Dennis,

I'm just relieved to hear you're still doing the aerobatic displays!

Always in awe of your skills. I will never forget watching you pirouette for over 500m at Crinkly Bottom to a beautifully safe landing, having broken a tail rotor control cable on the enstrom. Simply fantastic. And having the crowds spellbound at Helitech with a stunning display when the Blue Eagles refused to go up.

With much love from all the family,

Paul.

Peasacake - Snarlie - :mad:

I've had the pleasure of mixing it with Dennis at 2 World Championships and several other helicopter championships.

Not only is he a legend, he's a damn fine bloke, who has an awesome track record of safe - and hugely entertaining flying.

I'm nearly half way to his record of "not crashing in 56 years of flying". When I achieve that, I'll feel qualified to comment on issues such as flight envelopes, upside down manoevres and the like.

Until then, I'll take every opportunity to learn first hand from people like Dennis who have dedicated their lives to helping people learn to fly better by passing their immeasurable skills on to others.

See you in Eisenach, Dennis!

Big Ls.

Ouch...

A few feet lower and it might have hurt the old coxix..

Good to hear Dennis is OK. Never see him in the flesh, only on video, but much respect and I watch enthralled.

Climb back on soon, please...

Max

All the best Dennis. When you've worked out what went wrong to your own satisfaction I'd love to see you back at it. :ok:

I'm honoured to have met you and Friday 13th June 2008 just wasn't to be your epitaph thank god.

Ian.

Dennis

Spectacular! When the day comes to bend one it's definitely worth doing it properly.

Great to know you're OK.

Ignore the naysayers, they know not of what they speak (and probably have warnings on their filing cabinets).

I shall raise a glass to you tonight.
JerryG

Be interesting to read what the last 45 posts would say if someone else had been driving

Oh, Oh, ...... sounds like theres a few envious Robinson drivers around :hmm:

Dennis you are the star!!! So glad you walked away from this one. hopefully one day I will get to see your display live.:ok:

Sl

If someone else had been driving they would have been roundly abused on this forum, if they had tried this without having the necessary experience. However, Dennis has done over 1100 displays, is certified by the CAA as a display pilot and if you had bothered to look at any of his displays he has incredible talent and had provided a spectacular and SAFE show for many years. Anyone who flies makes mistakes of various magnitudes and when you operate as close to the edge as he does, it is amazing that it has not happened before. It is just another testament to his skill and professionalism that it has not.

Dennis admits he made a mistake, we all make them. I am very relieved that he escaped harm so that I can, hopefully, one day see his show personally, I hope he carries on doing them.

Dennis has a great attitude and remarkable skill. As a role model, I could find worse.

DK
 

Just to let you all know I've had an e-mail from DK and he is OK.

JR

Thanks from Dennis K
 

Hallo guys & gals out there,

I've just tuned in to the posts this afternoon, and have to post in to say a big thanks for all those encouraging notes.

Knowing how badly I got that particular display wrong, and after so many years and over 1200 safe displays, I'm feeling more than a whisker subdued just now, and have spent the last two weeks, trying to decide whether it would be proper for me to display or even fly again.

Then I read a couple of dozen 'get back in the saddle' ...'we are still with you' words and I'm re-thinking hard.

I can't really run through the long sequence or errors that caused the flight to go so badly wrong, but rather than take up space on our pp site, I have set out the sad story for the aviation newspaper I write for. But it is 1500 words long!

Basically I'm all in one piece, with just a couple of loosened teeth, and my BUPA doctor tells me I have a bruised Coccyx, ditto a Sacrioliac Joint and an old injury to a vertibrae has re-surfaced. I am walking with a little difficulty, but apparently they heal themselves with time, so I can now catch up on my reading.

I have to accept the points made by Snarlie, but would like him/her to know that my display sequence has been specifically approved every year by the CAA display DAE's following a specific test flight and ditto the display manoeuvres by the engineering division of the Enstrom Helicopter Corporation. In 34 years display flying, I have not heard of a single adverse engineering report following any type I have earlier displayed.

As many of you know, I'm an avid safety supporter and would cease display flying instantly if I ever felt any machine I had flown had been compromised in that area.

Just to close, I'm sorry to dis-appoint so many out there for getting it all so wrong, but I am mighty thankful I was flying a type that proved so crashworthy and survivable.

Thanks again to all my well wishers. Your words couldn't have come at a better time for me.

Safe flying,

Dennis Kenyon.

