Wickenburg residents come out of the woodwork to go for helicopter rides one Saturday.

The phone calls started on Tuesday, June 1. A woman had gotten a gift certificate for a helicopter ride from her husband. She wanted to take the ride and buy her husband the same ride. When could I do it?

I consulted my calendar and set her up for Saturday, June 5, at 10 AM.

Another call later in the day. This guy had a gift certificate for a Ghost Towns tour. He wanted to do it early in the morning. (So did I.) We set it up for Saturday at 7 AM.

The next day, another call. A woman with a gift certificate for a tour wanted to go this weekend. How about Saturday, I asked. I fit her in at 8:30 AM.

Thursday, Alta called. She’d wanted to send a co-worker on a brief ride so she could see her home from the air. When could I take her? I suggested Saturday at 9:30 AM.

In the span of three days, I’d booked five rides. In June!

Saturday rolled along with the usual beautiful weather. I pulled up to the airport at 6 AM and pulled Three-Niner-Lima out of the hangar. And for the next four hours, I flew. Not just the five rides I’d scheduled, but a friend of one of the passengers — I never did figure out which one — decided to take a ride, too.

One thing for sure: I’ll never set a gift certificate to expire on June 30 again!