NZ company building Everest rescue chopper

[Dave Homewood]

Did you see on Nightline (TV3) tonight the NZ designed and built fibreglass pilotless remote control helicopter designed for high altitude mountain rescue?

The Alpine Wasp has a diesel engine so can operate over 14,000 ft where most other helos cannot.

It's designed to hover over an injured climber, lower a strop they have to clip onto, and pull them inside before taking them down the mountain.

Sounds all very Thunderbirds 'International Rescue' to me, and i hope they have really well trained r/c pilots as surely it could be dodgy operating remotely - especially in gusty conditions.

But a great innovation and good on them. I really hope it succeeds. Mark Ingalll, the legless climber, has volunteered to be the first Guinea Pig for trials.

This is the company's website
www.tgrhelicorp.com/home.htm

[kiwi]

How would a diesel engine enable the helicopter operate at a higher altitude than a turbine ?

[Dave Homewood]

According to the reporter, it doesn't require oxygen.

[planeimages]

Everyone knows that diesel submarines operate under water without oxygen!!!

If it can operate without 02 then why limit it to 14,000ft?

Pull the other one please "reporter".

[Dave Homewood]

It's not limited to 14,000, that's what turbine ones are limited to. This one will go above that.

[beagle]

Will it be housed on the side of Mt Cook in a secret building where a big rock slides open and palm trees bend over.
Will the r/c pilot wear a nice sash over his jersey

[Radialicious]

I wonder what will draw the biggest headline.......

Climber dies on Mount Everest

or

Climber dies in radio controlled helicopter accident on Mt Everest

Are these guys taking the piss?

[Dave Homewood]

Yes, I was wondering the same thing. I mean you're lying on the mountain with a broken leg, and suddenly an unmanned chopper comes up, controlled from 14,000ft + away, how are they going to know that the blades aren't chopping you to bits?

[Radialicious]

I 'spose if you are up that high, probably hypoxic, a bit cold perhaps, you'd probably still find the energy and resolve to slap yourself across the face with a damp mitten and say out loud (in your best-of-British-colonial-type-newsreel-adventurer "OK, yes, yes, an unmanned rotary-winged device powered by what sounds to me, like a um, darned, god bless '86 Hilux has just pulled into the hover alongside me as I lay dying on the slopes of this damned, ice covered mother of all rocks, I wonder if it would be ever so kind as to offer me a lift to the bottom, what!

Hopefully, such a sight would snap me out of my delirium and shoot myself.

[Dave Homewood]

Personally I think people who climb mountains should enter at their own risk and not expect others to risk their lives and a lot of money saving them. This at least will reduce the risk to lives of the lie savers.

At least one RNZAF helicopter crashed rescuing idiot climbers. Actually I think it was that Ingalls guy wasn't it? On Mount Cook? That chap went onto risk his and other lives again climbing Everest, got frostbite and then got ACC to pay his medical bills. Outragious

[Radialicious]

Yep, my mate's old man was the crewman on the Huey that crashed while rescuing those two. It is an interesting fact that after the chopper crashed and flew to bits as only helicopters can, Colin had to go back into the wreckage and turn the engine off! The rescue of the rescue was another story. Myself, I was stoked to see Inglis climb Everest. Modern NZ tends to say, "nice try, you did well to get 4th, good effort, do you wanna Haka to celebrate?" Inglis took another 20 odd years and battled age and disability but never gave up. He has more reson than most to sit back now and retire and grow old with a smile on his face.
I'd be more than happy to know that my taxes went into his support than the mongrel prison escaper who busted his leg jumping the fence and is on a disability sceme for the rest of his days.

Note to Self: political feelings and outburst imminent. Whoop whoop, pull up...........

[Radialicious]

I did hear about Inglis' pimped out carbon fibre legs not coping in the cold of Mt Ev and fracturing at one point.
The media were quick to add that "the altitude that the climbing party at the time were facing was that similar to a jet airliner and carbon fibre is not suited to such low temperatures"

Note to Self: The Boeing 787 is 80 percent carbon fibre..........

[Dave Homewood]

Er, this new helicopter is also carbon fibre. Should we be worried?

[kiwi]

I always believed that helicopters did not operate at high altitude because the thin air would not support the rotor , clearly both piston and turbine engines can be made to operate at height ?

[corsair67]

What about the Squirrel that recent landed on the top of Everest?

I think remote technology has come along way, so maybe this is possible? After all, the Predator and Global Hawk are in action nearly everyday in the MEAO, and seem to be operating okay - most of the time.

[Dave Homewood]

A Squirrel landed on top of Everest???

Yes, when they're going well it'd be fine. But in this sort of circumstance what happens when the wind gets up and there's a white-out of snow blinding the camera equipment the r/c pilot is using?

[corsair67]

From the Eurocopter website:


World Première: A Eurocopter single-engine serial Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B3 lands on the TOP of the world.

