I take the honorable Mr. Claus by helicopter to meet his adoring fans.
Yesterday, I had an unusual gig: I had to fly Santa Claus for an appearance at the Deer Valley Airport Restaurant in north Phoenix.
Santa asked me to take the door off. He has a thing about waving to his fans as the helicopter approaches. It also makes it easier for him to get out.
Let’s face it: Santa is a big guy. I bet he eats like it’s Christmas all year ’round at his place. But surprisingly, those inches didn’t translate to pounds. He weighed in at 180; it was almost as if that big belly of his was as light as a feather pillow.
Anyway, here are two shots from the flight. My husband was on the restaurant’s rooftop patio and recorded our approach and landing.
What I love is that your helicopter is red!
Thanks! I think it makes a perfect match for the rest of Santa’s fleet.
What fun! Do you know about another aviation holiday tradition, the NORAD Santa tracker? It had its origins in a misprinted phone number in a holiday ad. I remember listening to the news “bulletins” on the radio in the 60s; it’s been online for a few years now.
http://www.noradsanta.org/en/
I do know about NORAD’s Santa Tracker, but never seem to remember to look at it. Thanks for sharing the link. I’m sure others would be interested in checking it out, too.