Pilot, 69, lands helicopter at Cabela’s for shopping; no citation issued

Photo credit: Washington County Sheriff's OfficeThe picture is enhanced by AI A 69-year-old Wisconsin man turned a simple shopping trip into an unexpected aviation story when he flew a helicopter straight to a Cabela’s parking lot in Richfield. Deputies responded to the scene, checked the landing, and found that the pilot had done nothing wrong.The explanation was as brief as it was memorable: the man said he flew instead of drove because “the drive was too long.” What might sound like a joke ended up being treated as a legitimate, safe landing by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.How the unusual landing unfoldedAccording to the sheriff’s office, deputies were called around 6 p.m. on Saturday after reports that a helicopter had landed in the Cabela’s parking lot in the Village of Richfield. When a deputy reached the scene, they spoke with the pilot, a 69-year-old man from Rosendale, roughly 50 miles away.The pilot told the deputy he had chosen the helicopter because the drive felt too long. Officials later confirmed that he was properly licensed, landed safely, followed the applicable Federal Aviation Administration rules, and answered questions about helicopter landing requir...