A Special Message from the North Pole:

December 22, 2006
Aspen Helicopter: Santa to make Christmas Eve flight over SP Airport
Santa Paula News

Everyone knows that Santa Claus will be in Santa Paula come Monday, but it’s Sunday night that he’ll again make a helicopter fly-over checking out his gift-giving route.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesEveryone knows that Santa Claus will be in Santa Paula come Monday, but it’s Sunday night that he’ll again make a helicopter fly-over checking out his gift-giving route.Aspen Helicopter flying Santa Claus over various areas of Ventura County where kids of all ages will be able to wave and hopefully hear over the whirl of the helicopter blades Santa’s hearty “Ho-ho-ho!”According to Charlie McLaughlin of Aspen Helicopter, based at Oxnard Airport, Santa will swoop low over the Santa Clara River between 6:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. give or take 10 or 15 minutes.The Santa flights started in the early 1980s and although those on the ground get to enjoy the show McLaughlin said he’s never quite sure how many the flights draw.“Do we get big crowds? We never know, we’re in the air…rumor has it that a lot of neighborhoods do come out but it’s hard to tell from the air. There are a lot of flashbulbs going off,” at ground level although McLaughlin said he’s never seen an actual photo.The helicopter, decked out to resemble Santa’s sleigh, will be best viewed from the Santa Paula Airport.
The approximately 90-minute Christmas Eve route originates in Oxnard, heads toward the beach areas of Oxnard Shores and Port Hueneme, then loops through Camarillo and out to Saticoy.From there it’s a straight Santa shot down the river bottom to the east side of Santa Paula around the airport area before Santa heads back home west on Highway 126 over the Ventura foothills.“It’s about all we have fuel for,” noted McLaughlin.The open helicopter holds just Santa and the pilot, Christmas Eve duty traded off year-to-year between Rob Scherzinger, Rick Throckmorton, Kevin Miskel and McLaughlin.“We usually wait until the last day before we decide who’s going to do it,” said McLaughlin, who noted that his own Christmas stash falls below Santa’s usual generous standards.“What does Santa give me? Not much…but then again, I don’t ask for anything,” McLaughlin said with a chuckle.



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