Moscow, May 20 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Mi-17 helicopter, which has been equipped with new engines produced by Motor Sich (Zaporizhia, Ukraine), on May 16 made a unique flight over the Andes in Peru, rising to height over 6,300 meters, Motor Sich President Viacheslav Bohuslayev has told journalists.
“Yesterday a Mi-17 helicopter with our new engines crossed the Andes,
achieving 6,300 meters with cargo on board. No other helicopter has
done this before,” he said at the exhibition of the helicopter industry
in Moscow.
He said that Peruvian pilots made an experimental flight with two
helicopters. One of the helicopters Mi-17 was equipped with the old
engines, the second one – with the new engines produced by Motor Sich
ТВ3-117 ВМА-СБМ1В.
According to Bohuslayev, the helicopter equipped with the old
engines, reached an altitude of six kilometers, but failed to continue
flight and returned to base. The helicopter with the new engines landed
on the other side of the mountain range.
Bohuslayev said Peru is notable for being divided in two by the Andes
mountain chain. This lengthens the flight time of helicopters when
flying between the east and west of the country.
