Everyone has their own way of dealing with traffic. Some people grit their teeth and sit through it. Others spend extra time hunting for back roads and shortcuts. And if you’re fortunate enough to own a helicopter, apparently you can just skip the roads altogether.
That’s exactly what one Wisconsin man did when he decided the drive to Cabela’s was simply too long. According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to the Cabela’s store in Richfield, Wisconsin, on Saturday evening after receiving a report that a helicopter had landed in the parking lot.
When deputies spoke with the pilot, a 69-year-old man from Rosendale, he offered a refreshingly straightforward explanation. He had flown to Cabela’s because, in his words, “the drive was too long.”
It may not be the most affordable way to avoid traffic, but it is certainly effective. Instead of dealing with stoplights, slow drivers, and the collection of roundabouts near the store, the man simply went over all of it.
Deputies Find Nothing Illegal About the Unusual Shopping Trip
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. The sheriff’s office also had some fun with the incident, joking that he had found a unique way to avoid the roundabouts outside Cabela’s.
“We can honestly say this isn’t your everyday parking complaint,” the agency wrote.
People Have One Important Question
Once it became clear the pilot had not broken any rules, the conversation online quickly shifted to a more pressing mystery: What did someone need from Cabela’s badly enough to take a helicopter?
Commenters offered guesses ranging from ammunition and beef jerky to a gun safe and several kayaks. One person simply wanted to know what kind of sale could make someone decide flying was easier than driving. Others focused on the parking job itself, with one commenter joking that the pilot had chosen the correct section because he landed in Lot C, which obviously stands for “copter.” Another suggested Cabela’s may need to install a helipad.
Plenty of people admitted they would do the same thing if they had access to a helicopter. One commenter described the pilot’s decision as the “ultimate flex,” while another said they aspired to become the type of person who could decide a drive was too long and casually take a helicopter instead.
There was also some debate over why anyone reported the landing. Some people felt the caller should have minded their own business, while others pointed out that seeing a helicopter land in a retail parking lot could reasonably make someone wonder whether the pilot was experiencing an emergency.
Fortunately, there was no emergency and no violation. It was simply one Wisconsin man finding an unusually efficient way to make a Cabela’s run while the rest of us remain stuck searching for a faster route on Google Maps.