In this informal YouTube video, flight instructor Kenny Keller recommends his student Brooklyn (Brooke) Hunsicker for aviation scholarships. He emphasizes that, in his 25 years of teaching and having worked with hundreds of pilots, Brooke stands out for her punctuality, positive attitude, humor, and reliability. He details her flight experience: roughly 40 total hours, solo flights in an R44 helicopter, completed night and day duals, dual cross‑country flights, and an unusually fast private pilot written exam completed on a Friday with a solo flight the following Monday. Keller notes that she was ready for the private pilot oral after about 20 hours of dual instruction. He also mentions a recent commercial add‑on check‑ride for Jim Sweeney as context. Keller discusses the gender dynamics in aviation, acknowledging that women sometimes face bias, and stresses his commitment to helping Brooke succeed. He introduces Holly Gardell, a former CFI and current EMS pilot, as Brooke’s mentor. Keller shares Brooke’s personal motivation – she simply wants to be a helicopter pilot, regardless of specific career paths – and her prior exposure to helicopter operations in Michigan. He concludes by urging viewers to inform him of any scholarship opportunities, providing his and Heather’s email addresses (Kenny@helicopterground.com, Heather@helicopterground.com) and inviting comments.
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All right, this is an informal video that I'm going to put along with a formal letter that I prepared for a young lady that's been flying with me for several months. Her name is Brooklyn Hunsicker, and she's applying for some aviation scholarships. And I wanted to recommend her because Brooke has been one of the— I want to say one of the best students I've seen in 25 years. Thank you. And I've had lots of great people, right? We've met incredible people the last 25 years. But what's special about Brooke is she shows up always on time, always with a smile on her face, always a good attitude, good sense of humor. And when you tell her to do something, she does it. She's around 40 hours. She's been soloing in the R44. Her night duel is done. Her day duel is done. Dual cross-countries are done. Her private pilot written examination— nobody does this— her private pilot written was done on a Friday, and on Monday we soloed her, or vice versa. And for years I've said that I think that's good, a good goal, and almost nobody will do it. People drag that damn written out for months, and she got it done. And Brooke's mom and dad have been down here several times. with her to come down for the afternoon or for the evening. And her mom specifically said, Kenny, when you tell her to do something, she does it. And I go, I know, because of the way that she shows up prepared. And probably at around— I put in this letter that it probably 20 hours of dual, she was ready for the private pilot oral. And I do need to say, we just did a number 46 or 47. 47 checkride today for final approach courses. Congratulations, Jim Sweeney, on his commercial add-on. Got his commercial in airplanes 40 years ago. Today, he did his commercial add-on. But anyway, I was telling the examiner about Brooke, and I'm losing train of thought here. But I was telling the examiner about her. And again, I want to see everyone succeed, right? And I've done my best to help anybody throughout the years that I can. But this is one special case where I see the ability for Brooke to go far. And I'm going to be honest, I know that sometimes women kind of get— they get that attitude from men in the industry. And not always. There's plenty of men out there that give a woman the same opportunity a guy will. But sometimes women kind of get shunned just a little bit just because it's a male-oriented business. And sometimes men are just jerks, right? And that's just the way it is. So I want to make sure that Brooke goes far in this industry. I'm hooking Brooke up with Holly Gardell, who I did her CFI 10 years ago. And Holly has done great things in industry, flying EMS now, and she's agreed to become Brooke's mentor. And just on a personal level, to just talk to her, help her, give her advice. And again, I'm supporting her in a Quest for some different scholarships that she's working on. So I just want to personally say, of anybody, there's plenty of people deserving of scholarships. Everybody needs help along the way. But this is one, one time I'll just say it again. I'd love to see Brooke succeed in the industry. And another thing I put in the letter, one of the cool things about Brooke is she said, when people say, well, what are you going to do? She said, I don't know, I just want to be a helicopter pilot. And I love that because some people say, well, I'm going to fly utility, I'm going to be EMS, I'm going to do this. Well, you know what? Your path can change. Like, I wanted to be a law enforcement pilot. That dream never came true. But then I had a different path. I have hogs. So your path can change. And I like the fact that she said, I don't care. I just want to be a helicopter pilot. To me, that's— I think that's wonderful. And she does have some experience working around a helicopter for a company in Michigan that's doing tours, or was doing tours. She's worked there, so she's been around the environment of the helicopter industry and understands. And that's how she, I believe, kind of got excited, right, Brooke? She's standing back behind Heather right now as Heather is shooting the video. So anyway, I'll wrap it up with— again, there's a formal letter I'm sending with Brooke for recommendations on her scholarship. So if anybody knows of an opportunity for a young girl like Brooke where— I'm not sure. somehow to help her along in the industry, get a hold of us. Kenny@helicopterground.com or Heather@helicopterground.com, and we'll make sure that Brooke gets a message. So leave a comment below. Peace out. See you next video. Bye.
