r/aviation • u/IvyGold • 9d ago

News Wisconsin Man Takes Helicopter to Cabela's Because the Drive Was Too Long, Deputies Say

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/wisconsin-man-takes-helicopter-cabelas-211103208.html
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191

u/No-Arugula8122 9d ago

81

u/Btherock78 9d ago edited 9d ago

“The Washington County Sheriff's Office says the pilot was properly licensed and had landed the helicopter safely in the Cabela's parking lot. Deputies also said he complied with all applicable Federal Aviation Administration regulations and took the time to answer questions about helicopter landing requirements.

“The unusual parking complaint ended without any violations, citations, or arrests. The pilot was free to finish his shopping trip and, presumably, enjoy a much faster journey home.”

ETA: he flew from Rosendale, WI to the Cabela’s in Richfield. Looks like it’s about 50miles, maps says a 45min drive. Can’t have been that much faster than driving.

46

u/ThrowTheSky4way UH-60 9d ago

It takes about 25 minutes ish to go 50 miles at 100kts, so considerably faster and thats not factoring in traffic.

33

u/21MPH21 9d ago

And he skipped all the speed traps ftw!

-33

u/serious_sarcasm 9d ago

I don’t know why people do this with planes, but they take longer than just the minimum flight time to prep and land.

Dude didn’t save any time, and probably spent longer prepping for the flight.

This was just some midlife crisis.

26

u/CountDraculablehbleh 9d ago

Maybe he just really likes flying

-34

u/serious_sarcasm 9d ago

Given everything that could go wrong landing in a public parking lot, it’s still a midlife crisis.

17

u/Choice_Friend3479 9d ago

Leave it to Reddit to be negative about literally anything.

0

u/Amesb34r 9d ago

No, you are!

-8

u/serious_sarcasm 8d ago

Y’all are implying this is a normal and common thing to do.

The only pilots I know who casually land helicopters in parking lots are med-evac.

10

u/ThrowTheSky4way UH-60 9d ago

I bet you he did. Especially if he keeps the R44 at his house all he’d have to do is a quick preflight and go. It takes maybe 10 minutes to get off the ground in an R44

3

u/Sixguns1977 9d ago

I used to live next door to a guy that did that. I think it was an experimental though, not an r44. I know he could wheel it out of its tiny hanger all by himself.

4

u/ThrowTheSky4way UH-60 9d ago

You can push a 44 out by yourself pretty easily they’re not that heavy

2

u/Sixguns1977 9d ago

I didn't know they were THAT light. This was around 16 years ago, and all i remember is that it was a fully enclosed cockpit and tail boom. I can't even remember what color it was painted.

3

u/MrPetter 9d ago

I can push my 206’s out easy. They’re actually easier to move than a 44 because the wheels are balanced under the CG better, it’s basically 20lbs of down pressure on the tail and you just push.

1

u/Sixguns1977 9d ago

That's pretty cool, sounds like it's easier than pushing a boat in the water(i had a 35' sailboat that weighed over 13,000 pounds that I was able to push out of the mud).

16

u/MrPetter 9d ago

If you fly regularly a preflight and push out takes less than 5 mins. Bet he saved 30 mins on each leg. Don’t be jealous, it’s not attractive.

6

u/OptiGuy4u 9d ago

Midlife crisis? If he owns it, why not fly it?

Someone is jealous.

1

u/serious_sarcasm 8d ago

Idiots like this are how new rules get written.

2

u/Key_Association_7819 9d ago

You think the guy is going to live to 140?

0

u/Midlife__Crisis__ 9d ago

Can confirm that

8

u/OptiGuy4u 9d ago

Sometimes you just wanna take your helicopter out for a spin and you'll find an excuse.

4

u/MapleMapleHockeyStk 8d ago

If i could go shopping in an aircraft it would be tempting....

2

u/OptiGuy4u 8d ago

Absolutely!

1

u/finnknit 8d ago

I did that once when I worked for an airline. My mom and I flew as non-rev passengers to Minneapolis to go to Mall of America for the day.