How to Stay Safe Around Helicopter Rotarwash

Presented by Nick Kanakis, CFI

Often seen as an unfamiliar oddity at smaller general aviation airports, helicopter operations can put light aircraft in significant danger if not taken seriously. An unloaded Black Hawk Helicopter can weigh about 16,000lbs and fire fighting aircraft such as the FireHawk routinely weigh more than that.

With a marked increase in public service helicopter traffic, with Highway Patrol, Police Department, Fire Authority, and Medevac aircraft all flying more and larger equipment, in addition to the other commercial helo traffic here at Fullerton, it is incumbent upon pilots to understand rotorcraft aerodynamics, rotor wash, and helicopter wake turbulence considerations.

Nick Kanakis is a CFI based at Cable Airport, and a former Army Blackhawk pilot. His experience operating large rotorcraft in and around GA, as well as his recent GA experience provides a unique background to provide a baseline understanding of what we should know to stay safe around this deadly and invisible threat.