And then he had called me that night and asked if I wanted to
go on a date, all of a sudden, gyrocopter just dropped.
What am I going to do? I mean, where thousands of feet
in the air and death is imminent?
What have I gotten myself into HD Studio?
This is honored. Welcome back to the unnerved
podcast, it's where normal people share their abnormal
stories and if you enjoy true, stories of the strange and
terrifying, then you're in the right place.
I'm your host risk for key and if you can already tell, I have
a cold so bear with me on this one.
Typically the one who initiates a date is also the one that
plans the date leaving the other person, unaware of what the
activities might entail. As you can imagine, this could
be anything from the most romantic scenario to an absolute
nightmare. Crystal has been a family friend
for years. I would describe her as positive
and humorous and she's the kind of person that anyone would feel
comfortable around. I've heard her tell many
entertaining stories of dates. Gone wrong.
And in today's story, she will share about a date that went
from bad to worse. This is her story.
I was in a season of life where I was going on a lot of dates
and collected a lot of stories. But this was the most truly
unnerving of all of the dates that I went on.
I had a friend who said, hey, there's this guy.
He's, he seems like a really good guy.
I know him a little bit, he's helped me fix my garage and I
think you guys might be good when I met him, it was kind of
at night and he definitely looked older, but I was like,
maybe he's just young. Your butt looks older.
I couldn't really tell and I had met him and and then he had
called me that night and asked if I wanted to go on a date.
And so he had seen me drive away from wherever I had met him that
night and noticed that my tail light was out of my car.
And so that was one of the first things, he was like, hey I'd
love to take you out on a date. Take you for, you know, a flight
of my gyrocopter and out to lunch and I also noticed the
tail light was out on your car. So I was wondering if I could
fix it which is kind of, I mean like very nice but also kind of
weird to have some I'm gonna go. I'm gonna fix the toilet and car
and or maybe it was my actions. My headlight, sorry.
And I was like, sure. Yeah.
I think it's actually a short in the wiring so I don't know that
you can fix it. But yeah, you can try if you
want and he was like yeah I can do it so my roommates.
And I ended up nicknaming this guy, mr.
Well, seasoned, because he was definitely older and I was not,
I was in my early 30s at the time and I think he must have
been Was in his 50s or he's in his 50s.
And so he planned this really elaborate day in his gyrocopter
down in Hot Springs, South Dakota.
So I was living in Rapid City at the time, had three roommates.
All of us. Girls are just living the single
dream and he comes to my house. You fix me up the next day and
he's like, I'll be there. We'll leave it. 8:39 is like
really early in the morning because we'll have to drive
before Collins and I'll take a while, so I was like, okay,
that's fine. So he shows up kind of one of
those guys. You know, who wears leather
vests, and they walk with their chest out.
And he also had a gun like a handgun in that he kept in his
the back of his pants and then a huge knife just like in the
front. So he's like walking with his
Swagger in his gun in his knife which like didn't totally
Disturbed me because I'm used to those things.
But also I've never been on a date with a guy who's like
Becky, you know, separate cop maybe one time so it was a
little weird so he's like, yeah, I'm gonna go over and check your
light on your car and I'm like, okay, so he goes Verde lift up
the hood. Looks at the light and he's
like, yeah, yeah, I definitely cannot fix that.
I was like, okay, let's go and I was like, so we get in the car
and he had to Subway sandwiches on his console in his car and
did not offer me. One did not offer to take any
place was like I got the sandwiches for myself and I was
like, oh okay, so I hadn't packed anything because usually
like important date, you get breakfast together that did not
happen. So, We start driving and
immediately starts grilling me on my knowledge of different
things, like trying to decide how smart or not smart.
I am. And he also brought me.
I believe four of the book that he had written.
They were all in like how to be a man?
And he was big into politics and all these other things but it
was just interesting to be grilled on like what is your
intellectual level? And I was like, oh my gosh
serious. So and then we have a 45-minute
drive before us. And on this drive, I start to be
like what have I gotten myself into We get to the airport where
his gyro copter is and a gyrocopter, if you've never seen
them, I would call them the four wheeler of aircraft and that
they're like a helicopter makes an airplane but they're really
small and when you're sitting in it, like sitting next to someone
you are shoulder-to-shoulder next to them.
