Get to the choppa!

June 4, 2009 8:16 AM

I'd like to take my girlfriend on a helicopter tour of New York City for her birthday. Any advice on booking and making the most of the experience?

The other day we were on the Brooklyn Promenade and we saw a helicopter land in the financial district and we were both like, "hell yeah!"

So I think it would be fun to do one of those quick chopper rides around the city. Do you have any advice about best time of day/day of the week? How about companies? The one I've found is New York City Helicopter Charter, Inc..

I don't have a ton of money, so I think it'd have to be the shortest (15 minute) tour, which costs a bit over $100 per person. We're into buildings, so it probably would be most fun to do the longer tour that flies over the city rather than south of it, to the Ellis Island, but neither of us have ever taken a helicopter ride before and I think basically any ride would be really fun.

Any advice on booking and making the most of this brief experience? Ideas of what to do before or after the ride?

Thanks.

posted by andromache to sports, hobbies, & recreation (3 comments total)

This outfit Liberty Helicopters does tours out of the heliport on the West side too.

You might want to also check out a place like Aerial Photography and Sightseeing, they operate airplanes out of Central Jersey Airport. I haven't dealt with them myself, give them a call and hear what they have to say.

Helicopters are more expensive to operate than airplanes, so minute-for-minute an airplane is cheaper.
posted by maniabug at 9:49 AM on June 4

Unless Grand Theft Auto 4 has lied to me... and it hasn't... I'd tell you to be careful and look for any generic looking eastern Europeans driving a cop car out onto the helipad and commandeering a chopper.

/i'm sorry that's not helpful whatsoever, I just couldn't resist.
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 11:48 AM on June 4

The *best* air view I got of New York, was when flying from Philadelphia to New York late at night. The plane route took me right over Manhattan on a glorious night.
posted by almostwitty at 4:49 PM on June 8