Simondo said...

I think they do the odd chopper run into Base Camp. 5500m. Above that is just too high for a chopper. Air is too thin.

in May 2005 a French guy landed with Eurocoptere at the summit.
It did start a lot of controversy about the way climbers could start more risky climbs assuming that they could be "saved" any time.

http://films7.com/videos/sommet-de-leverest-en-helicoptere-eurocopter-as350-b3-everest-summit-landing


And the guy who was left for dead near the Hillary Step was Lincoln Hall an Australian climber. He sadly died in hospital few month ago for a stupid mesothelioma (abestos cancer).
A note from the climbers who found him:
"Sitting to our left, about two feet from a 10,000 foot drop, was a man. Not dead, not sleeping, but sitting cross legged, in the process of changing his shirt. He had his down suit unzipped to the waist, his arms out of the sleeves, was wearing no hat, no gloves, no sunglasses, had no oxygen mask, regulator, ice axe, oxygen, no sleeping bag, no mattress, no food nor water bottle. 'I imagine you're surprised to see me here', he said. Now, this was a moment of total disbelief to us all. Here was a gentleman, apparently lucid, who had spent the night without oxygen at 8600m, without proper equipment and barely clothed. And ALIVE."

They have landed a chopper on top of Everest. Some crazy french dude (i think french) piloted it and made two landings.

Wollemi said...

doggie said...

pweedas said...

Airlifted with what?
Helicopters have a very low service ceiling and the higher you go the less they can lift.
At the height of mt everest you would need a helium balloon to hold up the helicopter.

I was thinking chopper but I am aware of what you are saying, maybe doing it in small loads. The cost would be massive I would expect.

Maybe get the chopper to drop a sled and load it up. How do you get it back down without killing anybody?

May, '05 Twice in 2 days
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0509/whats_new/helicopter_everest.html

On 14 May 2005, a Ecureuil AS350B3 piloted by Didier Delsalle landed at about 8,848 meters on the top of the Mount Everest. As required by the F?d?ration A?ronautique Internationale, the aircraft remained on the summit longer than 2 minutes before returning to Lukla. He actually landed on the summit two times. He only needed to land for two minutes to officially set the record, but he stayed for about four minutes twice. The flight set rotorcraft world records, for highest of both landing and take-off.
Service ceiling: 4,600 m (15,100 ft).
Rate of climb: 8.5 m/s (1,675 ft/min)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocopter_AS350#Notable_achievements_and_accidents

So its possible, but bloody difficult!

Wollemi said...
May, '05 Twice in 2 days
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0509/whats_new/helicopter_everest.html

On 14 May 2005, a Ecureuil AS350B3 piloted by Didier Delsalle landed at about 8,848 meters on the top of the Mount Everest. As required by the F?d?ration A?ronautique Internationale, the aircraft remained on the summit longer than 2 minutes before returning to Lukla. He actually landed on the summit two times. He only needed to land for two minutes to officially set the record, but he stayed for about four minutes twice. The flight set rotorcraft world records, for highest of both landing and take-off.
Service ceiling: 4,600 m (15,100 ft).
Rate of climb: 8.5 m/s (1,675 ft/min)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurocopter_AS350#Notable_achievements_and_accidents

Well there ya go!! I learnt something new today. As noted by others though, it was a stripped out version for a special event.

I suppose (not looked closely) that they should be able to fly high. The correct designation for a chopper is "rotary winged aircraft", in contrast with "fixed winged aircraft". The lift inducing airflow across the wing is created by whirling it around in circles rather than just hurtling it down a long, straight road.

Even as I write I can see flaws in my logic. The "wings" of a chopper are always in disturbed air - one always following another, and the rate (speed) of airflow over them changes across their length.

Hmmm, would make a good study if I ever get the time and inclination.

yes Dins.... chopper "wings" are strange acting wings..... if you look closely at them they have a twist in them, also they limit the speed of choppersas they travel at different air speed in relation to where they are positioned, fast choppers have been trailed and the limit was reached by the the wing going close to sound speed!

felixdcat said...

yes Dins.... chopper "wings" are strange acting wings..... if you look closely at them they have a twist in them, also they limit the speed of choppersas they travel at different air speed in relation to where they are positioned, fast choppers have been trailed and the limit was reached by the the wing going close to sound speed!

The biggest problem isn't the forward traveling wing exceeding mach, but the rearward traveling wing stalling. Where fixed wing a/c are sensitive to CofG fore and aft, rotary winged a/c are sensitive to CofG laterally.

You might notice also that most fixed wing aircraft (other than small ga a/c) also have a twist in their wings.