So I found out later that they are considered the most
dangerous aircraft that you can fly because you don't see power
lines and they tend to fly low and so people die in them all
the time. But I didn't know that at the
time. And we open up the hangar and
immediately someone had parked their airplane in front of his
gyrocopter. You just got so angry that this
airplane was in front of his Jared problem.
He's like and so I was I was trying to help him like, well do
you want me to? I can help and he's like, I'm
moving this place. We just like, pushes the plane
which moves surprisingly easily and then he's like why don't you
just go over like go hang out with those people over there and
so he like Point since random group of people just on the
other side of the airport and they they were jumping out of
airplanes and I was like, mice. Stomach, just dropped because
I'm like, I'm so far from home, there is not ruber, there's no
way for anyone to pick me up and I have to go over to this group
of strangers and I guess hang out with them.
So at any point in time in retrospect, I'm like why didn't
I call a friend? Why don't I just leave?
Like there's so much. I could have done but I just I
felt I couldn't and so I walk over this group and immediately
meet this mom with a little boy and I might can hang out with
you because I'm on this really weird day in this guy just like
kicked me out until he's ready to go.
I don't know what's happening and she's like yeah, so we hung
out That was the best part of the day, hanging out with this,
random woman and her son watching waiting for her husband
because they were jumping out of airplanes.
We hung out and the person who comes over, he's like, all
right, I'm ready to go. So, we get into the gyrocopter,
and I, immediately start like, Buckley myself anymore because
they're strapped, he's like, oh yeah, let me do that for you
because I want to make sure it's done, right, which was so
awkward. And I was like, oh my gosh, you
know, I felt like a little kid. You put the headphones on us and
we start taking off, and I was kind of nervous.
So I wasn't speaking very loud. Lee, and he's like, what?
And I'd say something, he's like I can't hear you, I can't hear
you at. And I was like, I think he's
like, I need to just be quiet for a time.
Trying to figure what's wrong with your headset.
And I was like, oh okay, sorry we turn around, we go back and
he gets out, takes off my headset, check the batteries
checks, everything psycho at all, it all works your voice.
Just must be to like something is just wrong with your voice.
And I was like right. Yeah.
Okay. Obviously we get up in the air
and he's like and he finally kind of relax a little bit and
he's like, hey so why don't you tell me if you can see me
animals and I was so irritated at this point.
I'm like, yeah, in my mind I'm like you just buckled me and you
just me. Like, and now you want me to
look for animals? Like I'm a two-year-old and I'm
like oh my gosh. Okay well hey there are some
cows down there and he's like cows stupid and I was like oh
really and we're flying over the black Kills heading towards
Custer State Park. So if you've never been to
Custer State Park, like there's Buffalo and different things
like that. So I was like, maybe he wants me
to look for Buffalo's there. About them.
Like, oh, look, there's Buffalo. He's like, yeah, it's Custer's
Buffalo everywhere. And I'm like, okay, for me to be
like there's a ground squirrel, I don't know.
So we're flying along and things are kind of common down a little
bit and I'm in. He hasn't shushed me recently
you so, you know, things are better and all of a sudden
Gyrocopters drops like 20 30 feet and I'd like, you know,
your stomach follows and you're like, I don't know that that was
normal but I don't see anything. Because what am I going to do?
I mean, where thousands of feet in the air and death is
imminent? And he's just like doesn't say
anything. Don't say anything.
He's like, so did you feel that? And I was like, yeah, definitely
felt that. He's like, hmm.
And you're not terrified and I was like, um, I didn't know I
should be so, so, so we just got in or just quiet for a little
bit and then he starts grilling me.
On aeronautic things and do you know why air speed is faster
than Lansky. There's all these different
things and I was like, oh my gosh, it's so, you know,
continue on that vein and then I see an antelope.
And so all of a sudden like, oh hey look, there's no.
He's like, I'm going to be quiet for a minute because I'm trying
to land this Jericho after it. I was like okay you told me to
look for animals and now you're shitting me again so we get
there. Like we get to the airports in
the middle of Custer State Park and apparently very wealthy.
People fly into this Airport. Custer State Park and they land
and someone comes out in Safari Chief.
And they pick you up and it's quite the thing when you have a
normal working aircraft and so we go and we look at the
gyrocopter engine and so it runs on a belt sort of.
