Bucket List / Experience Goals
Take A Helicopter Ride
Ticked off in November 2010
Lift straight up off the ground and watch a canyon, a glacier or a whole city spread out beneath your feet.
The adventure
The first few seconds are the strangest. There's no runway and no roll, just a shudder, a tilt of the nose and the ground dropping away as if someone has pulled it out from under you. Then the pilot banks and the view opens up.
Over the Grand Canyon you finally see how deep the layers go. Over Alaska's Mendenhall Glacier the ice turns blue in its cracks. At Niagara the spray hangs in the air below you, and over Cape Town Table Mountain sits flat as a tabletop with the city wrapped around its feet and two oceans either side. Noise-cancelling headsets, a pilot pointing things out and a window that's mostly glass make it feel like flying in a bubble. It's short, it's not cheap, and it's almost always worth it.
Why it’s epic
- Flying over the Grand Canyon, one of the busiest scenic flight routes in the world.
- Seeing the crevasses of Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska, from above.
- Looking down on Table Mountain, Lion's Head and the Atlantic coast of Cape Town.
- Hovering beside the spray of Niagara's Horseshoe Falls.
What it is
Scenic helicopter flights are the quickest way to understand the size of a landscape: canyons, glaciers, waterfalls and coastlines that look flat from the ground suddenly have depth.
How to do it
Book a scenic flight with a local operator. Most run several times a day and fly a set route; the bigger the window seat, the better.
Top tip
Wear dark clothes so you don't reflect in the window, and ask for a front seat if you're travelling alone.
Need to know
- Flights are weight-balanced, so you may be asked your weight when booking.
- Bad weather and wind cancel flights, so book early in your trip to leave room to rebook.
- Shared flights are much cheaper than private charters.
Do it yourself
My experience
Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.
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