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Read full storyAmateur pilots cross Atlantic in helicopters
Published 22 October, 2009, 15:29
A group of brave adventurers have made history, becoming the first amateur Russian pilots to cross the Atlantic by helicopter.
Four pilots from the Istra flying club – Dmitry Rakitsky, Aleksandr Kurylev, Nikolay Kuznetsov and Sergey Filonov – used light Robinson helicopters to cover 15,700 kilometers between the US and Russia.
The helicopters started in Los Angeles on August 8. Their route then went via New York, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and northern Europe to finish near the Russian capital, Moscow, on October 22.
They took it to the extreme, as they were flying over the ocean on machines not designed to land on water and without having any special lifesaving devices.
Describing the most dangerous moment of their adventure, chief pilot Dmitry Rakitsky said that the constantly-changing weather flying from northern Canada to Greenland caused the team the most problems.
But he added that overall, he and his friends felt very safe throughout the journey.
The flight was carefully planned, as Dmitry Rakitsky came up with this idea some six years ago. The amateur pilots are happy to be back on the ground, but they are already looking to the future.
“Just now I am already thinking about the next flight,” the chief pilot said.
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