Apparently it's like a NASCAR belt like similar to what their
engines run on and it's really wide is probably six to 12
inches. Wide for a, an engine belt and
it sheared off. There were two inches left of
the middle of whatever happened. We were Lucky that we landed and
that we didn't crash and die. And he was just like, freaking
out because apparently, he had wanted to take me to the Wild
Horse sanctuary and fly me to see all the horses and his
driver copter and like, go through the Canyons back there
or something, which would have been quite lovely.
I'm sure, but with a different person and anyway, he's like not
talking to me. She's super stressed about the
dark after, and the Jeep. Finally, pulls up and takes us
to the restaurant, and he's like on its own, which was actually a
ginormous type. Bad surgeon things on this iPad.
Like I gotta find a new engine Burton and then we get to the
restaurant and we didn't go in the front door.
We went in the back door which neither of us knew because I had
never eaten there before. It's I mean it's beautiful.
This restaurant Custer State Park it.
So we walk in the back door and we sit down and I'm just like
sitting there's like to do and he's just like, you know,
finally the waitress comes up and she's like, oh hey we didn't
see you guys. You didn't come in the part that
you're supposed to come in and wait to be seated, just walked
in. He just looks up at her and it's
like, yeah. And I'm gonna need you to turn
this music down or off and we're gonna need menus.
Thank you. And I was like, oh, he's like,
hey, these different parts stores and see if they have like
all these other parts stores and I was like, what am I like, your
secretary know? I don't know.
So I start calling, and he just listening to me on the phone
like, oh, did you and Mike Grill?
Me and then telling me what I did right and wrong afterwards.
And I was like this reminds me I was having flashbacks with being
a kid and like doing everything wrong when it came to my dad to
find parts. And I'm like this is why I
didn't get my dad parked, it's always wrong.
So then our food comes and it was not, it was not very good
and so he's like, how's your food?
And I was like, yeah, it's not really good.
It's kind of dry ensembles grape-flavored, he's like, oh
yeah, okay that's nice. And I was like, oh my gosh
you're seriously, you're not paid any attention to me and
being that we get done eating and he was like oh yeah.
So how was your food? Food.
And I was like, I'm just going to test and see if he remembers
anything and I was like oh it was awesome.
That's no I ever had. He's like, okay yeah, that's
nice. But I was like seriously.
So I just said I am going to go for a walk so I just get up and
I leave. There was like a little hiking
path over by the restaurant. So I go on a little hike and I
called my roommate and I was like, this is horrible.
I know it's a long drive, but can you please come pick me up.
I cannot endure this any longer, so my room.
It's like, okay, yeah, I'll get you.
I'll get you in. I walked back to the restaurant
and like totally relieved. Everything's good.
Out of this longest day ever. And he he walks down and I was
like oh hey great news I found a ride so I'm just going to get a
ride home and everything would be ok.
He's like oh no that's not going to work.
I actually need you so this is gonna be good.
I got Custer State Park to let me use their one of their
Suburbans and so we're going to drive to the airport and then
you're going to pick up my car and then we'll both drive my car
back here and we'll leave them there.
So I know you have to come with me.
I need you to help me and it was like again at that point I could
have been like yeah no that's a good word for me but no I'm like
I don't know what was wrong with me this season of my life but I
felt like I was like you know maybe it'll get better you know
baby now that we leave here and he'll stop treating me like a
child and it'll be okay. We get in the car and we start
driving and he's quiet and then all of a sudden he just reaches
over and put his hand on my leg. And I'm like instantly like I'm
alone in a car in the middle of the Black Hills and on a dirt
road, I don't actually know where I am and you just put it
on my leg he's like, wow, you did really good today and I was
like, can you maybe take your hand?
Oh yeah. Yeah, down a little bit because
it was another like 45-minute drive and we get back to the
airport and we get out and he's like, hey, give me a hug.
We've really went through a lot today and I'm like, Again, I
should have said, no, but I did it.
And he so he like brings me in for this fog and I'm like, okay
I'll just give him like a quick one and you know how you do the
tap out your like tapping on their back shoulder.
Like I'm not and he's like is not reading to tap out he's just
holding onto me. And I'm like, what?
I'm tapping out, he's just like keep it on there and I'm like,
oh my gosh, Lord save me from this date so he finally stops
and we are heading back to Suburbans and I'm like sweet.
We're gonna head back to custard.
He's like oh yeah, so I was thinking I need actually A drop
some stuff off, I'm kind of moving and I have a cabin over
here by angostura and so I thought I'd have you like, help
me unload some stuff and I was like, yeah I guess I mean, at
this point it's like, 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon.
