9. Landing Atop Mt. Everest

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Didier Delsalle made history on May 14, 2005, by successfully landing his Eurocopter AS350 Squirrel helicopter on the summit of Mount Everest, a feat he repeated the next day.
  • The landing was extremely risky and challenging, with Delsalle citing the uncertainty of landing on an unknown depth of snow as the most difficult aspect.
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Didier Delsalle landed his Eurocopter AS350 Squirrel atop the world’s highest piece of real estate on May 14, 2005. He repeated the feat the next day to show it was no fluke. No fluke, but it was treacherous and super risky. The hardest part, he said, was landing on the snow, not knowing how much snow he would have to settle through before his helicopter settled its weight on the world’s most famous summit.

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