Kenny Keller explains why helicopter landings get unstable near the ground: an air cushion forms when skids are 4-8 inches up. The fix is a small push on the collective to break through it and land smoothly.
Questions this video answers
January 23, 2019.
Around 4–8 inches above the ground (he mentions ~6–8 inches and also refers to ~4–6 inches).
Give a very small deliberate push on the collective as you approach the ground to break through the air cushion (avoid a large push that could cause a hard landing).
About $4.49 per month ("4,49 bucks a month" phrasing).
Chapters
Hey, Ken, With Helicopter Land Ground School. I know this is a little bit of a weird angle. Excuse me. I've done this video three times in 10 years of doing videos. Three times I've done it with an aircraft. I'll put those links below if you want to go see those videos. It's our coffee with Kenny. It's just what somebody made up. It's kind of funny. Been doing these videos each morning when I'm drinking coffee. Things. I want to really reiterate this one. I'm gonna do it with the toy helicopter in a nice quiet environment because maybe this will make more sense again. You can go down below and see 3 other actual helicopter footage videos I've done over the last 10 years. You can make fun of me with no gray hair and looking younger. So the reason a lot of people struggle with the set down is, is this. They're in a nice hover, and when they go to come down, they might have a nice slow approach to the ground, as you should. When you get to about 6 to 8 inches and you don't move the collective, it will usually stop. This is where people come down. They're nice looking good, and they get there and they're feeling for the ground and they think, I should be there. They don't do anything with the collective. And then they start doing this, you know, start banging around. You can actually do a test if you get that nice smooth speed coming down and don't change anything. It will touch and it'll come back up, and then it'll come back down. And if you find the right spot, it'll just go, keep going up and down. So what you have to do again, this is when you're perfecting. This isn't for a brand new student. This is after you kind of got it figured out and things are looking pretty good. You get a nice hover going before the set down. And then just as you get as you're coming down nice and slow, you get almost there and people go, why am I not touching it? Takes a nice little push to get it on down to the ground. Now if you're coming down a little faster, you'll push right through that air cushion. It happens right about somewhere about when the skids are about 4 to 6 inches above the ground. Jerry Ventrella showed me this. This guy is a legend, okay? I was privileged to do my private and commercial with this gentleman, and he showed me this many years ago, my private checkride. So the problem people have, they're coming down nice and smooth. Nice and slow, they're almost there. And you've seen it, you've done it yourself, where somebody has this beautiful hover. They're coming down nice and slow, they're almost there. And then all sudden it goes to hell. And they're just wiggling all over the place and they slide sideways and they go backwards. It's because they didn't push through that air cushion. So this is a very simple tip. But you know what? I'm obsessed with teaching you guys and girls these little tips and tricks that help you through. So again, in 10 years, I have three other videos, Cockpit footage or outside footage you can go see. I put all three of those down below this one. I wanted to try this method just to really hone this in and make you understand that this is where people run into trouble. It's such a beautiful set down. It's coming down when you get there and it starts to hang. It just takes a very small push of the collective down. Not a bunch or else you'll smack down. But if you learn it as you're coming down, nice and slow, nice and slow, nice and slow, you're almost there. Give it that little bit of push and it'll set right down onto the ground. So if you've seen this, let me know. If you haven't, let me know if you have any other tips or tricks about hovering, picking up, setting down. We've been doing a lot of stuff on hovering private pilot section for members. Last night we updated two new videos to lesson one. The team of four of us are working on rebuilding the whole private pilot section. So for the next couple months, you're gonna see a ton of new videos coming in the private pilot section. If you're not a member yet, you can do it for only 4,49 bucks a month. You can keep it as long as you like. You can cancel anytime. Helicopterground.com I'll put that link down below. So give us a like on this video. Put your comments down below about what you've experienced with your helicopter set downs. This is for set down. Specifically. You can put anything in the comment box, but this video is about that air cushion. Know that four to six inches. If you have a nice slow coming down, coming down when you get there, a little tiny collective push, you'll set that baby down nice and smooth. So subscribe, go below. Subscribe and click that bell so you can make sure you get notified of new videos. Put a little yellow thing over in the corner, click that. Click, subscribe, click the bell, leave us a comment and we shall see in the next video.