I follow him out to his house and it's like way back in this
Canyon. And it's a cute little cabin and
he, like, apparently writes his books there.
And so we're moving his stuff in.
And I had to bring something into the back, bedroom, where
his bedroom was, and he was in there on the other side of the
bed. And, as I set the box down, Like
stands up and he's holding this child's rifle in his hands.
And he looks at me, he's like, I bought this in hopes that
someday I would have a son. And I was like, uh-huh.
And he's like, I kind of given up hope.
But, you know, and I was like, yeah, we're here.
And he's like, oh yeah, it's over there.
It's all like, staying there for a little bit, kind of regroup,
like that was weird. And then I walk out and he has
reported my glass of wine. And he's like, well, you know,
we're pretty much done now. So I was thinking, I just wanted
to show you a couple of Videos of my gyrocopter.
And I was like, oh, okay. So like again could have said
no, but for some reason I'm like, yeah, shirt, let's all.
Look at your gyrocopter video. So we go out on his front porch.
And I'm like, sitting across from and I was like, oh no, you
need to sit by me so you can see the video and I was like, oh,
can I sit next to him? And he showed me like the
creation of the gyrocopter, the first our copter, the First
Flight of the gyrocopter, multiple flights of gyrocopters
overseas, pissed. First Flight learning to fly a
gyrocopter and like an hour and a half later as the Sun is
setting. I'm finally like, yeah.
So we should probably get going. He's like, oh yeah.
Yeah we leave. And I called my mom and I'm like
Mom because so he's in His Garment my car and I'm like I
don't know what to do, like this guy's.
I'm like trying to just like show him that I'm not interested
in him. Like I told his hand on my leg
and I tried to not sit close to him and not touch it, and I'm
not doing anything. Things that are like years that
he is, like not picking it up and moms, like probably just
going to have to be straight with him Crystal and just tell
him and I was like, I don't think he's gonna get it.
So we get to Custer State Park who dropped his bourbon off.
Its like probably seven or eight at this point, and we're driving
back into town. And so, she starts grilling me
like, hey, so what do you want relationships and love?
And I was like, okay, I still instead of just being clear,
like, hey, I don't like you at all.
I'm still like, I'll just get dropped more hints.
So he's like, so what do you got love?
And I was like, oh my gosh, I'm so in love with my ex-boyfriend
like I wish we could get back together.
I just I really I love him. I'm pretty sure we're going to
get back together. Actually like, I'm deeply madly
in love with him and I go on and on and I get done and he's like,
yeah, you know, love doesn't really matter.
I've been in love with million people like that comes and goes
like, I'm sure you'll be fine. I was like, okay, so then he
goes. So how many kids do you want to
have some day? And I was like, you know, at
least four but probably like six to ten like if I could have six
to 10, that would be great, but at least for bottom line and I
do Found out later. That was the one thing.
Like not me being rude. Nothing else.
That finally made him be like, maybe I'm not interested in her
house, but I made one more mistake.
So we're getting close to the house and he starts talking
about being hungry and I was like, I cannot be with him any
longer. Like I can't go to a restaurant,
like that is not going to work and so I was like, hey actually,
I have some Roast Beef in my house.
I made a roasted the day you can just have some of that meat and
just you just take it to go, great.
And it was a good roast. I had done an excellent job but
I do anyway. We get to the house and he's
like, yeah, that's a great idea. And I was like, oh well you guys
let me do. And so we pull up and he's like,
hey I just I feel really bad. I couldn't fix the headlight on
your car. So I would really love to I just
want to try to fix something for you and I was like, okay, okay
well I mean most things I fix but you know, I I have an air
conditioner, it's been leaking into the basement.
Oh I can definitely fix that. I was like, I don't think you
actually can because I think it's kind of a weird
condensation thing and I don't know how I got it.
I can fix it and I was like, okay, so, We walk over to the
air conditioner and he looks at it and he's like, yeah, no, I
definitely I can't fix that I've noticed.
Oh good. Okay, well let me know you can
head out thanks for the day I guess.
And so we get into the house and and I'm getting the roast beef
out and I'm cutting it and all my knives were really do, like
he's like, wow, your knives are super dull and I was like, yeah,
they're older. Migrans, like, I just got them
kind of as a me down and he's like, hey, you know, I actually
have a nice Diamond Knife, Sharpener out in my car, so I
can sharpen those knives. For you and I was like, yeah,
sure. He's like, that's really want to
do something for you and I was like, okay.
