Helicopter

OGDEN — The Weber County Commission approved the first heliport in the Ogden Valley during its weekly Tuesday morning meeting.

RENO, Nev. -- The same day a judge scolded the Bureau of Land Management for a helicopter pilot's misconduct rounding up wild horses in Nevada, the agency's own task force quietly issued a report emphasizing the importance of keeping safe buffer zones between the mustangs and the airborne cowboys.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners BLM Task Force concluded in the 35-page report presented to BLM on Tuesday that the agency's care, handling and management practices "generally support the safety, health status and welfare of the animals" but did find several areas in need of improvement.

SENECA, N.C. -- Dexter is a dog, but he knows when it's time to fly.

He's always waiting under the 1964 Bentley helicopter when Randy Van Surdam comes out of the second-story loft apartment built inside this private airplane hangar in Seneca. Dexter's tail wags as Van Surdam scoops him up.

"When I come out in the morning, he'll be sitting under" the chopper, Van Surdam said.

Van Surdam, who owns a vintage aircraft business, is an airplane mechanic at the Oconee County Regional Airport. He inspects airplanes and helicopters. Every day, he starts up the engine of his two-seater Bentley helicopter, places Dexter in the doggie bed on the passenger seat and flies the two miles to work.

OGDEN -- The helicopters flying over the east side of Ogden on Wednesday afternoon were searching for a wounded man.

A 38-year-old man hiked up the trails at Ogden Canyon and hurt himself in a suicide attempt, said Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Mark Lowther. But shortly after 3 p.m., he had second thoughts and called 911, Lowther said.

SEATTLE -- Of all the things Erik Lindbergh remembers about his famous grandfather, one that sticks with him best is their debate over how to pronounce the word "helicopter."

Charles Lindbergh, who had made the first solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927, brought a toy helicopter to his grandson on Bainbridge Island in the early 1970s, and Erik thanked him for the "HELL-i-cop-ter," the pronunciation used today.

SALT LAKE CITY --The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing a $330,000 fine against Salt Lake City-based Heli-Dudes LLC.

The FAA said Thursday the company operated sightseeing helicopter rides for hire when it was not authorized to do so.