Unfortunately, He Forgot To Tell The School

School officials at East Ridge High in Clermont, Florida, were less than thrilled that Bart Sutherin rented a helicopter to take his son to his first day of classes Monday.

File Photo

Southerin landed the blue-and-white Schweizer/Hughes 300 helicopter behind some portable classrooms at 0700 Monday morning. He said he wanted to make his son's first day at high school memorable. He told officials he had simply wanted to "make a positive impression on the other students."

That he may have, but Principal David E. Cunningham was less enthusiastic. "It's not something that needs to happen every day -- or ever," he said.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Southerin's son Joseph, an honor student, said he thought it would be cool to be flown to school on the first day. "It wasn't something everyone did every day," the 14-year-old said later. "It would be extraordinary, and I could say, 'Yeah, I flew into the school in a helicopter.'"

But given the hour, and the fact that his dad had to land in an area that was clear of students, it's unlikely that many people saw his grand entrance. A deputy assigned to the school called the FAA, and they have opened an investigation. But it's unlikely that Southrin, a licensed pilot, will suffer any consequences from the flight. FAA officials said he landed the aircraft in accordance with regulations.

FMI: www.faa.gov