Editing Mount Everest (section)

===2005: Pilot summits with helicopter===
[[File:Eurocopter AS-350B-3 Ecureuil AN0980259.jpg|thumb|Photo of a Eurocopter AS350 B3 "Squirrel"]]

In May 2005, pilot [[Didier Delsalle]] of France landed a [[Eurocopter AS350]] B3 helicopter on the summit of Mount Everest.<ref name="eurocopter">{{cite web|url=http://www-t.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0510/0509/whats_new/helicopter_everest.html|title=Landing on Air|publisher=National Geographic Adventure|date=1 September 2005|access-date=24 June 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160706033814/http://www-t.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0510/0509/whats_new/helicopter_everest.html|archive-date=6 July 2016}}</ref> He needed to land for two minutes to set the {{lang|fr|[[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale]]|italic=no}} (FAI) official record, but he stayed for about four minutes, twice.<ref name="eurocopter"/> In this type of landing the rotors stay engaged, which avoids relying on the snow to fully support the aircraft. The flight set [[rotorcraft]] world [[List of Mount Everest records|records]], for highest of both landing and take-off.<ref name="fai"/>

Some press reports suggested that the report of the summit landing was a misunderstanding of a South Col landing, but he had also landed on South Col two days earlier,<ref name=everestnet>{{cite web|url=http://www.mounteverest.net/story/FrenchEverestMysteryChoppersUtopiasummit-VIDEOMay272005.shtml|title=French Everest Mystery Chopper's Utopia summit|publisher=MountEverest.net|date=27 May 2005|access-date=20 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113192323/http://www.mounteverest.net/story/FrenchEverestMysteryChoppersUtopiasummit-VIDEOMay272005.shtml|archive-date=13 January 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> with this landing and the Everest records confirmed by the FAI.<ref name="fai">{{cite web|url=http://records.fai.org/rotorcraft/history.asp?id1=112&id2=80&id3=1&id4=2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202045947/http://records.fai.org/rotorcraft/history.asp?id1=112&id2=80&id3=1&id4=2|archive-date=2 December 2008|title=Rotorcraft World Records|publisher=FAI}}</ref> Delsalle also rescued two Japanese climbers at {{convert|16000|ft|m|-1|abbr=on|order=flip}} while he was there. One climber noted that the new record meant a better chance of rescue.<ref name="eurocopter"/>