Short YouTube training video by Kenny Keller advising that initial helicopter flight lessons should be limited to one hour to maximize learning. Keller explains cognitive limits (learning peak in first hour with decline afterward), gives an instructor/ firearms-instructor anecdote about breaks, and recommends refusing longer beginner lessons to avoid wasted time and money.
Hello, Kenny. With four wind helicopters, I want to talk about the one hour flight lesson. This is a huge training tip because the human brain can only handle about an hour of any new skill. And when you're learning a new complicated skill, like learning to fly helicopters or doing helicopter ground school, keep it at one hour. Take a break. Now, I'm not talking about if you're doing a long cross country or doing checkride preparation once you've got a little more time under your belt. But in the beginning, when you're training, your flights really ought to be at an hour. If it's any more than that, you're kind of wasting your time and money. Before I was a helicopter instructor, I was a police officer and a firearms instructor. And I went through an instructor development course was the first thing. And back then they said anytime you have somebody in a classroom or you have them out in the field after an hour, give that person a break. Five minutes, 10 minutes, get up, leave the classroom, go get something to drink, grab something to snack on. Same thing in the helicopter. In the beginning, you need a break after an hour. The first 20 minutes, you're kind of getting warmed up. The second 20 minutes, you're doing really good. And that third 20 minutes, that hour, you start to drop off a little bit on your learning. Your learning curve starts to drop off, and after an hour it just goes downhill. I've done this video before, but it's been a while and it's that important of a message that I wanted to put it out there again. Keep your flight training to one hour. If you're going to a flight school and a guy's flying you, 1.5, 1 point, 1.6, 1.7, and this is your third, fourth or fifth lesson, they're stealing your money in the beginning. Keep your flight training at an hour. If somebody's trying to fly you more than that, tell them you want to quit. Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you on the next one. It.