Dennis,

Good to hear from you, and I'm sure that we all would all like to see you back in action as soon you are ready :ok:

If you have a link that you can post to your summary, please do so ;)

Well I don't know Dennis, although I've seen the DVD, but IMO he is probably a better pilot and a better commentator on safety as a result of this incident, than if it hadn't happened.

It's our experiences, good and bad, that hopefully improve our knowledge and judgement.

Dennis: Extreme Sportsman?
 

Hi Dennis,

Thank God your alive... People should note that your crunch threatened nobody else and as such is a testament to the validity of your CAA display authority and safety procedures. An acrobatic display is always a risk to the pilot, so the rest of the world's opinions on safety are mostly irrelevant.

External pressure should not affect your personal decision process here either way. I.e: Don't get back into the saddle to make a point.... equally, don't stop because of 'them'.
Judging by all the posts.... I am sure all would agree that we will respect you greatly if you get back in the saddle, knowing you are newly aware of the risks, (I'm sure you will analyse contributing human and environmental factors and allow new margins in future!). But also we will respect you equally for calling it a day. You could easily continue within safer margins with new knowledge. Let's face it you do it because it's fun right?
But the most important thing to remember is: We all want you to be around for the next pub gathering... with loose teeth or not...:}

Celebrate being here still!!!
Hope to catch your next display soon...;)

:ok:

I join many others on here in wishing you a speedy recovery Dennis and to hope we see you back in the saddle soon.

Having seen your post-accident interview, read your post today on PPRuNe and indeed listened to you speak at the recent Redhill safety evening, I think the most important thing I and many others can learn from you is to emulate your humility and honesty. It puts many to shame.

Good on you and best wishes :ok:

Keep at it Dennis
 

Dennis,

I would dare say that the biggest letdown 99.9% of us could experience, would be to see you stop displaying your amazing talent. You know, if you walk long enough, you are going to trip and fall, if you eat long enough, you are eventually going to bite your tongue or jaw. What you are able to do in these machines is nothing short of awesome! Keep being an inspiration to us.

RR

Dennis, so good to hear you are OK, and it would take a brave person to stand up and say what ever the errors made on the day result in disappointment. The very best of display pilots have paid the ultimate price, the famed Neville Duke related how he very nearly came to a sticky end when performing a loop when demonstrating the Hunter to the Swiss at a high altitude airport. Forgot all about density altitude. Us plebes cock it up just trying to fly straight and level. :p Whether you continue or not with display flying, we understand, but obviously you will be sorely missed. Given the threads on helo aerobatics and the Bolkow wingover accident it will be interesting to read your account of the accident. Hope your convalescence is a short one. :ok:

Just to add to the voices saying "get back in the saddle" and hope you feel better soon, Dennis!

Dennis
Very glad you walked away from this. I've always admired your displays. I would sometimes nod "Hello" at Shoreham. (Large police pilot going to/from ATC) but never wanted to disturb you as you were usually with a student or doing a walk-round. (Much as I would have liked to shake hands with the Great Man!)

All the Best http://i.1asphost.com/whoateallthepies/pie.jpg

Dennis,

I see you're in Hertfordshire. You're more than welcome to come flying with me anytime!

But if you don't mind, I'll leave the duals in:ouch:

B206 sortie
 

206 Jockey ... Now that's what I call real confidence in a mate! As long as the duals work!

Thanks all out there for the further words ... my bashed confidence is beginning to heal along with my sore bum.

Not sure how I can link to my accident report. Its on my PC as a file that was mailed to LOOP. Anyone tell me how I get it to Pprune please?

Best wishes,

Dennis K

Den

If you email it to me at the usual address I'll sort it for you.

Or if its the one you sent me the other day, just let me know and I'll post that one.

Gary

Be honest Dennis, in true instructor style you were just showing us how not to do it.

Very glad that you are on the mend!!:ok:
All I can add is listen to your gut instinct we will support you either way.:)

:D

Only jesting. You can borrow my JR anytime.

I am sorry for you, a most unfortunate incident.

could you clip the report back to thirty words or less.

The message behind it is maybe what aspirants will need.
cheers tet

DK's accident
 

Hallo again Gentlemen,

First for Gary ... yes, the report you have is the one I would have posted on our site, but no doubt it is far too long. It will appear in the July edition of BLADES anyway for those wanting to read the full details.

Meantime to summarise.

