Santa Fly-Over Is Much Needed Blast from Past

In a year where many families need Christmas cheer more than ever, one group is trying to revive a Missoula tradition from the past: the Santa Fly-over.

The Santa Fly-over was a Christmas staple in the 1990s and early 2000s. Children would press their faces to the window or bolt outside at the advertised time to see the sparkling lights of Santa’s sleigh being pulled by an invisible helicopter across the night sky from Darby to Frenchtown. 

It’s been 15 years since the last Santa Flyover, but Lynn Lease says it has not been forgotten. 

“I can remember the excitement of seeing Santa flying through the air and how magical it was when I was younger,” says Lease. “This year has been so tough on everyone, especially the children. Many kids have had to miss out on so much. And now most won't be able to see Santa in person. So getting Santa back in the sky would just be perfect for these kids to see Santa and not have to worry about Covid.”

Lease, who is a mother to a 3-year-old son and an almost 2-year-old daughter, decided to try and revive the event so her own kids could experience this bit of local Christmas magic. She quickly began asking around and assembling a team of experts: helicopter pilots, “elves” to help clean and prepare the feature, and some local bullhorns who could spread the word. Her efforts paid off in community support and financial donations. Lease’s Facebook group is only about a week old but already has 1,400 members. Now it’s just a matter of fundraising. It costs about $1,800 to fly Santa for one night. There will be other costs to restore the 1,000-light feature, which has been sitting in storage. 

To help get Santa in the air, Lynn encourages others to join the Bring Back Santa Fly-Over Facebook group.