Brain freeze! Pilot lands his helicopter in a school parking lot so he could run into Dairy Queen for ice cream cake
It may have sounded like a cool idea but police in Canada were not smiling when a man decided to land his helicopter in a school parking lot in order to pick up some Dairy Queen.
The 34-year-old pilot, as yet unnamed by authorities, from Leroy, Saskatchewan, apparently needed to satisfy his sugar cravings as he landed his bright red aircraft across the street from the fast-food joint known for its frozen treats.
Onlookers were astonished as the helicopter came down, churning up a load of dust and other debris and blowing it into an area that borders a school and an aquatic center.
A helicopter pilot landed in a school parking lot in order to run to a Dairy Queen
The 34-year-old Canadian man ran in to pick up an ice cream cake before flying off
The copter landed in a parking lot which belonged to the town's middle and high schools. Both were empty with it being a summer Saturday.
Officials say that although the man did have a pilots license to fly the chopper, he did not land in a recognized helipad and was charged with dangerous operation of an aircraft.
Initially, some thought the helicopter was an air ambulance because of its bright red color, and believed it had landed to assist with a medical emergency, but the town's mayor saw the pilot leave with an ice cream cake.
'Well, I thought somebody must be hungry,' Mayor Al Jellicoe told CBC News. 'Initially, I thought that's probably not the right thing to do.'
Investigators have determined the trip pick up the delicious Dairy Queen ice cream cake was 'not an emergency'
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police launched an investigation and quickly determined the unscheduled landing was not an emergency.
'The parking lot was empty when they landed,' Jellicoe added. 'I suppose that doesn't make it right.'
The man went into the Dairy Queen to pick up one of its famous ice cream cakes, but staff did not know the customer had arrived by copter until police broke the news to them.
Residents in the providence's town of Tisdale, with a population of 3,000, are now questioning whether it is worth taking to the skies for a lick of the tasty cake.
'Apparently they are,' said Kiara Broeckel, who works at the local Dairy Queen. 'I wouldn't think you would take a helicopter to go get ice cream, but I guess some people do.'
The pilot will appear in court next month.