Kenny KellerCreator Helicopter Online Ground School LLC

Before You Take Off: Checking Your Radio Frequency for Density Altitude

26 Jul 2025 · 0 min

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0:05

Kenny Keller explains why you need to check density altitude before flying a helicopter. On a warm day at Warsaw Municipal Airport, the field sits at 850 feet but performs like 1900 feet, meaning your aircraft will climb slower and need more runway to get airborne.

Questions this video answers

30.04 (quoted as 3004).

23 °C.

About 2000 ft and about 1900 ft (both mentioned in AWOS/readout).

Approximately 850 ft (speaker says 'we're at 850 at Warsaw').

Is it? 121 12, 121125 I think.
7 altimeter 3004 remarks Density altitude 2000. Warsaw Municipal airport automated weather observation 2117 Z wind 340-at8 visibility 102100 scattered temperature 23 Celsius dew.17 altimeter 3004 remarks density altitude 1900 See there's a good little tip.
In the wintertime it never tells you about density. Altitude doesn't matter because it's cold out in the temperature in the performance is good. So when the days heat up like now, it's summertime, it's warm, we're at 850 at Warsaw, but the helicopter is going to act like it's at 1900. And that's why you only hear that in the summer time in Indiana, because in the wintertime warm performance is cool.
When you feel the pressure to fly, but know the right decision is to stay on the ground, hit the hogs no go and live to fly another day. Helicopter ground.