The Unbroken Altitude Record of Jean Boulet – The Legendary Helicopter Pilot
The Unbroken Altitude Record of Jean Boulet – The Legendary Helicopter Pilot. On the occasion of the record’s 50th anniversary, the absolute record for helicopter altitude, which was set in 1972 by the renowned French test pilot Jean Boulet, has not been broken. On June 21st, 1972, Boulet flew a modified version of the Aerospatiale SA315 Lama 001 to an astounding height of 12,442 meters over the Istres airport in France. The FAI has validated this absolute record for altitude, and the organization is also in possession of the record dossier, in addition to documentation relating to Boulet’s other FAI records.
The Helicopter
The well-known Lama helicopter was evolved from the Alouette II and also used certain components from the Alouette III. Its primary focus was on providing superior performance at high altitudes. 1969 was the year that saw the first flight of the Lama, which was powered by a Turbomeca Artouste III B engine. When the engine failed during the trip that took place on June 21st, 1972, at an altitude temperature of -63 degrees Celsius, the plane went into a lengthy autorotation. The aircraft was successfully brought to a stop by Boulet, a pilot with a great deal of expertise.
More on Boulet
Boulet received his engineering degree from France and then continued his education in the United States to become a fighter pilot. In 1947, he became a member of SNCASE, which would later be absorbed into the Aerospatiale Group. The maiden flights of the SE3000, SE3101, Alouette, and Puma were among the highlights of his career. In all, he logged 9000 hours throughout the air, 8000 of which were spent flying helicopters in the course of his professional life.
Boulet’s flight logbooks from 1948-1975 were given to the ‘Espace Air Passion’ aviation museum in western France by Boulet’s son, Olivier, as part of the festivities commemorating the 50th anniversary of his 1972 record. This was done in order to ensure that the historical significance of these logbooks is maintained into the foreseeable future. Jean Boulet passed away on February 13th, 2011, and after his death, the aviation community honoured him for his accomplishments and the role he played in the development of rotorcraft history. He is the author of the book “History of the Helicopter,” which was published for the first time in 1982. He also flew a number of prototype helicopters and was considered one of the most experienced men in his field.
The Unbroken Altitude Record of Jean Boulet – The Legendary Helicopter Pilot.