Helicopter Lands on the Summit of Mount Everest

The First and Only Person to Land a Helicopter on the summit of Mount Everest was Didier Delsalle a fighter pilot and helicopter test pilot on May 14, 2005.
Climbers did not summit Everest for another week (21 May, 2005)--which is why there are no prayer flags, etc as the jet-stream winds and winter storms scours the summit removing anything from previous years.
___________
On May 14, 2005, at 07:08 NPT in the early morning (01:23 UTC), Delsalle set the world record for highest altitude landing of a helicopter when his Eurocopter AS350 Squirrel touched down on the 8,848 m (29,029 ft) summit of Mount Everest. The flight and the summit landing were recorded by multitude of cameras and other equipment to validate the record. After sitting on top of the world for 3 minutes and 50 seconds, Delsalle lifted off and returned to the Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla, Nepal.
This accomplishment had required extensive testing on site, especially because of the low atmospheric pressure available for the helicopter rotors, winds over 299 km/h (186 mph) at these altitudes, and oxygen depletion for both Delsalle and his helicopter's engine. Delsalle had to find areas of downdrafts and updrafts to complete the flight, stating: "I found an updraft so strong that I could rise up with almost no power."
Delsalle repeated the Everest summit landing the next day, May 15, 2005, to prove that the previous day had not been simple luck. Conditions the second day were much more difficult, but Delsalle chose not to wait any longer so as not to squander the opportunity for 'conventional' climbers waiting to summit Everest during the limited good weather conditions available in May.
Delsalle used a virtually standard version of the Eurocopter AS350 Squirrel B3, only removing unnecessary elements, such as passenger seats, to reduce the standard weight by 120 kg (265 lb) and thus extend the 1-hour fuel range.
🎥 Airbus Helicopters
Please Subscribe: / eurocoptereads
Start your high-altitude adventures by climbing Kilimanjaro with us! www.ClimbKili.com
#Everest #EverestHelicopterSummit