Invitation to Utah to display and promote my scholarship DVD. Once there I was immediately advised of the density problem by the local pilots. I've flown at high DAs before, but nothing as severe as 5,700 airfield elevation and temperatures almost in three figures.

Accordingly, I arranged a longish practice, (over an hour) on the Schweizer 300C model at a 5,500 ft airfield and 80 degrees. I was accompanied by the operator and take off weight was around 1,850 lbs. I practiced all the manoeuvres to be flown the following day, after which I decided to modify the various height & speed 'Gate' numbers by 10 knots and 50 feet minimum display height.

I should have insisted on a local practice at West Desert airfield (5,700 ft), but circumstances made it difficult. It was decided to make the display late morning before the temperatures hit maximum.

In the event the operator and I were late arriving, (fuel) and the display was now scheduled for 13.00 hrs. To additionally offset the local DA, I decided to offload fuel to 10 gallons for the display, and also remove all surplus equipment, fire extinguisher, controls, GPS and headsets. In the event the most fuel that could be offloaded still left me with 30 gallons.

Since I was something of the centre of attention having travelled 5000 miles to display, I was unable to have my preferred five minutes 'quiet time' prior to my flight.

The light breeze was 10-12 knots, mostly down the runway, right to left as I faced the crowd line.

I commenced the display some 300 lbs less than in practice with a display area inspection circuit at 50 feet. Satisfied, I settled on the tarmac runway to commence the standard opening 'pirouette' I was actually surprised at the performance available at the lighter weight and completed my usual five pedal rotations with the left skid tip in contact with the tarmac.

I pulled aft cyclic and collective to lift into the rearward climbing spiral and once again, I had sufficient power to perform the nil-translational lift, out of ground effect manoeuvre.

I continued the manoeuvre to 300 feet and pulled back away from the crowd to position for the fast run-in along the 'B' axis back toward the crowd.

I'd made quite a few small mistakes in my planning, the fuel, the practice venue, no thinking time and doing my practices with the operator on board, but as I commenced the run in I made the major mistake that was the cause of the accident. I had drifted some 100 yards downwind to the crowd's left which required a more acute angle 'run-in' and a greater turn in the 270 degree wing-over. The turn would now require perhaps 300 degrees.

For some reason, and I now think I was lulled by what I thought seemed a fairly normal performance, I launched myself straight into 'display mode' and failed to run in at the 50 feet I had decided and neither did I reach the higher 'gate' speed before commencing the cyclic 'pull-up' for the 270 degree wing-over. Looking at the video, I can see that I was losing height in the turn more rapidly than normal and in making the longer turn, I had lost even more height.

However, even in the steep descent, at no stage did I think the manoeuvre was going wrong, until the skids actually made contact. I didn't make any changes to either the collective or cyclic.

On impact the cabin filled with desert dust and for a moment I wasn't aware I was almost inverted. I spent quite a few seconds trying to locate the fuel boost pump switch, and having stopped it running, I looked for the master switch. I tried several before I found the right one, but thinking now, it would have helped if the switch was more prominent or coloured red, rather like the Enstrom. I never did locate the fuel cock and realising that all my limbs were mobile, I released the safety straps and scrambled clear of the wreck.

It says a great deal for the crashworthiness of the little Schweizer 300 that I wasn't badly injured or worse. And of course if I had been thinking properly, I'd have realised the master switch would have stopped the fuel pump anyway.

So the main reason for the accident was my failue to make sufficient allowance for the temperature and altitude conditions, and while I had been well aware of the density, I wasn't nearly aware enough and I didn't stick to the speed & height changes I'd decided on.

I believe now that had I stuck exactly to my changed height & speed display numbers, I would probably have completed the wing-over manoeuvre safely as I have at least a thousand times. (actually a lot more)

The other factor was having to make a longer turn at the top of the manoeuvre, which in normal density conditions would not have presented a problem.

Anyway, the above is the abridged accident report, and as is often the case, my accident was triggered by a series of poor decisions, but nevertheless it was the density altitude that actually nailed me.

I'm sure I'll meet many of you in the coming months, and will be able to amplify some of the above aspects in conversation.

Thanks again for the many kind and encouraging words posted here. They are more than appreciated.

Best wishes & safe flying to you all.

Dennis Kenyon.

Thank you Dennis
 

I was the pilot that took the video and put it on Youtube. I never got the chance to meet with Dennis but have been in conversation since via e-mail.

Dennis is a true gentleman to share this with us pilots so we can learn. We pilots owe so much to people like Dennis that take on that risk to show us maneuverer's we would not dare to do, to push that envelope.

