Helicopter trying to land on the Peak of Everest!

[bernse]

Link

If they're able to pull it off, it would be quite an accomplishment!

Early this morning,Jamie McGuinness had another chopper sighting on Everest?s North Side: ?While seeing part of the team off for the trek to ABC, at 7:25 - 7:27 am Nepali time we saw a helicopter again trying to land on the summit. From BC, quite a distance away, we didn?t get a photo and were not able to see if it landed or not, although it was again close. It seemed to try to stay in Nepali airspace."

This was the second landing attempt by the chopper, the previous caught on video last Friday by the Everest Valencia expedition (check the video on today's newscast).

The Indian Airforce Everest expedition were suspects, as the IAF holds the previous record, reaching an altitude of 25,150 ft November 2 last year at Saserkangri near Leh. But, reported Jamie, "the Indian Air Force team here seems to have zero idea about the whole thing.?

So, who is it?

That's when an e-mail arrived from Associate Press writer Binaj Gurubacharya in Nepal - solving the mystery! Apparently, local reports said there is a team led by French pilot Delsesalle Didier trying to break the record for the highest landing by a helicopter.

The Eurocopter has a one month permit from the Nepalese government to try their feat. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said that the government had allowed the team to carry out the test fight, after thoroughly evaluating the technical aspects of the involved helicopter and expertise of the crew members.

Another mail, from BaseCampMD Luanne Freer added info from NepalNews:

"An 11-member team of pilots are in Lukla, Solukhumbu, to operate the flights at an altitude of 9,000 meters to 10,000 meters.

The ?adventure? will begin from Thursday, according to Thamserku Trekking Pvt Ltd, which is coordinating the flights. If successful, Eurocopter will set a world record."

 

[Gulzakar]

I never understood it.

it's a mountain...cold...snow...rocks...

if they want to try something thats actually hard, get married.

 

[Kalvin00]

How is that possible? According to Into Thin Air, helicopters have a hard time flying to even 18,000 or so feet, due to the reduced amount of air..

 

[duckdown]

i doubt theyll do it

 

[GasX]

Originally posted by: Kalvin00
How is that possible? According to Into Thin Air, helicopters have a hard time flying to even 18,000 or so feet, due to the reduced amount of air..

Their rotors are 400 feet long and made of a carbon fiber titanium alloy

or something...

 

[Legendary]

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: Kalvin00
How is that possible? According to Into Thin Air, helicopters have a hard time flying to even 18,000 or so feet, due to the reduced amount of air..

Their rotors are 400 feet long and made of a carbon fiber titanium alloy

or something...

Exactly. I'm sure this is a supremely modified helicopter, with who knows how many technological advancements.

 

[MisterJackson]

Originally posted by: Gulzakar
I never understood it.

it's a mountain...cold...snow...rocks...

if they want to try something thats actually hard, get married.

Valid point, but the mountain is more rewarding.

 

[d3n]

To bad when it crashes it will remain on the mountain until the end of days.

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: MisterJackson

Originally posted by: Gulzakar
I never understood it.

it's a mountain...cold...snow...rocks...

if they want to try something thats actually hard, get married.

Valid point, but the mountain is more rewarding.

besides, once you climb the mountain, you can come back down, go home, and life returns to normal. In marriage, you're stuck

Nate

 

[Gulzakar]

hehe...
true, I suppose conquering nature is more rewarding...

but you know when those guys hike up there, and they get to the top, they look down and say "awe %uck, we have to climb back down?"

 

[exilera]

Originally posted by: Gulzakar
I never understood it.

it's a mountain...cold...snow...rocks...

if they want to try something thats actually hard, get married.

:thumbsup:

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: Gulzakar
hehe...
true, I suppose conquering nature is more rewarding...

but you know when those guys hike up there, and they get to the top, they look down and say "awe %uck, we have to climb back down?"

funny, I thought it would be "d@mmit! I forgot my skis."

Nate

 

[Viper GTS]

If they pull that off (and can do it reliably) they'll have a hell of a tourism business on their hands.

I have no death wish and don't plan to attempt Everest but were I to become rich I'd pay good money to land & spend an hour on the summit.

Until then I'll settle for the footage that people much braver than I have taken by lugging HD cameras on their backs.



Even better maybe the gigapixel boys will talk someone into flying them up there.

MMM gigapixel Everest pics.

Viper GTS

 

[Kenazo]

The European union is weird.

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: Gulzakar
I never understood it.

it's a mountain...cold...snow...rocks...

if they want to try something thats actually hard, get married.

Well when you first get married you get your rocks off quite often but later it gets very coooold.

Ausm

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Originally posted by: Kenazo
The European union is weird.

Thanks, we try.

 

[aphex]

Holy crap!

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0305/expert_everest.html

 

[chrisms]

I wonder if someone could parachute onto the summit.. I've never skydived and don't know how accurate you can be with those things though.

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: chrisms
I wonder if someone could parachute onto the summit.. I've never skydived and don't know how accurate you can be with those things though.

I think the air would be too thin for the parachute to even work up there....

 

[chrisms]

Originally posted by: aphex

Originally posted by: chrisms
I wonder if someone could parachute onto the summit.. I've never skydived and don't know how accurate you can be with those things though.

I think the air would be too thin for the parachute to even work up there....

I would think that some sort of modified parachute would work.. making it really big or something. I guess it would have to be really, really big though.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: chrisms
I wonder if someone could parachute onto the summit.. I've never skydived and don't know how accurate you can be with those things though.

Assuming for a moment they could (awfully big assumption)...

How would they get down?

ANybody ever done it in a balloon? Fossett flies above that altitude doesn't he?

Winds could be disastrous though...

Viper GTS

 

[chrisms]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: chrisms
I wonder if someone could parachute onto the summit.. I've never skydived and don't know how accurate you can be with those things though.

Assuming for a moment they could (awfully big assumption)...

How would they get down?

ANybody ever done it in a balloon? Fossett flies above that altitude doesn't he?

Winds could be disastrous though...

Viper GTS

Parachute with equipment for a descent.. I don't know how long it takes to climb down (I thought that people climbed up and down the different camps numerous times before making a summit). Because it is probably hard to make it to camp 4 with that much stuff, you can also have a sherpa waiting for you there with the rest of what you need.

 

[BadNewsBears]

Originally posted by: Legendary

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: Kalvin00
How is that possible? According to Into Thin Air, helicopters have a hard time flying to even 18,000 or so feet, due to the reduced amount of air..

Their rotors are 400 feet long and made of a carbon fiber titanium alloy

or something...

Exactly. I'm sure this is a supremely modified helicopter, with who knows how many technological advancements.

Depending on power requirements, the engine might be fed on oxygen tanks for short periods of time.

 

[Vich]

Originally posted by: d3n
To bad when it crashes it will remain on the mountain until the end of days.

LOL

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: BadNewsBears

Originally posted by: Legendary

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: Kalvin00
How is that possible? According to Into Thin Air, helicopters have a hard time flying to even 18,000 or so feet, due to the reduced amount of air..

Their rotors are 400 feet long and made of a carbon fiber titanium alloy

or something...

Exactly. I'm sure this is a supremely modified helicopter, with who knows how many technological advancements.

Depending on power requirements, the engine might be fed on oxygen tanks for short periods of time.

They probably just use a supercharger, like fighters did in WW2.