It’s virtually unheard of for anyone to offer free helicopter rides to fellow citizens, but Gary Lecomte of Hedley has been doing it for several years. When I heard it would be happening again this past Saturday, I went to the ball park where the chopper would alight and take on passengers.

I found Gary, age 74, sitting on a concrete curb, seemingly not intending to go up himself. When I asked about this he said, “I’ve been doing this for years. I do it to make people happy. I won’t fly today.”

The chopper was provided by Eclipse Helicopters of Penticton and flown by veteran pilot Derek Robinson. Company engineer, Joshua Tomlin, was also present. In total there were four flights, each of about fifteen minutes duration. Passengers were given a quick tour up and down the Similkameen Valley, then were treated to a close-up view of the Mascot Mine and the open pit Nickel Plate mine. The cost to Gary is $21OO per hour. The entire event lasted about 2 hours, including flying to and from Hedley. “It’s just money,” Gary said. Once again he emphasized, “I just want people to be happy. The town has been good to me and I want to give something back.” He’s been battling a health challenge for several years and seems to have gained an understanding of what is genuinely important.

Talking with Josh while waiting for the first flight to return, I learned that helicopters are pretty pricey. “Our company has 4 choppers,” Josh said. “This one is about 2.5 million new. Replacing just the motor runs at approximately half a million. The three rotor blades are $90,000 per blade.” It makes a Lexus seem inexpensive.

A couple of children, about age 4, were on the first flight. When they disembarked I asked if they had enjoyed the ride. They seemed to have been quite overwhelmed by the experience. Neither answered my question. I’m not sure they even heard or saw me.

Nineteen individuals took advantage of the free ride offer, including one woman who said, “flying in a helicopter has been on my bucket list for years.”