We owe many thanks to those that can take it to that edge and come back to tell us their story when things go wrong.

I am just so glad that Dennis is here to tell us his story. When I witnessed his crash I though for sure he did not survive it.

I know he is not proud of what happened but we are ALL human and we can not get it 100% right all the time. We as pilots have to keep that in our minds all the time and learn from our mistakes we all made them, we all know it and we all have to learn from it and move on.

For those whose internet skills don't extend to searching for "Dennis Kenyon crash" on Youtube,

Video 1 - hand held camera.

Video 2 - from local news station.

Dennis, back in the saddle ASAP! I watched slack jawed at Barton a good few years back as you showed what an Enstrom can do in the hands of a master. I'm sure I speak for many when I say the standard of your airmanship is something the rest of us can only aspire to.:D

Just to clarify Dennis, you were down wind when the accident happened? Any estimate of airspeed and ROD? Asked realising you may have had your attention, shall we say, otherwise diverted or occupied.

Dennis:
Thanks for a full and complete report on what went wrong. My condolences, and I hope you're back in the saddle soon.

After 56 years of flying you still have the humbleness to admit a misstake and for me that's something to look up to. If anything we need more pilots like you. :) I hope that you get back in the cockpit again!

Dennis,

Glad to hear you are alright. Look forward to seeing you back at the controls.

BW

The Utah accident
 

Hallo again prune posters, and first just to say another 'thank you' for the overall pp pilot support ... I can only repeat, that your words are a considerable comfort for me at a pretty miserable time ... and apart from the sore bum and two lost teeth!

I've been telling myself, I will listen to my colleagues views before making a positive decision on whether it would be proper for me to resume display flying. I have a fullish show booking for the rest of 2008, and I don't want to let the display organisers down. It is therefore, so encouraging to hear most of you say, "Get back in the saddle."

I've talked though the accident sequence with many pilot colleagues, and I now know fairly accurately where the wing-over the sequence went so badly wrong, and the poorish decisions that led to that. I've been flying the 300C today and back in the UK, all is back to normal. (No deserts, no 5,700 feet airfields and definitely no three-figure temperatures!)

For Brian: The wind was 10 -12 knots left to right cross wind on the run-in for the 270 degree right wing over. Another display pilot suggested that the wind was changing during the first few minutes of the display routine and may have put me in a downwind situation at the apex of the wing-over manoeuvre.

I know that would aggravate the usual acquisition of translational lift in the descent, but display pilots certainly shouldn't use any sequence of speeds and height that can be unreasonably affected by a variation of wind speed and/or direction on display day.

I'm afraid the sad truth is that I didn't make enough changes to my normal display routine to allow for the extreme density altitude and then, being happy with the helicopter's performance in the opening two manoeuvres, I promptly reverted to 'normal display mode' so in that case my longish display experience was probably working against me.

That, plus the other smaller errors and my flying 'out of my comfort' box, was in my view, the primary cause of the accident.

Nevertheless, I bless the Culver City designers of that little Hughes 300 for producing a very crash worthy ship. (some 6 to 9 inches of shock absorber travel, 12 inches of crumple zone under the pilot's seat, plus the two feet or so additional clearance beneath the cabin floor.)

I've little doubt that those factors saved me from serious injury or worse.

Finally thanks again for all those guys & the odd gal who have been so kind to post, PM and E-mail. I'm so appreciative and it has helped me make a sensible decision on my future flying.

Very sincerely,

Dennis Kenyon.

Oi! Who are you calling odd!! :}

Dennis, I have been thrown off more more horses than you've had helicopter accidents, but I got in the saddle again.

I've had more motorbike accidents than you've had helicopter accidents, but I got on the saddle again.

I would love it if you got back in the saddle again! :ok:

Cheers

Whirls

I know the old adage;
"there ain't a horse can't be rode and a man that can't be throwed",
is very true.
But Whirls,
I must say that with your throwed record, you must be one hell of a wild rider?

ill just get me 'at.
see yer.

Looks like I mighta been a bit too cheecky that time, or else she's away.

I fully expected both barrells in the backside as I went out the back door.
sorry whirls

I would love it if you got back in the saddle again! :ok:
tet

I read it but have you heard the old adage, "Revenge is a dish best served cold"?

Cheers

Whirls

Always loved cold cuts and salads. ;) But you know you're in strife when told its in the oven.