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Following a rowdy, late “ladies night” in which the wine flowed a little too freely, Amber Gabriel, a Ketchum mother of a fourth-grade Community School student, flew her son to school on a drone Monday morning.
Gabriel, who lives north of Ketchum with her husband and son, said she was so exhausted after the previous night’s festivities that she believed the drone was a safer option.
“Honestly, I was so tired it wouldn’t have been safe for me to be on the road,” she said. “And my husband’s an arms dealer, so we have more than a few Hexa drones lying around in the garage. I figured that was a safer option than me driving.”
Hexa drones are capable of carrying a full-grown adult.
Using a combination of bungee cords and duct tape, Gabriel secured her 9-year-old son to the drone, programmed the destination as the Community School and sent him off, using the driveway as a runway.
“It was so magical to watch him sail off above the trees into the morning light,” Gabriel said. “When I got a text from him that he’d actually made it to school safely, I contacted my husband in Kuwait and told him the test flight was a success.”
Concerned about a smooth touch-down at the Community School, Trent deployed a small parachute about 100 feet above the ground and floated safely into the courtyard to a standing ovation from students and teachers.
“That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” said Kyle Hartman, Trent’s classmate, who said he hopes to become his new best friend. “His dad has jet packs and even F-16s, and he said we could use them anytime.
“Plus all the ladies think he’s a stud now.”
