the waygabounds

As some of you guys might know, me and my brother spent two amazing weeks in September 2017 roadtripping the US-Eastcoast. We met a lot of cool people during this journey and had some first-time experiences. One of them was our first helicopter flight. I knew that my brother always wanted to do one of those sightseeing flights, cause he didn’t shut up about our missed chance in Las Vegas a few years ago. So as soon as our tour was planned I made sure to get us one – as a surprise for my brother.

There are several companies in New York that offer sightseeing flights; I did some research and then decided for Liberty Helicopters, because they are apparently the most experienced ones and started their business back in 1990. They also have an unparalleled safety record and promise on their website that customers will experience more when doing a tour with them. Well, you know. My taste is simple. The best is just good enough. 🙂 I booked us our flight for a Friday afternoon and didn’t tell my brother about it. He only knew that there was a surprise waiting for him at the pier.

He almost peed his pants when he realized that the heliport was where we were going. We had to sign some papers and deposit our personal belongings in the provided lockers. Only cameras and phones were allowed. Then the waiting began. You have to arrive about 45 minutes prior to your tour, so be prepared for that. While we were waiting, we got some sort of security drill and watched the safety instructions video (like 50 times, as we had time and nothing else to do…). When it finally was our turn to board the chopper we got all excited. All in all we were five people, the pilot included. It got a bit cozy inside, but as soon as we were up in the air, we forgot about sticky strangers crammed right next to us.

We did the tour called “The Big Apple” which lead close to the Statue of Liberty, we saw Manhattan and the Central Park, the Hudson River and our pilot was really funny by the way. He explained all the sights to us, knew some funny stories about them and had all the facts and figures for us.  It was stunning and breathtaking. The tour is supposed to take between 12 and 15 Minutes and was 214 USD/180 Euros – of course it seemed not long enough, it was just too cool. Longer tours and special packages are available on their website. We enjoyed every minute of our flight, but still: It’s not really a bargain. Don’t expect that you’ll soar above the skyscrapers. You won’t. You’re basically taken along the piers and don’t leave the area above the Hudson, so don’t expect too much, be aware of the fact that the time up in the air will seem very short and yes – 200 bucks is not exactly cheap. The memories and pictures you take home are priceless though.

More Information:
Liberty Helicopters
6 East River Piers
10004 New York
www.libertyhelicopter.com

We recommend booking via www.attractionticketsdirect.de to save some money. They always have special packages and prices.