Kenny Keller (creator of Helicopter Line ground school) responds to viewer comments about whether flight training at busy airports is a waste of money. He argues it is not — while busy airports can be frustrating and sometimes lead to extra hovering or repositioning (which feels costly), exposure to both busy (controlled) and quiet (uncontrolled) environments is important to become a well-rounded pilot. He recommends training at different airports, with different instructors and aircraft, even if it costs more, because that broad experience accelerates learning and builds confidence. The video includes personal anecdotes and a closing call-to-action to subscribe.
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Day 224 coffee with Kenny. Excited to do this one today. It's a good question actually in two parts. I'm Kenny Keller, creator, Helicopter Line ground school. And last night late, I did a video about the cost of flight training. If you're trying to look for the cheapest route, that's not gonna always be your best answer. And right off the bat I got two questions or two comments from two of our viewers that comment all the time and actually log in a lot when we, when we do these live. Kenny, do you think it's a waste of time learning to fly at a busy airport? The simple answer is no. Yes, I can understand there could be frustration with a busy airport, but I think that it can be a really good thing. And then right off the bat another viewer said, I think so. If having to do a long way to training area or holding for traffic hovering, your instructor has to do it at the beginning. I don't believe learning from start so you can't. So I get that from both sides. Right. Here's just the mental thought process. And I've thought about this a lot over the years and I don't think we've covered this in a video. Maybe inside the helicopter land ground school, but definitely not during coffee with Kenny. You know, for example, I'm training now out of a class G airport. It's a pretty big airport, has a lot of jet traffic and a lot of planes on certain days. So it's, it's nice to train when it's quiet, but it's also nice when you get a lot of traffic in there. And even though it's frustrating for somebody new, a person has to learn how to deal with traffic. And I even have private pilot add ons that get frustrated sometimes. And I'm thinking, hey, you know, you're already a pilot and you, and you. I know it's frustrating when we have to, you know, make way for an airplane, but it is part of what we do. On the flip side of that, I have worked at a really busy airport, controlled airports. And yeah, it can be frustrating and there can be a lot of what feels like money wasted. Is it getting ready to start raining? Sounds like it. So anyway, there can be a lot of money that can be wasted hovering moving down to a training area. So I get that side of it too. But a person really needs to be versed in both, you know, quiet airports, busy airports, in between airports. I think a person needs a little bit of everything because if you train at the quieter airports, it's great, right? Because you can get out and you can focus and you can do what you got to do. But let's say you do that for 30 or 40, 50, 60, 70 hours for someone, then they're totally freaked out when they go to controlled airspace. And it's kind of funny too, when somebody trains in controlled airspace all the time, they get a little nervous about actually going to uncontrolled because they're not used to it. So I think a person needs a little bit of everything, right? And sometimes when you're frustrated, you think you're wasting money, you know, it's just part of it. You have to learn those times where you're going to have to sit and hover, you're going to have to wait, you're going to have to move to a certain area for training. I can get it, I get it can be frustrating. But very simply put, I think a person needs a little bit of everything and you'll see it in flight training. And you know, we all have strengths and we all have weaknesses and all of it's based on how we originally learned. So I guess I'd sum it up with if you're only training at a small quiet airport, spend the money to have your instructor take you to another airport where it's busier, or go to a different city, go to a different town, spend a little money flying at a different flight school. There's nothing wrong with switching up flight schools. People are hesitant. They get flying with one place, one school, one instructor and they don't want to switch. You'll fight them tooth and nail a lot of times to get them to fly with somebody else. And yes, I understand it costs you more money, but every time you get in with a different instructor, in a different aircraft, in a different environment, in a different airport, I get it's nerve wracking, but man, does it sure help you with your progress, your training and it makes you a better pilot. So Saturday, my favorite day of the week. I was glad to get those couple of comments last night right off the bat as soon as that video came up and I immediately knew, yep, tomorrow when I get up, I'm drinking coffee. I'm gonna hit that one. Drinking the pinon coffee again today from my first ground school member of all time that purchased back in 2012. Thanks man. I'm gonna be enjoying this coffee over the next couple months for sure with that great big box you sent me. Alright, so I'm going to wrap it up. Do us a favor, subscribe to the channel when you do click the little bell so you'll be notified of the daily video we do videos every single day answering questions talking about training talking about checkrides talking about your success talking about your failures talking about your frustrations you know when you're going to look to get into this so many people paint such a pretty picture and there's a lot of you know it's tough if it was easy everyone would be doing it but that's the beauty of it right? The day you get that license it makes it all worth it it makes it all worth it trust me so whatever you're doing stay after it again I recommend flying with different instructors checking out different aircraft flying at different airports I know it's going to cost you a little more money but it's definitely going to benefit you as a pilot alright like subscribe comment down below and we'll see you Tomorrow in day 225 be these out and got to throw in a hell yeah.
