The First Men to Fly over Everest

In 1918, a British mountaineering physiologist, Alexander Kellas, originally suggested the concept of a flight expedition over Mount Everest in his journal "The Possibility of Aerial Reconnaissance in the Himalayas." 

As a professional mountaineer and physiology specialist, Kellas claimed that they could develop a means not only to fly airplanes competently at such high altitudes but also to take valuable reconnaissance photos with the right precautions and the right equipment at a given time.
In November 1932, the team chose two modified Westland Wallace aircraft for the expedition. The two-seat aircraft had open cockpits and were equipped with Bristol Pegasus S3 engines. Lord Clydesdale flew a modified Westland PV-3 accompanied by Colonel Blacker while Lieutenant MacIntyre and Photographer Bonnett followed in a PV-6 model prototype. Both received modifications, including hearing and oxygen equipment. Both aircraft would become the first to fly over Everest.

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