05/24/2005

author : Jean-Louis ESPES


On May 14th, 2005 at 7h08 (local time), a serial Ecureuil/AStar AS 350 B3 piloted by the EUROCOPTER X-test pilot Didier Delsalle, landed at 8,850 meters (29,035ft) on the top of the Mount Everest (Kingdom of Nepal).

This tremendous achievement breaks the World Record for the highest altitude landing and take-off ever, which sets an ultimate milestone in the History of Aviation.

Fabrice Brégier, President and CEO of the EUROCOPTER Group, world leading helicopter manufacturer, immediately congratulated the pilot and his team for this extraordinary feat.
After taking off from its base camp Lukla on May 14th, 2005 at 2,866 meters (9,403ft) 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 landed on ground more than 2 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 definitively 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 (…), sublimated by the magic of the place”.

Achieved with a serial helicopter, this absolute World Record once more contributes to underline the unique qualities of the Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B3 as a multipurpose, reliable, quick and comfortable helicopter which emerges as the most performing aircraft in the world in the most extreme conditions.

During the trial period, Didier Delsalle and his Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B3 flew some rescue missions on behalf of the Nepalese authorities demonstrating the operational capabilities of the aircraft used to set the altitude landing and take-off World Record.

This feat has been achieved further to various flight tests begun one year ago with the Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B3 among which:

- Experimental flight up to 8,992 meters (29,500 ft) in April 2004 in Istres (France),

- “Time to climb” records to the heights of 3,000, 6,000 and 9,000 meters performed on April 14th, 2005 in respectively 2 minutes 21 seconds, 5 minutes 6 seconds and 9 minutes 26 seconds. These records smash the previous ones held by an Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B1 with respectively 2 minutes 59 seconds, 6 minutes 55 seconds and 13 minutes 52 seconds,

- Experimental flight up to 10.211 meters (33.500 ft) on April 14, 2005,

- Landing at the South Pass of Mount Everest at 7,925 meters (26,000 ft) on May 12th, 2005, establishing a new altitude landing and take-off record, previously held by a Cheetah helicopter - variant of the Lama - at 7,670 meters (25,150 ft).

With this landing on the top of the world, EUROCOPTER demonstrates that its technological innovations provide its products a length - height - ahead, set at the disposal of its worldwide customers.

To date, 3,670 Ecureuil/AStar have been sold worldwide and logged 15 million flight hours.

Since its introduction on the market, the Ecureuil/AStar/Twinstar family has been benefiting of successive improvements among which its most powerful version is the Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B3. This aircraft is serial equipped with modern systems such as dual channel FADEC, Vehicule and Engine Monitoring Display, integrated GPS, etc….

424 Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B3 are currently in operation worldwide, mainly used for missions requiring high performances, such as aerial work (cargo sling capacity: 1,400kg) in very high and hot conditions.

EUROCOPTER is thankful to the Nepalese government and all its departments for their help and friendly support throughout this mission.

These world records are currently submitted to the official approval of the FAI.





Eurocopter is Awarded the “Prix Réussite” by the Association Aéronautique et Astronautique de France in Recognition of its Landing on the Summit of Mount Everest

11/29/2006

author : Cécile Vion-Lanctuit


On 28 November 2006, during a ceremony at the Pavillon Gabriel in Paris, the Association Aéronautique et Astronautique de France (AAAF) awarded its "Prix Réussite" to Eurocopter. This prize was given in recognition of the landing of an AS350 B3 on the summit of Mount Everest in May 2005.

Founded in 1971, the AAAF has been awarding its "Prix Réussite" every year since 1973. This prize "recognizes a team that has stood out by conducting a far-reaching project whose technical or scientific achievement enhances the fields of aeronautics and space". This applies to Eurocopter whose team set the world altitude record by landing on ‘top of the world’ on 14 May 2005. Former distinguished winners of this prize were the Concorde team and the Airbus Flight Tests team.

On 14 February 2006, the International Aeronautical Federation (IAF) validated and confirmed the world high-altitude record set on 14 and 15 May 2005 by a series production AS350 B3. This aircraft made two landings and takeoffs from the summit of Mount Everest, at an altitude of 8,850 meters (29,035 ft). These two flights, performed by Didier Delsalle, the Eurocopter Experimental Test Pilot, included two landings on the peak of this mountain, where the helicopter stayed for more than two minutes in line with the IAF regulation.

Eurocopter was delighted to accept this award on behalf of all of the group’s employees responsible for the exceptional performances of our helicopters.

[Dave Homewood]

Amazing. Thanks Craig.

[corsair67]

I actually didn't know the feat had been confirmed, as when it was first announced many aviation experts didn't believe it.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see what happens with the robot-rescue helicopter project. Will it end up being another Addax fighter like idea?

[Bruce]

I'm not sure if a remote controlled Helicopter would be any good to those that really need it, such as the guy who was hypoxic and so Chronically hypothermic that most people would think he was dead. Maybe they have a remote controlled paramedic as well? and as for the bit about Diesels and altitude, thats a load of yeti droppings.....