He sharpens, all of my knives, many leaves.
And I was like, oh my gosh, is like 10:00 at night, but I kept
his books just because I was like, I don't ever want to
forget this date because that was the most crazy random
experience of my life, all of the different situations like
we're in a gyrocopter. It malfunctions, we almost
crash. He's showing off a gun.
He's sharpening my knives. Like all these different
situations? You are in.
You know, thankfully, nothing horrible.
Happened. But you know it's just like it's
just crazy. The amount of situations you
were in in one day with this guy.
Yeah, yeah. I called it the longest day
ever. And I should have I think my I
think I sort of just like, disassociate a little bit and
I'm like, no, no, this is fine. It's gonna get better.
Every it's good, everyone's good.
And then in retrospect, I'm like, oh my gosh, I almost died.
Yeah, in more ways than one potentially.
Yeah, so my favorite part of Story is that this guy comes
across as the definition of masculinity and manly man and I
love the multiple attempts at trying to prove that I think he
failed at every attempt at trying to show his manliness
except for sharpening the knives that was the only thing you
successful laughs yeah I can fix that for you, I know.
But yeah, I'll fix the gyrocopter actually do.
Oh my gosh, that's so funny. I want to talk about the
gyrocopter for just a second. Okay.
I didn't know what a gyrocopter was until I looked it up.
Yeah, those things look terrifying.
I'm not afraid of flying at all. Like, I've gone skydiving.
I like heights and all that stuff.
Bothers me. But when I saw a photo of the
gyrocopter, I was like that does does not look safe at all.
Yeah, was it enclosed? Or was it?
Was it one of the 10? That we're open.
This one wasn't closed. So it really had the feel of a
mini helicopter, but it also had the feel of like one strong gust
of wind and more dead. Right.
Gotcha. So the belt that broke apart and
there was only like two inches left of it.
Did he say how much more air time that you guys probably had
like, how much longer before you guys will have made like an
emergency landing? He didn't say.
But based upon like the look on his face when he looked At it,
he was pretty terrified. I don't think we could have
flown much farther than what we did.
His face actually looks like surprised that we even made it.
It's how he shouldn't have even made it on the two inches.
That was their right and he couldn't show Fear because he's
the manly man so he can't show these scared.
Yeah, so instead he just you know kind of got angry and shut
down that day, showed me that I needed to be more aggressive
assertive in what I needed and wanted.
But I was like if he hadn't been a good guy like he was a good
guy. You know, weird and it didn't go
his way. But in retrospect, I remember
laying in my bed that night him like he had like tried to
kidnap. How far would I have gone?
I think it just kind of scared me like because I am a people
pleaser but I'm not only a people pleaser.
I also really want to give people chances and I'm like, you
know, it's gonna get better. Like I always kind of believed
in the best and like there's going to be a silver lining and
I don't really listen to like my own fear or my own anger.
So like the times when I got afraid I'd be like, nope you're
fine, don't be afraid. You know, instead of being like,
maybe this is a sign, I just listened to or frustration of
like hey maybe that actually matters and you should voice
this. And so I just like know, it'll
be okay. Like you know I'm just going to
give he's trying like I'll give him a chance to look at better
get better and just kind of convince myself of that until in
retrospect, when I got home, I was like yeah, that was I went
way too far. I guess, my advice would be know
yourself know your boundaries also have a Escape Plan like I
did not have an escape plan for that date.
I should have thought that out way.
Way better. But I was just so excited to get
it going a gyrocopter. So also when the date sounds too
good to be true, it really might be when you have horrible dates,
just turn him into a comedy show and then they just become a
great story and that makes life way better.
And then keep dating because I did meet an amazing man later
Crystal story. Although humorous could have had
a much more devastating result going on a date with someone and
put you in a difficult situation especially with someone you
hardly know. I'm not saying you shouldn't
date. I'm simply saying that during a
date a friend or family member should know where you're at and
who you're with. Some of the most dangerous
individuals in history. Also happened to be the most
Charming. Famous screenwriter, Troy
Kennedy. Martin once said, I trust
everyone I just don't trust the devil inside them.
Thanks again for listening to unnerved.
If you enjoyed this episode please share it with your
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Crystal and some of the locations where her date took
place. Thanks again for listening and
we'll see you next time.