Every time a helicopter flew within earshot of Gary White’s childhood home, he ran outside to take a look.

At 51, the Skyway, Wash., native has spent his life in the aerospace business and built a side business, his hobby of assembling helicopters.

White, who has a tattoo of a helicopter on each arm, calls his creations Wondercopters, a name he credits to an admirer of one of his finished helicopters. The helicopter was placed on a lake after having an electric motor attached.

As the story goes, White completed a copter and upon seeing it, someone said, “I wonder if that thing’s gonna fly.”

For 10 years, White has constructed the small helicopters which include pieces of tubing as part of the structure. His creations are on display in flight museums and can be seen in the air being piloted by other helicopter fans.

His love of helicopters dates back to 1962, when a card arrived from his grandfather. Intended to cheer him up while recovering from a tonsillectomy, the card had a more profound and long-lasting effect: it had an image of Santa travelling by helicopter and it sparked his fascination.

The image of Santa whirring above rooftops in his sled alternative has stayed in his mind and today he and Santa are at the parking lot of the Chase bank in Bonney Lake in the afternoon hours through Dec. 22.

Santa is taking a break from Christmas preparations to help his friend White raise money for Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital.

Children and their families are invited to visit Santa and get a look at his helicopter for free, but donations to the children’s hospital are welcome. Visitors can purchase a photo with Santa and the proceeds benefit the hospital.

White credits Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital with saving his son’s life years ago and is returning the favor. This is not the first year he and Santa brought the Wondercopter out for this cause and there’s no sign of the copter being grounded in the future.

An account is set up at the Chase location for Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital.