Safety First, Always

Safety Every Time

HeliBacon’s Top Priority is Everyone’s Safety

Every event HeliBacon hosts starts with a safety discussion of some kind. These range from simple passenger briefs before tour flights about safe operations in and around a helicopter, all the way up to our mandatory safety course that precedes each Helicopter Hog Hunt. There is nothing more important to HeliBacon than the safety of everyone around, including passengers, flight crew, ground crew, and the good folks who work the active farms and ranches where HeliBacon operates. If you’re considering a Helicopter Hog Hunt but you’re concerned about safety, good! Because we are too! And it shows. Come and fly with us and see for yourself, firsthand, how the focus on safety gets the job done right, every time.

What is Required?

“Do I need years of firearms experience in order to be safe?” Actually no. Instead, these three things are required: humility, a willingness to listen and learn, and a positive attitude that focuses on safety. If you bring those things with you, we’ll provide the information, education, and oversight, to ensure a safe operation for all. We are passionate about flying and shooting machine guns from a helicopter, but safety always comes first. Always.

NRA Firearm Safety Rules

Since most of HeliBacon’s events involve firearms, we never let an opportunity pass to revisit the fundamental rules of firearm safety. There are several ways the firearms industry has enumerated the many possible considerations for safety, but HeliBacon prefers the simple 1,2,3 of the National Rifle Association’s Fundamental Gun Safety Rules:

1. ALWAYS keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction.
2. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
3. ALWAYS keep the firearm unloaded until ready to use.

Visit the NRA’s website to learn more about firearm safety. If you are as safety conscious as we are, then you are the perfect client for us. We look forward to flying with you soon!

How it’s Different …

HeliBacon does frequently fly and shoot with people who are current and former military and law enforcement, avid hunters and experienced firearms enthusiasts. While we certainly welcome previous firearms experience, the most dangerous person is the self-proclaimed ‘expert’ whose cup is already full and is unable to listen. Please check your ego at home, because everyone’s safety is more important. A Helicopter Hog Hunt features several key differences from a typical shooting or hunting experience, and we will cover them in detail during our mandatory safety course. Meanwhile, here is some food for thought:

The aircraft is a true 360 degree range – keep the target’s foreground and background in mind, your neighbor’s feet, helicopter skids and rotor blades, nearby cows, etc …

When loading and reloading, keep firearms pointed down towards the ground rather than up at the rotor blades – airborne helicopter reloading requires a slightly different loading technique than the speed reloads taught in tactical firearms courses. Our method is simple and safe, and although it takes a couple seconds longer, it also helps prevent dropping magazines out of the helicopter. You lose it, you buy it.

Always point firearms in a safe direction – in the helicopter, this almost always means outside the aircraft pointed straight down. HeliBacon’s talented ground crew team will appreciate your diligent focus on muzzle orientation.

Take your time – this is not a warzone or a tactical environment. The feral hogs don’t shoot back and they can’t outrun the helicopter. We have plenty of time and there is no need to hurry. If a question arises, take your finger off the trigger, put the firearm on safe, keep it pointed in a safe direction, and calmly ask your pilot, crew chief or a ground crew member for assistance. We’re here to help. Let’s take the time to be safe and everyone will be happy.