A 34-year-old Leroy, Sask. pilot is facing a charge of dangerous operation of an aircraft after he landed his Robinson R-44 in the business district of Tisdale, Sask. at the end of July. The aircraft set down near the local Dairy Queen and a passenger went inside to buy an ice cream cake. Tisdale Mayor Al Jellicoe witnessed the incident and told the CBC he didn’t think the means justified the end. “Well, I thought somebody must be hungry,” Jellicoe said. “Initially, I thought that’s probably not the right thing to do.”
The RCMP and local Crown Prosecutor office agreed and the decision to proceed with the charge was announced earlier this week. In a statement, the RCMP said the landing wasn’t an emergency and it created some mayhem. “When it landed, the helicopter blew up dust and debris through the area, which includes schools, an aquatic centre and more,” the police statement said. The pilot was properly licenced but the incident has undoubtedly been brought to the attention of Transport Canada.