steve.

North Pole by Helicopter

Yes ... just got back to UK

The point of the trip is not so much to break records - but really for the helicopter profile and to help further the general cause.

However it is an absoloutly stunning place to stand and be.

We actually camped overnight (whatever that means there) - my first camping trip!

...not consitent with a speed record , but record agencies don't like to record firsts since there's no 'repeat business' - they call them 'speed records' so there is someting to 'beat'.

Our trip around the world in an R44 in 1997 was also called a speed record - although that was not really the point...

Happy flying.
Q

Anyone know of any others who have landed there by helicopter? Did Dick Smith land (they still remember him in Resolute Bay).

Thanks guys makes a bit more sense now , now what is the record Pole to Pole in a helicopter ?.

widgeon
Don't know the answer, or even if it's been done. If you're interested in such things, you'll find a host of useful (and useless) data at the FAI site
Amongst other things, you'll find that the record for a rotorcraft flight from Chicago to New York is 331.39 km/h. It was set in 1980 and is still unbroken.
The pilot was someone called 'Nicholas D. Lappos' flying an S-76.
Unusual name, sounds vaguely familiar. :confused:

Ellesmere Island and helicopters
 

To: Q Max

In 1952 I was flight crew on both a Sikorsky S-51 and a Bell HTL-1 and landed on Ellesmere Island but quite a bit North of Resolute Bay. We were on a re-supply mission operating from the CGC Eastwind bringing new crew and equipment to the weather station at Alert on Dumbbell Bay. On that cruise we set the record for the furthest North transit by a ship under its’ own power. I believe the US Coast Guard and the Canadian Coastguard have since broken that record.

:D

Does the Lynx still hold the world speed record? I was never sure how valid the Wastelands claim was.

If not what does?

It certainly does my friend!

The claims about the invalidity of the record I believe were due to the claim made by some that the engine was operated in a turboprop mode i.e. some thrust out the back and hence Lynx was a thrust compounded helicopter. This was not really the case, the exhaust pipe was modified but it was purely as a drag reduction. Traditionally the exhaust on the Lynx exits sideways which incurres a significant momentum drag. By allowing the pipe to exhaust rearwards and using some clever duct design much of that needless drag created can be elliminated.

The world speed record for standard configuration helicopters stands at 249.09 mph by G-LYNX (which incidently is still being used as a research aircraft)

CRAN

:) :D :)

Is this a record?
 

Sunday, February 16, 2003

HALIFAX -- A military helicopter airlifted 20 crew members from the deck of a crippled Spanish vessel off the southeast coast of
Newfoundland on Sunday after the ship issued a mayday call.

The crew was taken to Marystown, Nfld., from the trawler Arcay by a Cormorant helicopter, which set what's believed to be a record by carrying 25 people, including its own crew of five, to shore in one trip.

National Post.

Brave guys.

No. A Sea Hawk (Jay Hawk) of the US Coast Guard lifted 26 survivors from a foundering cargo ship off the eastern US coast about 2 years ago. I would imagine there might have been a large lift in the Sea King past, as well. Anyone?

Details found:

On 17 December 2000, 34 crew members of SeaBreeze I were rescued off the coast of Cape Charles, Va. The vessel was en route to Charleston, S.C., for repairs when the engine room began flooding. Rescue Coordination Center Norfolk, Va., directed three HH-60 Jayhawks and two C-130 Hercules from CGAS Elizabeth City, N.C., to rescue the crew. The C-130 first on scene coordinated the effort for the helicopters. The first Jayhawk brought 26 crewmen on board and the remaining eight crewmen, including the captain, were rescued by the second Jayhawk. The survivors were treated for mild hypothermia at NAS Oceana, Va. All were released but one victim, who was taken to a Virginia Beach hospital.

See: http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/2001...r/pppm-a1.html

17 plus the 4 of us in a 412.........all 17 winched off roof tops...........is that some sort of warped record ??..........they were kids, mums, dad,s and the grandfolk [including the family cat and dog]......all wet, cold and miserable..........

4 crew + 15 savages with weapons and packs in a UH 1H boungainville 92
and 11 in a hughes 500 earthquake evacuation ramu valley PNG 94 excluding the chickens and pigs

em tasol yu pela tok tok maus warra tomas

I heard about 107 bods in a Chinook in Vietnam, mind you they don't weigh much do they it was probably a space problem more than anything!

The Sea Breeze Jayhawks also had a crew of four, of course, so two up front and 28 in back - and they switched off the aircon to save fuel. Got up to 45 degrees in there I'm told.

142 POB in a Mi-26 in Tetjenia, was shot down by missile and only at about 50% payload.

Although the Mi-26 is only registered for 80 pax it can carry a whole lot more.

I have also had 4 POB in my S-300 legally! Pilot, Female, child & infant under 2 years.

This has gone in an interesting direction.

I think the article was asking if it was a record for the type.

BTW, the ship was ice encrusted and listing 30 degrees. Seas state 7 metre waves, wind gusts to 35 mph.

Not sure how many lifts they made but the Bristow S-61 working for the Coastguard out of Sumburgh holds the UK rescue record after picking up 56 crew from a vessel off Shetland.

There's a mention of it online:

"In November 1993 the 2581 GRT Latvian registered klondyker, the Lunohods, broke her anchor whilst manoeuvring in a Force 10 southerly storm. She was high in the water, having little fuel and no cargo and was driven ashore against Kirkabister Ness. All the crew escaped in what still holds the record as the biggest helicopter rescue in Britain. The Coastguard helicopter crew braved buffeting from the high winds to winch 56 crewmen to safety from the ship. Three others were picked up from a life raft and one crewman apparently swam ashore.
The ship's cat was rescued from the vessel a few days later."

Hats off to the crew and to the poor lifeboat lot who had to go back for the moggy!

On the other point, I recall asking a loadie on an RAF Chinook how many squaddies he could get in the back.

"Oh about 50.....unless its Gurkhas. We just pile them in until we can't fit any more.":D