Top of the World - Astronaut
 

Sagarmatha - the Majestic Everest :hmm::ooh::eek: (guess the A/C height AMSL?):E

http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3c616781.jpg

http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/...psb3c4d73b.jpg

VF
How Is the weather this winter?
Is it a typical winter season?
Maybe you are just picking the days to take a photo, but I always imagine winter there as snow, snow, snow.
I appreciate all the photograph's you post - a really impressive effort.
John

VF - Thanks for posting these latest pics - fascinating as always.:ok:

One question though - do you have any av med issues such as decompression bends, altitude sickness, O2 ear etc.? Or is it just a question of getting yourself fully acclimatised by being "in theatre" for the job?

I presume that no amount of acclimatisation would dispense with the need for supplemental O2 at 23,000 ft - if so do you use a canula or a mask? My (RAF) training was O2 at 10,000 ft (air mix), above 25,000 ft needed 100% O2 and above 40,000 ft needed pressure breathing. :eek::eek:

Safe flying as always.

MB

Top of the World - yikes we are high
 

Namaste Madbob

I think decompression sickness (the bends) comes from extended deep diving using compressed air. :{

CAAN regs require supplemental O2 above 10,000' ;) Acclimatisation does play a huge mega role. It is better to not use O2 whenever possible as it spoils acclimatisation. For landing below 19,000' & crossing passes I no longer use. However landing in the 'dead zone' the cannula O2 is always on above 20,000' for landings, prelonged ultra high altitude mapping, filming etc ('dead zone' - Mountaineers term for when above 20,000'+ as the body starts to seriously starve for O2 & vital body functions begin to shut down, on most people, but not all!) :\

Land Happy always :D

VF :ok:

I Like the new cameras

Top of the World - Astronaut
 

Top of the World - Astronaut
 

Top of the World - Astranuat
 

Can't help but love your work VF, keep em coming brother.

ET

Top of the World - Astronaut
 

:cool: :eek: :eek: :eek: :mad:

http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/...psb5885a61.jpg

http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6750daad.jpg

http://i1104.photobucket.com/albums/...psfd4b4f7e.jpg

I wouldn't dare let go of anything to take a photograph if I was at that height.

Top of the World - office
 

Mate the legs are hanging on & doing the flying for me :E :} :\
luckily not much CAT that day, 30-40knots only ;)

You post a lot of wicked pictures and I love every single one of them, but this one had me with my mouth wide open and a stare of outright disbelief by the time I got to the second pic! This is just :sad: - WOW!
How is the machine holding up at that altitude and what GW are we looking at?

Top of the World - AS350B3+ King of the Mountains
 

Mate the B3+ has landed on Sagarmatha 29,211' (albeit highly, highly modified, stripped of many components which are seriously illegal to fly without) :mad::\ (that's cheating) boooo :ooh::=:ugh:
I have pushed her to 28,000'amsl hopefully soon to map Sagarmatha (Everest) to overfly her at 29,500' :bored: hopefully the God's will be shining on Us that day OmOmOm :ok: She was minus second battery, all non essentials, seats etc. out, airframe filter out & minimal fuel, landing with 50litres on gauge :ooh: WoW what a rush :eek::(

Land Happy always :)

VF

@VF ... EC people said they landed on Sagarmatha with their B3+ in standard configuration :E

JR

@VF:
Amazing, always stunning.

Be safe and please keep the pictures coming!
You open a window into altitudes and environments that hardly an other helicopter pilot will ever get a glimpse of.

Thomas

I was in Nepal back in the '80s and never did quite reach 20,000 but I was less than a few hundred feet short. The feeling of slowly dying through oxygen starvation was very real.

I remember when registering my plans at the Kathmandu embassy that no helipcopter rescue was available above around 15,000ft. Below that height, the helicopter would head out but only if USD1000 was paid in advance. The embassy said they would stump up the cash, but my passport would be marked so only valid for a trip home, and I wouldn't get it back until I paid the cash back.

It was possible to live in Kathmandu for USD1 a day, so USD 1000 was a huge sum to a backpacking bum like me.

Though to be honest, if I did fall ill enough at 15000 ft to require a medevac, the chances of a message getting back to Kathmandu before I died was neglibigle. In fact I met a fellow bum on the trail who had just been bitten by a dog, rabid we didn't know. So his escape route was a self imposed five day forced march back to a road where he could get a bus to the Canadian Clinic in KTM for his shots.

Brilliant pictures from a stunning country

Top of the World - coffee
 

Goodmorning World

I have been informed by Engineers here at the time that when Eurocopter landed on Sagarmatha the B3 was stripped of the anti-vibration head, the underfloor shaker weights & a few other weight reduction tweeks to reduce empty weight :\ Could she land with HOGE up there at normal weight..............................hmmmm don't believe so :}

Land Happy always :ok:

VF

Top of the World - Sagarmatha landing video
 

AS350 landing on Sagaramatha (Everest) details -

In the video note the following items;
donkey dicks removed from skids, flight steps removed, anti-vibration hat removed from mast. & many more goodies removed, little tweaks & permitted to pull way http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...milies/eek.gif way beyond normal operating parameters for the engine.http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...ies/boohoo.gif there appeared to be HOGE+ power available at all times whilst on the summit 29,211' - amazing??? http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...ilies/cool.gifhttp://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...ies/wibble.gifhttp://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...s/censored.gif

Great job done by Didier http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...ies/thumbs.gif with a little help from an ultra light machine & tons of extra power to boot http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...lies/wink2.gif I'd sure as shid be scared pulling that off http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr...ies/icon25.gif

Cheers to happy days :D

VF