That is astounding. When I was a helicopter engineer, I can't think of any Helicopter that could hover in ground effect over 10000ft.
It is difficult to convey what an acheivement that is, and how much technology and preparation must have gone into the attempt.
In fact as i was reading it, I was looking for an April 1st date somewhere!
A bit like why Iberican Jamon is so pure, is because it is cured at a height where flies cannot hover, and thus cannot land on the curing meat hung up!
One of the "highlights" of last years Conway River Festival was a mock rescue undertaken by one of the coast guard helicopters. Enthralling to watch but undertaken about half a mile from the shore for "safety" reasons.
Earlier this month I was on the Dublin-Holyhead Cat when one of the same helicopters came alongside and then proceeded to hover just above the aft deck. I popped out to see what was going on. Fairly blustery at about 30 knots. They dropped a man onto the deck about 5 yards from me. He released the line and the copter moved away and held station about 50 yards away. At this point one of the ferry crew popped up with a plastic bag, gave it to the chap who had been dropped. He put the bag in a pouch hung round his shoulder, signalled the copter which came back and lifted him away.
I quipped to the ferry crew member. "Picking up his duty free's"?
"Correct" came the sharp response !
Mutually beneficial excercise for both parties ??
Great to watch the experts at such close quarters and amazing how easy they make it look.
oh. I wd have thort they could do this yonks ago. Obviously, not any particular expertise in that direction just erm, yerknow, if they landed on the moon 35 years ago. Sixties child see- hardly anything is that big a deal these days....
Yep, see what you mean.
So your MOBO does at least 320mph then? After all Donald Campbell did that in a home built boat in 1967!
Besides who said they actually went to the moon? No witnesses eh? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
you just demostarting the point - things went further faster in the sixties - supersonic air travel, moon landings, grand prix cars, mobo record setters. Commuter trains faster even in the thirties than today.
Is this helichopter just an ordinary machine then - i mean, they are for sale no prob and can do that - which is a bit diffrent i admit.
Those time to altitude figures are simply staggering, they are well on the way to jet fighter territory. A loaded Boeing 737, no sluggard, does well to average 2000ft/min to 30,000'. This machine seems to have bettered that by 50% or so.
I don't doubt this is a standard machine, albeit with blueprinted engine, rigging and dynamics - the AS350B2 was/is awesomely powerful, what the B3 is like I dread to think. Sure you can buy one. I'd guess £750K, but no one but a test pilot would be daft enough to try this in it. The aerodynamic hazards of helicopter flight at such altitudes (they virtually never go above 10,000' in real life) are enormous and very dangerous, besides which if the manufacturer has not certificated the machine above a cetain altitude (I'd guess 15000'for this one) then you, the non test pilot, has no data whatsoever to judge if or what it will do above that. Into the unknown. A bit like trying to make your stock 1100 Ford Fiesta do 250mph. Will the aerodynamics (!), tyres, brakes, wheel bearings, transmission handle it? Would you want to be the one to find out?
Brave man!
Peppermint, Paris to London? Issy heliport to Battersea, centre to centre, about one hour, maybe 55 minutes. Centre to centre via CDG and LHR? Joke! 30 mins to CDG, minimum 1 hr check in, 1 hr 20 on the aeroplane, 30 mins perambulation to the "Heathrow Express", 20 mins later in Paddington. And thats on a good day...
I used to go regularly from Paris to Dulwich on business. I found that the quickest (and cheapest) way door to door was by motor bike via the Hovercraft. 5 to 5 1/2 hours.
I see that Ms Bond, daughter of Sir John (unfortunately not James) Bond, head of HSBC, has just completed a climb of all the major peaks in under a year, twice as quick as the previous best. She is famous for wearing glam clothes even at the top of Everest, a role model for you, jimi?
Reminds me of the item on Libby Purves' radio show yesterday morning. The Couple who have climbed the highest peeks on all continents in record time described being on top of Everest when a motorised hang glider passed overhead! Someone must have done something to the carb - de-icing and mix - but even so, whatanutta
Don't know a lot about these things, but I would have thought that it would need a fair bit of airspeed to maintain lift at that altitude. Sure some of the forum aviateurs will know.
Frantic efforts with the preparations for the Navy’s record attempt to land a helicopter on the summit of everest have been stepped up now it has been learnt that a serial Ecureuil/AStar AS 350 B3 piloted by the EUROCOPTER X-test pilot Didier Delsalle, landed at 8,850 meters (29,035ft) on May 14th.
The Royal Navy pilot chosen for the record attempt, Flight Lt. Alexander Harrington–Smith said last night that a new attempt was now on and they not only intended to be the first to carry fare paying passengers but also would lay on a barbeque at the summit.
The Picture above shows the installation of an eberspacher heater prior to the attempt.
When asked if he was confident, Lt. Harrington-Smith (known to his crew as Smudge) said, of course we are, after all it is our mountain so we Brits know better than anyone what the crack is.