Liberty Helicopters - New York City (Helicopter Tours)

Member Name: emmajt81

Product:	Helicopter Tours
Date:	28/08/09 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliant way to see the city, amazing experience

Disadvantages: Expensive but to be expected

When I went to New York just before Christmas last year I wanted to do something exciting and different. I'd never been on a helicopter before and I wanted to see all the sights in New York and so before I went started googling different sightseeing trips around the city. I stumbled across Liberty Helicopters which operate helicopter tours over the city and I immediately knew it was something I had to do!

--Locations etc--

Liberty Helicopters are the only company who operate tourist helicopters in New York City so they are really your only option. They have been operating the sightseeing tours since 1990 and are well established with a good safety record. They operate from two heliports, one which is known as their VIP Heliport is in Midtown, around 34th Street and is their most popular. The second is downtown at Pier 6. They operate many different tours all at different prices and often do 'specials' where you can get good discounts. Suffice to say it isn't cheap and you don't get your helicopter to yourself but it is well worth the money.

--The Helicopters--

Liberty Helicopters use American Eurocopter AS350 helicopters which seat 7 passengers and the pilot although to be honest they only ever usually seat 6 pasengers. When they have the desired amount of people for the tour, they ask you how much you weigh (really) and make sure the helicopter is equally balanced out weight wise. Luckily when I went me and my friend were the lightest so I managed to sit at the front next to the pilot (the front is the best place to sit for views and experience).

--Tours and Prices--

At the time of writing (prices do vary) their Lady Liberty tour is the shortest at 6-8 minutes long and the cheapest at $105 per person. You only really get to take some skyline views in and the view of the Statue of Liberty. The Big Apple tour is longer at 12-15 minutes long and for $135 per person you get a lot more sights to behold including of course the Statue of Liberty but also the Empire State close up, the Chrysler Building, Ellis Island, Central Park and the George Washington Bridge. The next one up is the one I personally went on - the New York New York tour. It's 16-20 minutes long (ours was 20) and is $200 per person - as well as the other places mentioned you also get to fly over the new and old Yankee Stadiums, Columbia University, the Palisade of New Jersey and a birds eye view of New York's five states. For the romantics of you out there, there is a night time tour where you can hire the whole helicopter out for 25 minutes at a cost of $995!

For all tours you end up paying a $30 security fee when you get there if you book online in advance - otherwise of course everything is payable on the day when you book. Most are available from both heliports but some are only available from the Midtown one so best to check where you're staying and book a tour from the closest one!

--When you get there--

When you get to the heliport, if you have book and paid online in advance you have to pay your security fee. If you are turning up to get a tour there and then you may have to wait and obviously everything is payable there and then. You get asked various questions, like how much you weigh, your date of birth and your next of kins name and number - which was a bit unnerving I have to say but necessary. You then get given a key to a locker where you put your bags and belongings. You are allowed to take video cameras and normal cameras on the helicopter but no bags or other items. Once you've locked them securely away you go throw a metal detector like at the airport and then through into a holding area.

Once everyone for your flight is in the holding area, you are shown a video on safety - how to do your safety belts up, how to get them off and what to do in an emergency. You are given a lifebelt to tie around your waist and then you are good to go! You all are led outside to the helicopter where you stand in a line. You are then pulled over to the craft in your individual couples or groups you came with in weight order (the people who are sitting at the back go first) to stand in front of the helicopter and have your picture taken. You can buy this after your flight (yes a money making scheme but you have to buy it!). Once you've had your picture done they tell you where you are sitting (no choice I'm afraid it's all done on weight for safety reasons) and they then strap you into your belts (so if you didn't follow instructions on how to do them up don't worry!). Then you have to put on your headphones to a) drown out the noise and b) hear the pilot you're good to go!

--The Flight--

Your pilot is also your tour guide and as your glide along he/she will tell you exactly what everything is and details about it. The pilot is also in constant contact with the ground team and they are always radioing back and forth to check for 'traffic' and 'weather conditions'. You will hear all of this over your headsets. The helicopter ride is very smooth, you barely feel yourself take off or glide along and if it's a great day for visibility your will be able to see for miles and miles. Ours was a somewhat foggy day (a snowstorm started 10 minutes after we landed which was lucky or our flight would have been cancelled) so we couldn't see all that well. One reason I want to go again!

Obviously depending on what tour you have booked will depend on what sights you see. Our tour was brilliant and we saw everything. We flew down to the Statue of Liberty from the 34th St heliport along the Jersey coast, round it, back up along the Manhattan coast, and over the city to see more sights, round the George Washington Bridge and back to the heliport. It didn't feel like 20 minutes, more like 10, and we were snapping away the entire time. The best place to sit is in the front as you not only get your side door to look out of, but the front window and a small pane of glass under your feet (which is scary!). So if you're lucky enough to get to sit in the front, well done!

When you land back at the heliport you are unstrapped, and led back into the building where you give your lifebelts back, and are able to get your things out of the locker. You are also able to look at your photo and decide whether to buy it or not. I am not sure how much this was but I think it was about $15 - a bit steep yes but for a once in a lifetime flight I had to buy it!

--Overall--

I loved my helicopter trip and I would definitely do it again. Yes it's a little expensive but it's a trip of a lifetime and a great way to experience New York. The Midtown heliport is a little out of the way so ask reception there to call you a cab when you leave as you have to cross a very busy road otherwise and walk a good 15 minutes before you get into town.

I will mention that the recent tragic crash on the Hudson was from this company - after all they are the only sightseeing company that operates helicopters in New York, but I do not believe for one second it was their fault after reading the reports. When I was on the helicopter the pilot was constantly in contact with the ground team with regards to traffic and weather and the whole team in general were very safety conscious and took all necessary precautions. I would happily fly with Liberty Helicopters again and have no worries in doing so. Plenty of car crashes happen every day but we don't stop driving after all.

I would highly recommend this trip to everyone - it's a brilliant way to see the city!

Summary: Amazing experience, once in a lifetime thing to do!