LAKEVILLE, Minn. — Two persons were aboard a light helicopter that crashed Saturday near the Airlake Airport, authorities confirmed. Both died. So far only the identity of the pilot has been determined — Dave Schmitz, age 82, a grocer from Spooner,Wisconsin, 100 miles away. Friends in Spooner said Schmitz was an aviation enthusiast who learned flying in the military in the Vietnam war. In Spooner he co-founded the T6 Thunder flight team. He enjoyed fly-overs at community events. It was believed he was on a T6 Thunder flight when he crashed. He was largely retired from Schmitz’s Economart, a family busines since 1937.
