#141 One Day | INDY 500 | Triggered the start of my HELICOPTER PILOT Career
Kenny Keller watched helicopters at the Indy 500 over 20 years ago and decided that day to learn to fly. He was a police officer and tow-service owner at the time. That single race sparked his entire helicopter pilot career.
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Hey, welcome to day 142 Coffee with Kenny, holiday weekend. So I'm gonna try to get right to this. I want to know what triggered you to finally go take that first lesson to get out started on your helicopter career. Whether it's just your pilot private pilot journey or your career journey. I'm Kenny Keller, creator of helicopter land ground School. This is day 141 Coffee with Kenny and I wanted to ask this question because I want to hear what people have to say and I want to tell you what triggered me. Today is the day of the Indy 500 and all my sisters are there. Today I'm home with my daughter. But over 20 years ago, a day at the Indy 500 is what inspired me to finally get my start. My one sister goes every year and has went for many years. One year she was bummed because her people that were going to go with her didn't pan out last minute. The night before she's calling me, wanted me to go. I'd never been to it, I'd always heard great things. I knew people said, oh, you got to go to the Indy 500 at some point in your life. That's always on a Sunday, right? Over 20 years ago I was more concerned about going out and partying on a Saturday night than I was getting up at 4am to drive to Indianapolis to go to a race. So my sister begged me one night, begged me, begged me, begged me, didn't want to do it. I finally came to like midnight, alright, fine, I'll get some hours some sleep and we'll go. So I'm mad all the way to Indianapolis, I don't want to go. I'm being a pain in the butt. It's raining that morning, so they gotta dry the track. We get there and at that time I was a police officer and had a towing service, right? So they have a whole fleet of wreckers that start going around drive drying the track, right? And so then I kind of thought, well that's kind of cool. And then they brought out their big blow dryers, ride these big jets dryers that dry the track. So I'm getting, I don't know, kind of getting into a ride and I'm checking all the helicopters coming and going and I was intrigued by the helicopters, right? And I had the dream, I'd done some research but I'd never taken that first step to go take a flight. So then they bring the cars out and start warming up, right? And they go around, they get warming up and that noise is kind of, you know, all right, now I'm getting goosebumps telling the story. So then I started getting kind of excited and when they start the race and those cars come by full speed, we were on the third turn. It's the first time in my life that I understood the term breathtaking. I honestly couldn't breathe with the speed and the sound in being there in real life. It just blew me away. It was literally breathtaking. So, you know, of course I come home in this super excited mode or mood that I just couldn't get over it. And you know, again that day I was watching all the aircraft and I'm looking up and you know, there's helicopters flying people in and out. I even went over and watched the place where they land in and bring people and drop them off and I was watching them hover above. So the helicopter thing was on my mind, right? And after that day, you know, at, at the, at that event also, when you go to big, large events, a lot of people drink, right? And that was always the big thing. You know, go to a big event like that, you got a party. That day I decided I wasn't going to. You know, I'm like, I don't. I just didn't feel like it, right? Wasn't in the mood. Realize then you have a heck of a lot more fun at a big event like that just by having a Coke and a hot dog and enjoying what you're doing versus, you know, all these people that kept having to go out every five minutes to get a beer and come back and weren't even paying attention to the race. First time, you know, I realized that, hey, you know what, Going to a large event like that could be a heck of a lot more fun not being the guys down in the, you know, party row getting drunk and having a good time. It was more fun to enjoy the experience and not drink. So really a pivotal, pivotable, pivotal moment in my life to go to a large event like that with so many people, largest one day sporting event in the world. And again, the sights, the sounds, the helicopters, everything that went on, I came home with just something, something happened, it just changed me. And I remember coming home so exhilarated and thinking, you know, I want something more out of life. And at that point I had a successful towing service and I was a police officer. I had accomplished those dreams, but I knew there was something missing, right? And I knew there was something else inside of me and I wanted more. I wanted something more. And after all the stuff I've been through. I've told a lot of stories about the things I've been through and going through depression after the death of my mother and going through motivational tapes and all kinds of different things. I tried. So I'd had the helicopters written on a list in a little book, right? And I'd made some calls and I did some research. But at that point, I hadn't yet pulled the trigger. And that was the day that changed my life. That's what caused me to shortly, very shortly thereafter, within a week or two, called to get my first helicopter lesson, drove back down to Indianapolis and did it for the first time. And it was truly that one day of the Indy 500. So look how things happen in your life. Sometimes you may not want to do something. And something that I was being a pain in the butt about ended up being this amazing experience that wasn't only just amazing experience literally changed my life. So I'd love to hear what started you what finally triggered you to make that phone call? Click that website button. What started you? I want to hear the stories down below. I am Kenny Keller, creator, Helicopter Online Ground School. Please subscribe to our channel. Click the bell for these daily videos. We're covering so many things. It's awesome. And this is a holiday weekend. This is Sunday. Memorial Day is tomorrow. Go down below for details on a special sale that ends May 31st. So go down below to check that out. Some good deals down below. We also have our paperback, two paperbacks, both Amazon number one best sellers top 10 checkride tips I did with 2018 flight instructor of the Year Dan Taz Chrisman and then a book I co authored myself called Helicopter Checkride. We bought the books for you. You just pay shipping and handling. Those are down below too. So again, let me know how your helicopter career started. What inspired you to go take that first lesson? Like subscribe. Leave your comments below. We'll see you in day 142.
