Passing Helicopter Enthralls Montreal
Montreal, Canada. By John Straunheimer
Residents of Montreal stopped still in their tracks to enjoy a rarely
seen spectacle: The miracle of heavier than air flight. Sources say the
helicopter, which was described as black and surrounded by a semi-transparent circle, entered the city's
air space around 2:57 PM, passing directly overhead and leaving the
city at approximately 3:03 PM. It was unclear as to where it was coming
from and where it was going.
Traffic came to a halt as
Montrealians exited their homes and cars to gaze upward, and schools
emptied as teachers shepherded their children out to see the strange and
wonderful sight.
"It was so nice," said Monique Depieux, 5th
grade teacher, "We'd just begun our studies on flight and it was really
nice for the children to see it in real life. Now the children believe
it's possible."
But some were less enthused about the unexpected aerial event, such as Pierre LeBlanc, a 65 year old retired mime.
"It's just not polite. I bet a lot of people didn't get to see it. If
you're going to do something like that, you should tell people. If my
dogs hadn't been going crazy I would have missed it."
And
indeed, there has been a great deal of contention regarding the issue.
Some Montrealitans believe that a prior announcement would have made the
event less magical. Others argue that it's more important that everyone
should get a chance to share in such an event. Jane DePardieux,
councilwoman for South Montreal, sides with the latter group.
"Regardless of how people feel about it, this happened. It was a magical
day for everyone, one we'll tell our children about. But Canada can not
be stuck in the past. We must look toward the future."
And if
Councilwoman DePardieux's opinion is representative of the majority,
then all of Montreal is looking for that future over the horizon.
Ms. Depardieux continued, "It has to be going somewhere. And it has to
come back at some point. This isn't the last we'll see of the
helicopter."