High-Altitude Helicopter Rescue Sets Record
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/05/record-setting-high-altitude-helicopter-rescue-in-alaska/
Flying airliners at altitudes of 35,000 feet is routine. But helicopters, with their relatively small rotary wings, struggle in thin air. Hermansky was flying a Eurocopter AS350 B3, commonly known as an AStar. The same model made headlines several years ago when a test pilot briefly touched down on the summit of Mt. Everest.
That is amazing.
I know guys that flew choppers in Afghanistan.
I would not want to be on board even if there was no shooting.
I bet he had zero payload and struggled.