Kenny Keller explains why experienced helicopter pilots cause most tail-strike accidents. Pilots with over 15,000 hours were disproportionately responsible in an EMS company study. The fix: always clear left and right before maneuvering, no matter how many years you've flown.
Questions this video answers
Long-tenured EMS pilots—those with more than 15 years of service and over 15,000 flight hours.
Perform a clearing turn and check the tail left and right (clear the tail) before turning.
Chapters
Going to pick up and go do our hovering square pattern. Always clearing tail left or right depending on which way you're turning. Some people think that's a little too redundant or a little overkill. But guess what? When we were, when I was flying ems, they did a study within the company. They'd been in business for like 50 years and they said guess who's wrecking the helicopters, guys? It's people that have been in EMS for more than 15 years have more than 15,000 hours and they're turning their tails into trees, vehicles, hangers, hangar doors. That was the biggest problem they were have they had with aircraft getting wrecked. Well, if you're doing a good clearing turn every single time tell clear left and you can help avoid ever turning your tail into objects that you shouldn't be.
Live to fly another day. HelicopterGround.com.
Dylan is copy with Kenny time get over here. And we just showed that clip. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. There are those of you out there they should. They say you never point the camera. I just did that.
Sorry, sorry.
I'm a rebel. Wtf. Those of you are out there, I know because I've heard you done got done training with Kenny. Oh, I ain't doing all that hover pre takeoff checks and those clearing turns, I'm not doing it. He's not around. He doesn't know. You know what's funny about that? One kid I trained that said that now he works for the faa. And another guy that I heard say that to somebody after the fact owns a whole bunch of helicopters. Two specific people I know of that I was told after the fact. Well, Kenny wouldn't like this but I got my private he ain't around no more. I'm not doing all that clearing the tell in that video we just gave you the stats from the company I worked for studying their own company on who was wrecking helicopters. So why, why would we not want you as a student or a private or commercial working on your next rating? The reason we want you to clear the tail every single time left and right is because people turn their tails into stuff. And you could a lot of you have seen the video tail rotor failure on the helicopter just spun on the ramp went round and round and round until it exploded and caught fire and the occupants died. And people stood around watching it spin for however long lived to fly another day. You need to check to tell left and right every single time you turn. I get it, it's redundant. But we train you that way from the beginning because we want you to maintain that throughout your career. So you see what we're saying, we're implementing it now because think about it. Here's these professional pilots, they're the ones guilty of wrecking the helicopters, not the new guys because they got complacent. They didn't clear a tell left and right. It's very simple. And you could be pic. Pic left or right, doesn't matter. You got people with you. If you're alone. If you're on the right side, clear your right tail and make left hand turns. Vice versa. If you're on the other side, if you have a passenger with you, hey, can you check the tail? Are we clear on the left? Good right pedal turn. You should get in that habit and stay in it throughout your career. I still do it 22 years into my career. The basics of being a good pilot and a competent pilot and a safe and prudent pilot is sticking with the basics of what we learned from day one. Clearing the tail. Can you imagine? Even if it's not a fatal accident, they're not going to hear that. Maybe not. Look at the embarrassment and the damage you're going to do when you stick that tail into a tree, a hangar door, the side of a building. It happens. Proof is in the pudding. So clear that tail left and right. Hey, down below. Oh, there goes the hot coffee over my arm. Maneuver Guide down below. Free PDF. You can print it off or look at it in electronic version if you want. And also because you're hungry, on this video, I'm throwing out a code for professional pilot. KK25 off for a professional pilot. You're watching. Maybe you're just going to be a private. Or maybe you're going the professional pilot route. You keep all of the courses private, commercial, cfi, Instrument Unlimited. They don't expire. However many years it takes you to. Oh, there's coffee in my pants now. However long it takes you to get through your ratings, the training is going to be there for you. That's over 650 videos that is written test for every single course. All those ratings. That's FA Wings credit for all those ratings. Free downloads, login from any device. Helicopter, land, ground school. So go down below for maneuver guide. And don't forget, 25% off Pro Pilot till the end of August. KK 25 off. KK 25 off. Put that in the coupon box at checkout before the end of August for 25% off professional pilot. All right. Rant done. Peace out. Yeah.
