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Is this for real?



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 24th 06, 08:46 PM posted to rec.aviation.rotorcraft
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Default Is this for real?

Landing a heli on Everest at 29,035 ft? And it's a regular single
turbine AS350????

http://www.eurocopterusa.com/Media/N...ail.asp?ID=329

I didn't think they could get that high, let alote hover or take off.

  #2  
Old May 25th 06, 12:30 AM posted to rec.aviation.rotorcraft
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Default Is this for real?

JohnO wrote:
Landing a heli on Everest at 29,035 ft? And it's a regular single
turbine AS350????

http://www.eurocopterusa.com/Media/N...ail.asp?ID=329

I didn't think they could get that high, let alote hover or take off.

No need to climb Everest any more. Maybe now they will start hauling
off the litter and dead bodies.

--
J Kimmel

www.metalinnovations.com

"Cuius testiculos habes, habeas cardia et cerebellum." - When you have
their full attention in your grip, their hearts and minds will follow.
  #3  
Old May 25th 06, 03:29 AM posted to rec.aviation.rotorcraft
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Default Is this for real?


The OTHER Kevin in San Diego wrote:
On 24 May 2006 12:46:03 -0700, "JohnO" wrote:

Landing a heli on Everest at 29,035 ft? And it's a regular single
turbine AS350????

http://www.eurocopterusa.com/Media/N...ail.asp?ID=329

I didn't think they could get that high, let alote hover or take off.


This was a highly modified (read stripped to be as light as possible)
A350 B3 flown by one of Eurocopter's factory pilots.

The climb to the summit took nearly 2 hours. I doubt the helicopter
could carry much more than it's own weight at that altitude so
ferrying down stranded climbers or hauling used oxygen bottles off the
mountain probably won't happen. Besides, the Sherpas have been
hauling the spent bottles down from the mountain for a couple years.
If memory serves, they're pretty much all down now. (My wife is into
the whole mountain climbing thing and we get magazines here all the
time..)


Hmm, I see the factory specs for the AS350B3 show a hover ceiling IGE
of 22965 ft at minimum weight.

That's still pretty damn impressive!

  #4  
Old May 25th 06, 03:33 AM posted to rec.aviation.rotorcraft
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Default Is this for real?


The OTHER Kevin in San Diego wrote:
On 24 May 2006 12:46:03 -0700, "JohnO" wrote:

Landing a heli on Everest at 29,035 ft? And it's a regular single
turbine AS350????

http://www.eurocopterusa.com/Media/N...ail.asp?ID=329

I didn't think they could get that high, let alote hover or take off.


This was a highly modified (read stripped to be as light as possible)
A350 B3 flown by one of Eurocopter's factory pilots.


So what does 'Achieved with a serial AS350B3' mean? I thought that
means a factory standard machine. If anything it's carrying extra
weight of oxygen bottles for the pilot.


The climb to the summit took nearly 2 hours. I doubt the helicopter
could carry much more than it's own weight at that altitude so
ferrying down stranded climbers or hauling used oxygen bottles off the
mountain probably won't happen. Besides, the Sherpas have been
hauling the spent bottles down from the mountain for a couple years.
If memory serves, they're pretty much all down now. (My wife is into
the whole mountain climbing thing and we get magazines here all the
time..)


  #5  
Old May 25th 06, 08:18 AM posted to rec.aviation.rotorcraft
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Default Is this for real?


I didn't think they could get that high, let alote hover or take off.



Actually, its standing at the top wasn't a real hover considering the wind
blew at 60 kt or more...


  #6  
Old May 25th 06, 04:24 PM posted to rec.aviation.rotorcraft
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Default Is this for real?

With a single engine too! Wow! Pucker factor 10 or 100?
ron



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  #7  
Old May 25th 06, 07:01 PM posted to rec.aviation.rotorcraft
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Default Is this for real?

We got to meet the pilot (DJ I think was his name) at HAI... he said
the updrafts were so intense, the collective was bottomed out at the
hover, and to decend, he had to do nose dives (pretty dramatic on the
video). The power to hover up there was virtually nil... hell, he did
a toe-in the entire time, never set it down fully.

They had the chopper there too... not highly modified at all, just a
factory B3 with a flight recording computer and some cameras. No crazy
stripping jobs, it still had all the seats... and Eurocopter made sure
to flaunt that the configuration on the stand was the same as it was
during the attempt.

-Mike

Ron Snipes wrote:
With a single engine too! Wow! Pucker factor 10 or 100?
ron



*** Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com ***


  #8  
Old May 25th 06, 09:30 PM posted to rec.aviation.rotorcraft
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Default Is this for real?

On 24 May 2006 12:46:03 -0700, "JohnO" wrote:

Landing a heli on Everest at 29,035 ft? And it's a regular single
turbine AS350????

http://www.eurocopterusa.com/Media/N...ail.asp?ID=329

I didn't think they could get that high, let alote hover or take off.



The AS350B2 (smaller engine version) owns the record for altitude.
Somewhere arough 42,000' and some change.
  #9  
Old May 27th 06, 12:58 AM posted to rec.aviation.rotorcraft
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Default Is this for real?


"The OTHER Kevin in San Diego" skiddz "AT" adelphia "DOT" net wrote in
message ...
On 25 May 2006 11:01:28 -0700, "Mike Rotor Nowak"
wrote:

We got to meet the pilot (DJ I think was his name) at HAI... he said
the updrafts were so intense, the collective was bottomed out at the
hover, and to decend, he had to do nose dives (pretty dramatic on the
video). The power to hover up there was virtually nil... hell, he did
a toe-in the entire time, never set it down fully.

They had the chopper there too... not highly modified at all, just a
factory B3 with a flight recording computer and some cameras. No crazy
stripping jobs, it still had all the seats... and Eurocopter made sure
to flaunt that the configuration on the stand was the same as it was
during the attempt.


OK, I stand corrected. **WOW!!**


Agreed! I have to ask though. My admittedly limited experience suggests
that completely bottoming the collective could cause some overspeed issues
with the main rotor. Did they make any comments on that?

Just wondering!
Fly Safe,
Steve R.


  #10  
Old May 28th 06, 07:10 PM posted to rec.aviation.rotorcraft
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Default Is this for real?

"The OTHER Kevin in San Diego" skiddz "AT" adelphia "DOT" net wrote in
message ...
On Fri, 26 May 2006 23:58:02 GMT, "Steve R"
wrote:


OK, I stand corrected. **WOW!!**


Agreed! I have to ask though. My admittedly limited experience suggests
that completely bottoming the collective could cause some overspeed issues
with the main rotor. Did they make any comments on that?


I don't think it would. The engine throttles back as you lower
collective.. I'd think the high winds at the summit might do more for
overspeeding than anything..


That was my point. He said the pilot had to bottom the collective, just to
maintain altitude. Doing that puts the rotor in an autorotative state and,
I thought, would cause an overspeed. "If" that's true, it doesn't seem like
the pilot would be able to maintain altitude under those circumstances?

Was just wondering! :-)

Fly Safe,
Steve R.


 




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