In this short YouTube video, Kenny Keller addresses a viewer’s question about the Bouchard (also referred to as Vuichard) vortex‑ring‑state recovery technique versus the traditional standard recovery. He explains that a recent shift has occurred in flight schools, with many moving away from the Bouchard method back to the standard approach, citing no documented accidents or safety issues found in an AI‑driven search. Keller shares his own experience—having tried the Bouchard method years ago but preferring the standard recovery due to familiarity and perceived reliability—while acknowledging that Bouchard can be useful in low‑altitude or constrained environments. He references colleagues such as Chris Hauser, who still employs the Bouchard technique, and mentions hearing similar feedback from students across various flight schools nationwide. The video concludes with a call for viewers to comment on their own observations and experiences regarding the Bouchard method’s current usage in the industry.
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Hey, we're going to do a fairly short video here, and I want to ask you, the viewers, what you think and what you've heard. We had a question from a member today. He's working on his CFI, and he was saying that he learned the Bouchard method for recovery in vortex ring state, and that he changed schools— there's another school now— and he's working on CFI, and they stopped doing the Bouchard recovery and they're only doing the standard recovery. In his email to Heather, he mentions that due to some recent accidents or something, or a danger with it, that a lot of people are switching back to the standard. And I would like to know, because I did a quick search with AI and AI didn't come up with any kind of dangerous or accidents or anything. AI basically just said people seem to be kind of backing away from You know, 10 years ago it was the new latest greatest. And over time, people have just kind of shifted back to the standard recovery, which that's what I've been hearing for the past, seems like 3 or 4 or 5 years. I remember when it first came out, it was a big deal. Everybody was talking about it. Personally, I tried it, did it a little bit. But, you know, when you're old school and you've been doing something one way for many, many years, I'm just more comfortable doing the standard recovery, and I understand why Bouchard could be helpful in certain situations. You load to the ground, you don't have much altitude, certain environments. I get why it was designed, and I get that it can certainly work. But like with anything we do, there's certain limitations to it. What, what obstacles do you have around you? And other factors that come into it. So in a quick search of the AI, I didn't find any kind of anything about really being accidents or danger. Just according to AI, people just kind of have shifted back to the standard. I would like to know what you guys and girls are hearing and seeing out there in the world. Have you heard something about Bouchard that I haven't heard, or is it really kind of the consensus people just in general have kind of shifted back to the standard. I know that Chris Hauser, my right-hand man that helps me do a lot of training, Hauser's used it quite a bit in the past, you know, 8 or 10 years. He likes doing it, has no problem doing it, and I don't mind it. I just prefer the standard. I'd rather just do the standard recovery. That's just, that's just my choice. Again, I understand how the Richard can be helpful in certain situations. I I get it. But me personally, being old school, I just like the standard recovery. That's what I prefer to do. So let us know down in your comments, because I really want to hear what else people are saying out there in the industry. That's what I've been hearing. People have been coming here from around the country doing what we call our Final Approach Course. And I've heard it quite a bit where people just come in. I say, well, what are you doing at your flight school in California or Florida or Maryland or wherever these people are coming from? And people in general telling— in general are telling me, yeah, it doesn't seem to be that popular anymore. Yeah, some people do it, some don't, but in general people are just kind of sticking with the standard recovery. So let us know, give us a comment down below, and we'll see you next video. Peace out.
