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By: - 25th May 2005 at 13:37 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I wonder if the ground crew and the world's media were there to meet him. It would be a pity if they missed it. I bet someone has put a coke machine up there by now.
Not a bad achievement. I'm jealous.
By: - 25th May 2005 at 13:38 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Blimey, that's some achievement!
Well done to Didier Delsalle and the team.
By: - 25th May 2005 at 13:54 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Apologies for going off topic, but somehow this reminds me of a story I heard a few years ago about a bet between the CO's of both the Tornado and Chinook detachments down at Mount Pleasant in the Falklands.
The story goes that OC Tornado was overheard in the Mess one night, extolling the climb rate virtues of the F3. OC Chinook sauntered over, and mentioned that he thought his Chinook could probably give the Tornado a good run for its money in a timed race from 'brakes off' to 10,000 feet. How about testing it out, with the losing OC funding a night on the beers for the winning OC's unit...?
OC Tornado, sensing a wokka-funded beer night, readily agreed and a plan was hatched. The next morning, OC Tornado would strap OC Chinook into an F3's rear seat, where OC Chinook would clock the time to 10,000. On their return, OC Chinook would take OC Tornado up to 10,000 in his mount, with OC Tornado on stopwatch duty.
Sure enough, the next morning the two OC's turned up at the Tornado, strapped in, started up, and taxied out to line up. With a crowd gathered to watch, clearance was given, power fed in... brakes off and stopwatch on. The Tornado leapt forward, lifted up, tucked up the gear, and pointed skyward. In a matter of moments the jet was passing 10,000 and the watch was stopped. OC Chinook grudgingly acknowledged that it was quite an impressive climb, and with a smug grin OC Tornado brought the aeroplane back down.
Back on terra firma, the pair climbed into a rather weary looking Chinook, strapped in, started up, and called for take off clearance from the pan, which was given. Noisily, the helicopter lifted off and OC Tornado happily started the stopwatch. Progress was painfully slow as the helicopter clattered its way up past 5,000... 6,000... 7,000, and OC Tornado sat back and smiled as he contemplated the ridiculous amounts of beer that he and his boys would consume that night at OC Chinook's expense.
Idly he looked at the altimeter - 9,700... 9,800... 9,900... at which point OC Chinook pulled a lever and called "Brakes off, start the clock!" :D
By: - 25th May 2005 at 13:56 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Blimey is the word that springs to my mind too.
Well done those chaps.
It looks like they'd figured out the answer to 'Right ... how do we get down again?' beforehand!
By: - 13th June 2005 at 07:46 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=85650&cat=Asia
French aviator didn't land on Everest: Nepal
Kathmandu | June 04, 2005 Kathmandu, June 3 : Nepal said Friday a test pilot employed by a French aviation giant had perpetrated a Himalayan fraud by claiming to have landed on Mount Everest. Didier Delsalle, who was flying a Eurocopter, has now admitted to landing 1,000m lower than the 8,848m summit, a Nepalese official said Friday.
This would restore the earlier record held by the Indian Air Force. Flying an indigenously manufactured Cheetal helicopter last November, Group Captain A.S. Butola and Squadron Leader S. Sharma landed at Saserkangri in Ladakh at an altitude of 7,070m.
Even if Delsalle landed at 7,848m on Everest's South Col, technically it would seem invalid since he did not have permission to land for any purpose other than an emergency. "Delsalle had taken permission only to test-fly his chopper at high altitude but not make any landing," Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) deputy director-general Keshav Raj Khanal said in a statement Friday. "During his flight, the weather deteriorated and the strong winds forced him to turn back. He had to make a u-turn for which he briefly landed on South Col and then headed back. Otheriwse, he would have been forced to stray into China's air space, for which he had no permission," Khanal added.
Delsalle claimed to have landed on the 8,848m Everest summit May 14 but this hit the headlines only May 25 after he returned to France. The truth emerged after two written interviews with Nepalese authorities when he admitted to landing 1,000m lower. Dated May 19 and 20, Delsalle's statements say he had to make an emergency landing at the South Col but doesn't make any claims about creating a world record by landing on Mt Everest. According to aviation authorities, Delsalle's chopper was followed by another with soldiers from the Royal Nepalese Army and they had witnessed him making an emergency landing at South Col.
CAAN's statement seems to throw egg on Eurocopter's face and upholds the IAF record. Eurocopter is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, the worldwide leader in aerospace, defence, and the associated services. The EADS group, that generated a turnover of 31.8 billion euros in 2004, and employed approximately 110,000 people throughout the world, includes aircraft maker Airbus, and the world's second largest missile company, the joint venture MDBA. It is also the major industrial partner for Galileo, the European satellite-based navigation system.
A press release from Paris used the supposed high-altitude landing to extoll the Eurocopter's virtues. It said: "After taking off from his base camp Lukla on May 14 at 2,866 m, Didier Delsalle onboard his Ecureuil AS350B3 reached the top of Mount Everest. As required by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI - International Aeronautical Federation), the aircraft remained on ground more than two minutes on the top of the world before flying back to Lukla. This feat was renewed the day after.
"Stepping out of his helicopter, Didier Delsalle commented: 'To reach this mythical summit seemed to be a dream; despite the obvious difficulties of the target to be reached, the aircraft demonstrated its capability to cope with the situation."
Desperate mountaineers and record seekers are known to make false claims and falsify records.
This mountaineering season, there was an earlier controversy about a Korean climber who claimed to have scaled a peak while the mountaineers following him said he did not.
By: - 13th June 2005 at 21:52 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
This really will create an uproar at the FAI in Lausanne since the claim of a world record has been submitted by Eurocopter for ratification. This in the 200th anniversary year of Trafalgar too. How low, or indeed high, can they stoop I wonder.
"France expects every pilot to do his duty and to make spurious claims of world aviation records...??". Ah well, no doubt they will blame perfideous Albion again for getting at the Nepalese to scotch their claim. Bet there are a few red faces at Le Bourget this week.
Shame since the Ecureuil AS350B3 is a bloody fine chopper though as a "plank" pilot I really have no personal knowledge.
Cheers,
Trapper 69
:D :D :confused: :confused: :( :(
Posts: 4,674
By: Distiller - 25th May 2005 at 13:21
http://www.eurocopter.com/publications/FO/scripts/newsFO_complet.php?lang=EN&news_id=317