Why can’t we use helicopters to rescue climbers on top of Mount Everest?
In: Physics
Helicopters needs air to generate lift. Airplanes can fly high because they can speed up to get enough air. However helicopters can not go as fast and in the event of a rescue they even need to hover. So because there is very little air on Mount Everest there is no air for the helicopter to generate lift in.
There have been specially designed helicopters that have been able to land on the summit. However these were stripped down versions that could not take any more weight. They did actually participate in a rescue mission from a camp much further down and with the weight of two passengers the helicopter were unable to take off with full power and had to drag its skids down the mountain to get to thicker air. So taking specially designed helicopters to the limits of their capabilities in very unforgiving terrain with lots of wind, turbulence and fog is likely going to generate more bodies then they can remove.
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