Helicopter lands on Mt. Everest Summit

[summitseeker]

I saw video of the landing on King 5 news this morning. What's next, flightseers touching down for a short stroll and a picnic lunch?!? How do other people feel about this?

 

http://www.mounteverest.net/story/Wheretheeaglesfly-ChopperlandsontopofEverestMay62005.shtml

[summitseeker]

Okay, here's the full story:

 

http://www.mounteverest.net/story/MysteryChopperlandsontopofEverestMay242005.shtml

[fear]

The summit of Everest hasn't been "sacred" for a long time....

 

Anything strewn with tons of garbage, fixed lines, and frozen bodies usually doesn't qualify....

 

Just wait for the $250,000.00 helicopter rides to start up....

 

-Fear

[skeletor]

It's interesting that in discussions of altitude sickness & acclimatization they always make the point that if you flew up to the top of Everest and got out of the copter, you'd be dead within a minute. I assume this pilot had the oxygen bottle on full flow.

 

I guess you could ferry folks up there, strap on bottle of oxygen and let them have a picnic until their O's run out.

[chelle]

That press release cracked me up. That was one hell of a marketing stunt to prove product superiority. At least they are helping out with rescues lower down on the mountain.

[mtn_mouse]

They say it was a french AStar helicopter. I once watched a french AStar helicopter crash at Camp Muir.

[Dru]

 

A Stars are cool

[ken4ord]

The summit of Everest hasn't been "sacred" for a long time....

 

Anything strewn with tons of garbage, fixed lines, and frozen bodies usually doesn't qualify....

 

Just wait for the $250,000.00 helicopter rides to start up....

 

-Fear

 

 

Well the only thing I got to say is that now that there are able to fly that high there definitely is no excuse to continue turning that mountain into a trash heap. Maybe they will take this advancment in flying and use it for good causes instead of just ferrying rich people up for their 250k picnic.

[Cobra_Commander]

Maybe, or maybe if someone so much as spat on the landing skid the ship would crash on takeoff. I guess it could just drop off the side to get air flowing in the collective. Some serious pay for the pilot who slings loads from the south col.

[Pencil_Pusher]

Or maybe it becomes a joint venture between the two countries to establish a pressurized summit haus, now that a heli can get there. Imagine the revenue they could generate from the masses...

[b-rock]

I doubt this will lead to any type of tour to the top. I think it's kind of cool in a way, they're just after some arbitrary record, just like anyone else who climbs Everest. Didn't know choppers could fly so high, dang!

[sobo]

I didn't know that they could fly that high, either. I'd like to know what's under the hood of that thang.

[Fromage]

Am I the only one to notice that the model name of the A Star helicopter is the "Ecureuil," which is French for "squirrel?"

 

on the summit of Everest!

[Thinker]

NICE catch!

 

That's even better than a pagetop!

[sobo]

Am I the only one to notice that the model name of the A Star helicopter is the "Ecureuil," which is French for "squirrel?"

 

on the summit of Everest!

 

Uhhhhh, no, in fact you are not. Catbirdseat beat you to this vivid insight two days ago in Spray. See this thread, 11th reply.

[catbirdseat]

I think it is fitting that the first helicopter to land on top of the world is named after a snafflehound.

[catbirdseat]

Here's the interview with the pilot. Climbing Magazine Article

[archenemy]

Helicopters are aid.