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Well done Simon
I said Nice one bruvva.....Good skills
MD :ok: :ok: |
Oz pilot files record claim
FAI has received the following Class E (Rotorcraft) record claim:
Sub-class E-1c (Helicopters: take off weight 1000 to 1750 kg) Group 1 : piston engine Type of record : Distance without landing Performance : 1500 km Course/location : Northam, WA - Nullabor, SA (Australia) Pilot : Claude MEUNIER (Australia) Date: 14.09.2004 Current record : new |
I wish I had the money that Cluade has. He has several records in the fixed wings as well.
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Any detals like:
Helicopter type How fast How he set up the fuel system to stay up that long etc? |
Bell 206.
Best endurance speed. He is part owner of a maintanance facility, so the extra fuel system set up would have been done "in house". dunno what the set up was, but will find out soon. |
Type of record : Distance without landing |
D'oh. yup thats what I meant. I should have read it proper.:O
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Group 1 : piston engine
Doesn't look like a Bell 206 but the weight category is right. |
he only had a snotty and a R22 and the robby got wrecked. could be he traded the snotty on a 44. he does that sort of stuff fairly regular.
I'll find out and post. |
Interesting...............
Also of note is the record is "new". Nobody has laid claim to it before. If you look at the FAI site it has all the existing records.
Also of interest is the difference in performance between a piston and a turbine. In this same weight class a YOH-6A travelled more than TWICE the distance - 3561.55 km and this was nearly 40 years ago !!! The flight was west to east across the USA from Culver City CA (Hughes) to Ormond Beach FL (Daytona). |
New world record: World's highest landing
The Times of India
IAF copter lands a world record New Delhi: It may be called Cheetal, but it's most unlike a gentle deer. A Cheetal helicopter of the IAF made the world's highest landing at a density altitude of 25,150 feet on the Sasserkangri Massif, in Eastern Ladakh, on Tuesday morning. The world record feat by the Cheetal, basically a Cheetah helicopter with a more powerful aeroengine, smashed the record held by the American Bell helicopter of landing at a density altitude of 24,971 feet achieved on July 28, 2004. The Cheetal was piloted by Group Captain A S Butola and Squadron leader S Sharma. "The motivation was the fact that an IAF Cheetah helicopter had landed at a record density altitude of 23,240 feet just a few months ago — not in the quest of a record, but to rescue casualties," said IAF spokesperson. |
Smashed the previous record.........by...........179 feet:bored:
Did they have a theodolite available to check it???? I think not.................... |
TC,
Having a wrong-side-of-the-bed day? Coming from a country where mountain flying involves pootling around places not much more than 3500 ft amsl (or 6000 ft if you venture slightly further North), perhaps you don't appreciate the significance of the achievement. The IAF, and their contemporaries in Nepal and Pak, have been carrying out mountain ops that would make your hair curl, since the 70s. Operational (ie people shooting at you...) deployments of tps onto glaciers at 21000 ft, casevacs from much higher - scary stuff. Perhaps you've never been to the sort of altitude where the IAS envelope between min and max is in the order of 7-10 kts? Top (pun intended...) bit of flying, although they could've probably saved a bit of weight by leaving the scrambled-egg behind.. ..Forgot to add: if the DA was calculated using survey information more than a few years old, they probably UNDERestimated the altitude. The Himalayas are still growing... |
Agree with T & B.
What the grunts do to get up there and fight is awesome too. They "soak" for weeks at a time at increasing altitudes before they are fit to fight at 20 grand +, and there's a certain amount of "de-acclimatisation" when coming down. IIRC from what an IAF mate told me, the whole rotation is about 6 months, from which they get about 6-8 weeks on the front line, the rest being acclimatisation and de- on the way up and down..... |
"The world record feat by the Cheetal, basically a Cheetah helicopter with a more powerful aeroengine,"
Does a standard Cheetah have a marine engine then? |
Outlook India has a more detailed report
IAF chopper makes world's highest landing in Ladakh An Indian Air Force Cheetal helicopter today made the world's highest landing at a density altitude of 7621 meters on Sasser Kangri massif in Eastern Ladakh setting a new world record. The Cheetal, sporting a Cheetah air frame with a more powerful tm-333-2b2 aero engine, thus bettered the record held by the US Bell helicopter of landing at an altitude of 7655 meters achieved on July 28,2004, according to IAF spokesperson Squadron Leader Mahesh Upasani. Flown by Group Capt A S Butola and Squadron Leader S Sharma the chopper landed at the Sasser Kangri depression between main and south peak at an altitude of 7070, pressure altitude of 7670 meters and density altitude of 7670 meters. The feat was witnessed and validated by Wing Commander Upadhayay, Chief test pilot, helicopters of HAL and Wing Commander Uni Pillay flying India's indigenous light helicopter Dhruv. IAF sources said the motivation behind the world record breaking bid was that a Cheetah helicopter of the IAF had landed at a record density altitude of more than 7,500 metres just a few months back -- not in the quest of a record, but to rescue casualities from a mountaineering expedition in extremely challenging conditions. "This feat made the IAF to launch a bid to break the world highest landing record", the spokesperson said. The achievement would be a great cheer for the country's strategic planners, as India has been in quest for an high altitude helicopter to launch strategic mission over Ladakh and Kashmir Himalayas. IAF sources said the combination of a light airframe and a more powerful engine has resulted in coming up with a leaner and more capable machine, permitting a higher payload specially suited for flights to Siachen Glacier, world highest battlefield and to areas aroud Daulat Beg Oldi and Karakoram Pass. The IAF and the Hindustan Aeronautics had till now kept the Cheetal project under wraps. "Air Force has been associated in putting this machine through its trials and is all set to procure them for operations services in the force," the spokesperson said. The French engine is also fitted on the Advanced Light Helicopter. The US helicopter giant Bell along with Eurocopter and Italian Westland choppers had been in the race for the Indian high altitude helicopter project. http://www.hal-india.com/helicopter/images/ig1_b.jpg Can't see how they're all going to fit in that, though. |
Can see the rest of the worlds remaining Lama operators drooling already!! Especially if it burns less fuel and has a higher TBO than the Artouste. Then again probably will never happen.
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I believe the Indian Army is having its fleet of Cheetahs re-engined with the Turbomeca TM333-hence the improved altitude performance and endurance.
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T and B: you of all people will appreciate that most of us from the mil, have a reasonable understanding of mountain flying. I don't know where you did yours, but mine took place in the rockies with the CAF. So I do have some savvy in this regard :=
I wasn't for a second, deriding their achievements but targeting the media hype regarding the "smashing" of previous attempts at Hi LZ's. Simple as that! I only have to remind myself of those days doing cushion creeps off ledges to get airborne at 14000, or white out landings in bowls to make me realise - its a doddle doing what I do now....or is it :ooh: Good luck to them |
Heliport,
Have you seen how many passengers they get on their trains! Guess they must do the same with their choppers!! :p |
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