Kathmandu, May 26 : A French pilot became the first to summit Mt Everest from the Nepal side this climbing season, in the process knocking down the previous world record held by the Indian Air Force (IAF) for the highest landing by a helicopter.
Test pilot Didier Delsalle flying in his Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B3 first broke the IAF record by nearly 300 m and then bettered his own best by landing straight atop Mt Everest, the highest point in the world at 8,848 m.
Though Delsalle achieved the feat nearly a fortnight ago, it made the headlines this week, especially after he returned to France.
Delsalle landed right on top of Mt Everest on May 14, becoming the first to summit the peak from the Nepal side this season. So far, no mountaineer in a helicopter has been able to reach the top due to bad weather.
The chopper sat on the summit for two minutes, as required by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI - International Aeronautical Federation), and then flew back.
He did a repeat act the next day, before flying back to France.
Delsalle's first record was achieved May 12, when the ace pilot took off from the Lukla airport in northern Nepal, located at a height of 2,866 m, and landed at the South Pass of Mount Everest at 7,925 m.
He established a new altitude landing and take-off record, breaking the earlier one made last November when an IAF Cheetal helicopter, indigenously manufactured at Bangalore in India, landed among the Himalayan ranges in India's Jammu and Kashmir state in the north.
Group Captain A.S. Butola with Squadron Leader S. Sharma landed at a height of 7,670 m on the frozen desert of Saser Kangri in the Ladakh region, breaking the earlier record held by a US pilot.
Before the summit landing, Delsalle also performed some rescue missions on the Himalayan slopes on behalf of the Nepalese authorities.
(IANS)
Test pilot Didier Delsalle flying in his Ecureuil/AStar AS350 B3 first broke the IAF record by nearly 300 m and then bettered his own best by landing straight atop Mt Everest, the highest point in the world at 8,848 m.
Though Delsalle achieved the feat nearly a fortnight ago, it made the headlines this week, especially after he returned to France.
Delsalle landed right on top of Mt Everest on May 14, becoming the first to summit the peak from the Nepal side this season. So far, no mountaineer in a helicopter has been able to reach the top due to bad weather.
The chopper sat on the summit for two minutes, as required by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI - International Aeronautical Federation), and then flew back.
He did a repeat act the next day, before flying back to France.
Delsalle's first record was achieved May 12, when the ace pilot took off from the Lukla airport in northern Nepal, located at a height of 2,866 m, and landed at the South Pass of Mount Everest at 7,925 m.
He established a new altitude landing and take-off record, breaking the earlier one made last November when an IAF Cheetal helicopter, indigenously manufactured at Bangalore in India, landed among the Himalayan ranges in India's Jammu and Kashmir state in the north.
Group Captain A.S. Butola with Squadron Leader S. Sharma landed at a height of 7,670 m on the frozen desert of Saser Kangri in the Ladakh region, breaking the earlier record held by a US pilot.
Before the summit landing, Delsalle also performed some rescue missions on the Himalayan slopes on behalf of the Nepalese authorities.
(IANS)
