Bring high-altitude rescues down to earth

I knew Capt. Basnyat personally and agree with the author that Basnyat's demise is not only a brutal tragedy for his young family but also a huge blow to aviation, mountaineering and adventure sports in Nepal ('Losing lives to save them', Dambar Krishna Shrestha, #528). But Shrestha left out a few important facts.

Fact 1 – Mountain rescues are high-risk maneuvers: period. It does not matter who does it or where. Nepal poses a unique risk when it comes to choppers flying at high altitudes. Performance is compromised given all the variables are in the negative. High altitude = negative machine output = negative supply of oxygen = negative lift = negative pilot performance. It's this lethal mixture that is behind all the major helicopter accidents that took place in the Solukhumbu region, barring one of the most horrific accidents, involving Shree Airlines in the Kanchenjunga area, which wiped out an entire generation of Nepali conservationists.

Fact 2 – $$$$$. Mountain rescues are driven primarily by a monetary, not a humanitarian impulse. It's not a trade secret that insurance companies and even individual climbers pay out substantial amounts to airlines and expedition companies as well as pilots themselves for high-altitude rescues. This is the "I will hold your hand and take you up to the summit if you pay me well" effect – the reason why the same person summits Everest 19 times. It proves a point, breaks a record, and brings in the money. Quite simply, it's the forces of demand and supply. As long as people willingly pay top dollar to conquer Nepali peaks and ski down the Himalaya, climbing – and rescue – businesses will thrive.

Fact 3 – Zero regulations. Sure, high-altitude rescues are the stuff of legend but no regulations and no oversight = accidents. Why is it that civil aviation officials and sometimes even company owners hear about 'highest rescues' only after one takes place? Before Capt. Basnyat's world record, a certain Major (then) KC had this accolade when he plucked an Everest aspirant from Camp II. He was almost grounded because he flew an army helicopter without any clearance. KC would later crash the same chopper a few months at a much lower altitude.

Our rescue pilots need to be properly identified, trained, certified and insured according to international standards by the same companies that make all that money. Until that happens, it won't be long before another little child loses a father who absolutely loved what he did – flying the high mountains regardless of the risks. And then we'll talk about it all over again.

Pankaj