Pilot Lands in Town Illegally, for a Dairy Queen Visit

Saskatchewan has experienced record-breaking heat this summer—but a desire for ice cream still isn't classed as an emergency, the Mounties say. A 34-year-old man has been charged with dangerous operation of an aircraft after landing his helicopter in a high school parking lot in the center of a small town so his passenger could go to the local Dairy Queen and buy an ice cream cake. The helicopter was bright red, the same color as the province's air ambulances, and Tisdale residents initially thought it was there for a medical emergency, the Guardian reports. "When it landed, the helicopter blew up dust and debris through the area, which includes schools, an aquatic center and more," the RCMP says

Al Jellicoe, mayor of the town of around 3,000 people, tells the CBC that he was driving through town at the time and saw a woman go from the helicopter to the Dairy Queen. "Well, I thought somebody must be hungry," the mayor says. "Initially, I thought that's probably not the right thing to do." He says the parking lot was empty at the time of the July 31 landing and nobody was hurt. "I suppose that doesn't make it right," the mayor says. The Mounties say the pilot was licensed to fly the helicopter but his parking spot was illegal. (More Canada stories.)