Posted on 08/04/2026 6:32:00 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
RICHFIELD, Wis. — A 69-year-old man flew a helicopter from the Rosendale area to a Cabela’s store in Richfield on Saturday evening because “the drive was too long,” the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.
A sheriff’s deputy responded about 6 p.m. to a report that a helicopter had landed in the Cabela’s parking lot in the Village of Richfield.
The deputy contacted the pilot, a 69-year-old Rosendale man, who said he had flown to the sporting goods store. The drive from Rosendale to Richfield takes about 50 minutes.
The sheriff’s office said the pilot was properly licensed, landed safely and complied with all applicable Federal Aviation Administration regulations. He also answered the deputy’s questions about helicopter-landing requirements.
“We can honestly say this isn’t your everyday parking complaint,” the sheriff’s office said.
No arrests were made, and no violations were issued.
Oops..
Both planes had hangar space at airports, but were NOT, I repeat NOT, parked at the farm when rough weather was in the forcast.
Five stars mine too but i draw the line at below the waist stuff
It’s 1000/2000 now vert/radius. Unless directly landing or takeoff for fixed wing.
Helos get special treatment you can fly under 1000/2000 with specific reasons and the PIC must justify them if they challenge them.
No one in their right mind would fly to a 1000ft vertical hover over a LZ and then descend vertical to a landing that’s all in coffins corner with zero airspeed to auto rotate with. Not just no but hell no.
Every pilot that wants to live will fly a forwards powered decent to as low and slow still moving forward at 30kn before a short flair to a halt 20-30 feet above the LZ then settle in for the landing if you lost power at 30ft your rotors have enough inertia to get you down and a walk away crash.
The FAA expects people to fly their helo inside 1000/2000 for a number of reasons takeoff and landing is the most easily justified is all.
How would a deputy check the license of the pilot and registration of the helicopter?
An airman certificate is a life-time issuance and there is no paper registration for the aircraft as there is no yearly renewal requirements.
Thanks
Plenty of room to safely land a copter
OK, thanks, I didn’t know.
If you wanna find all the cops
They’re hanging out in the donut shop
They sing and dance (oh whey oh)
They spin the clubs, cruise down the block
I probably would call the tower to not be rude, but unless there is a restricted area a VFR flight is perfectly legal with no plan.
Under 14 CFR § 91.119 (?) a helicopter may operate below standard minimum altitudes for takeoff and landing.
Great idea! I’d prefer an Apache.
Somewhere around 1966 I saw six Hueys carrying a full platoon of 101st Airmobile troops land at a restaurant at the edge of Kentucky Lake. They went inside to eat, leaving one man with each bird.
The ones you pay for do not feature people shooting at you.
He sounds like most pilots, who would rather fly across the street, instead of, walking across the street.
That is your rant. You were not there.
Love it. 😄
So in your opinion, if someone is doing something odd... but not illegal... it’s ok for law enforcement to f*ck with him because... reasons...
Got it.
Gluttony and greed are why I go. Wrath is what I feel after I get there.
Since you appear to be an expert on that, what are your thoughts?
All the information I needed was found in the article.
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