They dream of slicing through the sky at triple-digit velocities, pausing to hover high over creation wherever they fancy. They aspire to become professional rotorheads, working prestigious jobs in exciting locales for high salaries. They are children, bespelled by colorful things with big spinning wings.
They all attended AV8 Flight School’s Fifth Annual Helicopter Expo at Flying Cloud Airport on September 6th.
This year’s expo welcomed 150 to 200 guests to get up close and personal with 13 different eggbeaters, including several privately owned helicopters, a Minnesota State Patrol chopper, an air ambulance, and even a Bell UH-1 Iroquois from the Vietnam War.
“And next year will be even bigger!” said George Lichty, general manager of AV8 Flight School – the Twin Cities’ only flight school training both airplane and helicopter pilots, private and commercial alike.
“Most people only see helicopters that are very far away, or in movies,” George continued. “We host our free Helicopter Expo so anyone can gain a better appreciation for these truly amazing machines.
“Guests come with all kinds of questions that our pilots are only too happy to answer, including how much it costs and how long it takes to learn how to fly (around $25,000 and 50 hours for a private license). If they’re apprehensive about training to fly a helicopter – or just riding in one – then they’re a lot more at ease with the idea after speaking with our experts.
“The Helicopter Expo is an especially big treat for kids, who can’t contain their excitement when they find out that Paw Patrol is real (to an extent, at least). One little girl spent an entire two hours just sitting and staring at helicopters in silent, grinning awe. Safe to say she’s caught the whirlybird bug!”
Visit AV8Flight.com to become a pilot. Follow AV8 Flight School on Facebook (flyav8flightschool) and Instagram (av8flight) for news of upcoming events!