Risk and fear is very close to my heart, so much so that I offered to put it into words as best as I could and it appears as a one off in Helicopter Life this month.
I used to race bikes pretty seriously and I have trained as an FI in the last couple of years both have had their moments but I have had a bigger scare in a heli than I ever did in nine years of racing bikes. When it goes wrong, the height gives you way too much time to think of the consequenses.
Basically train, prepare, be fit for purpose and learn from experience and it lengthens the odds, when your times up it's up. Racing has tought me that a number of times, fortunately helicopters have not so far.
As long as you do everything you can to be in the best possible shape for lift then the rest is in the lap of the gods