No, the problem is what some people would call 'arrogance'!

I am still hearing expressions of disbelief from people in Kathmandu that Eurocopter would have done this, and comments like 'If they really did it, there will be trouble'!

The French....arrogant?

Hey,

Look on the bright side at least those climbers can now get their Pizzas delivered!

:ok:

Wow! Is there a hidden agenda here or what? Arrogant? My butt!

Landing at that altitude, with an FAI data recorder on board, and with official sanction is a major helicopter achievement. This flight had to be pulled off very carefully, and is a technical triumph. I personally congratulate the team that did it, it is remarkable.

What is the problem with a landing at 30,000 feet? Everything! Blade stall affects tail rotor and main rotor control, engine power limits effect hover capability, Thin air affects electrical switch and generator behavior because sparks tend to jump more easily. Cooling of critical systems is affected by the thin air, and hydraulic systems behave poorly up there, as well.

Remember the thread a while back about some PR guy who claimed an altitude record out of South Africa, but who forgot to tell the FAI, and who had no recorder or independant means to verify his claim? This new record is a record, and I am sure EC did not cook it in any substantive way, not with the FAI looking over their shoulder.

Does this mean the aircraft can do this landing routinely? No. I am sure an engineering team had to test and analyze every system to be sure it would work way beyond its limits, just to make the attempt with a TP possible. Does this mean the aircraft is exceptional in some meaningful ways? probably, because the ability for any given helo to land up there is near nil, even with stretching the limits as much as possible.

Cut the crap, ppruners, this is the biggest thing on pprune since the Tsunami, if you don't like the French, deal with it!

Nick,

All that being said....and you are quite correct...it is an amazing feat which puts Bell and their recent 407 efforts well into the shade.

The other questions that have been raised are also quite valid...and in no way detract from the actual accomplishment.

One can only assume that all the correct palms were pressed prior to the event and there will be no back lash from the authorities in charge of access to the mountain.

As to my question about the French.....history speaks for itself on that one. :E

I totally agree with Nick, this is truly a magnificent feat.

Thanks to people like Pilot Mr. Didier Delsalle and Eurocopter and everyone else that dares to test the boundaries of helicopters in a controlled manner, we can look forward to technological advances in the field.

That Eurocopter did this remarkable landing in a serial AS350B3 is even more impressive.
And they did the landing again the next day.

If the Nepalese later have a problem with this then the Chinese might not.. remember Mt Everest lies on the border of China/Nepal.

I´m convinced that the landing was sanctioned by the Nepalese government and all permissions and authorisations received, otherwise the FAI would have nothing to do with the record attempt.

Maybe the Nepal governement is getting concerned about the terrible death rate of climbers attempting to climb Everest and would like a rescue helicopter developed that could actually land and rescue climbers at those altitudes..

Thank you, Nick, for saying what I wanted to say, but in a much more mature and reasoned manner than I could have.

The automatic slagging of any feat accomplished by anyone French is really getting tiresome. Grow up, people!

Congratulations to Eurocopter’s team are well in order – and considering their record on setting recognized world records, I’ll bet this achievement was planned and prepared very thoroughly indeed.

Good on you Nick! I was becoming increasingly depressed while reading the posts regarding the record flight. I thought the "tall poppy" syndrome was pretty bad in Australia, but it seems to be alive and well in Pprune as well.

There's nothing worse than people sitting on their fat spotty behinds slagging off at other people having a go.

Congrats to Eurocopter and Mr Delsalle a job well done.

Bell was in the area a few months ago, and if their pilot and crew felt the 407 could have pulled the ultimate mountain landing off ...they may have tried. The facts are....they never.

The first landing and the honor goes to a B3. That's the fact.

As a mountain pilot, I say...well done :ok: :ok:

It is the most amazing thing I have heard in a long time.

It is a fantastic accomplishment and huge congratulations should go to Mr Delsalle and his team from Eurocopter.

Well said Nick.

Great achievment - but how was it done. Was it a standard B3 off the production line and fitted with oxygen equipment for the pilot or were there lots of tweeks to the engine and blades.
Just curious to know if it was standard.

Head Turner

I would like to know that as well.

Someone should ha the answers.

Don't see what's so good about this - don't see what kudos for eurocopter there are - almost any modern machine could do the same or better - don't think there is much commercial value in a b3 doing this - maybe i'm having a cynical day!!
gags e86

eagle 86, you are quite wrong, there are few machines that can land at 20,000 ft let alone 30,000.

Regarding how much it was stretched to do this, I would guess quite a bit. This is so very far from the norm, no production machnie can do it without lots of limit exceedence, wisely done by a flight test team, as in this case, I am sure.

As I said, having one of those days - got a lot of time in AS350's of various mods - don't rate them as anything special - still stand by my statement that almost any modern machine given the right preparation/team could emulate the feat - it is my fervent hope that we now don't see a rush of other manufacturers trying to outdo each other!!
gags e86

Eagle...

Unless my geography lessons are all wrong....once you have done Everest....you have done it. Shy of heading for the Moon or something....the highest landing has been done....and it is time to move onto other things.

A thought would now be for that aircraft to head for either Death Valley or the Dead Sea and land below sea level....thus it would have landed at the lowest and highest places in the world.....throw in a couple of Pole landings....and a circumlocation about the Earth at the equator..........and one about the Earth along the Greenwich Meridian....and they pretty well have it wrapped up.

No Sasless your wrong again........Have to show some class and land on Everest in a Robbie. I bet Mr R is planning on it already.
Easiest way to do it is slingload it up with a B407 and punch it off.
Then we can go on to the next dumb trick...

I don't believe it was too important which manufacturer finally did it, it all came down to who had the ship that could do it.

Well done Eurocopter! That was a class act and one that will remain kinda hard to follow.

I do feel sorry for those of you who feel it necessary to dine out on sour grapes though. C'mon guys, recognize an historical moment and a great achievement.

Absolutely amazing video... this is the greatest achievement in the aviation industry for years.

To "Head Turner".. They say it is a serial B3, so that must mean it´s a standard B3 off the production line.

Fitting it with different engine or changing any power line components would mean it would have to be registered as experimental, which it was not, thus it must be a standard B3.

I hope mountaineers see this as a very postive thing for they´r sport since now perhaps it will be possible to rescue people from the mountain instead of leaving hurt or sick people for dead, since they´r fellow climbers are to weak to do anything except get themself to safety.