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). [...] As required by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, 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.
This is the ultimate milestone in helicopter aviation: despite altitude limitations most choppers face, now any place on earth can be reached with a serial model. It is the same serial model that can climb to 9,000 meters in less than 10 minutes and that made experimental flights up to 10,211 meters (33,500 ft).
Eurocopter did not release this news before May 24, 10 days after the record, which might be due to the implications of this flight. Rescue climbers will fear that chopper-based SAR could finally degenerate climbing Sagarmatha into an adventure for incautious amateurs. Proof that air SAR is possible was already delivered:
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
mounteverest.net: Mystery Chopper Summit Images >
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