How else could you spend £150 that you'll never ever forget? (Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters (Grand Canyon, USA))

Member Name: k4ssie

Product:	Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters (Grand Canyon, USA)
Date:	25/06/09 (106 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well organised, great value, great staff - and a mindblowing experience

Disadvantages: They wouldn't let us take the helicopter home

A helicopter flight into the Grand Canyon was one of the highlights of our road trip around California and Nevada, an absolutely unforgettable experience i'd recommend to anyone - there are few things i'd urge my friends to spend their last dollar on, but this is one of them.


~ Choosing and booking ~
As we were starting and ending our trip in Las Vegas, I decided to book the heli flight on our last day, as a way of dulling the pain of leaving! I did a fair bit of research about companies and prices, and found the situation to be quite confusing in terms of what exactly is included in the various packages, whether it's better to book in advance etc. In fact, there are only a handful of companies offering these trips, but you'd never know that from the internet - the same company may be offering packages under more than one name, or the same packages are resold by other operators - the latter may be something to avoid as it increases the chances of things not going to plan due to miscommunications.

In the end, these are the crucial factors in making a choice (other than cost!), which might be useful to anyone else considering a Grand Canyon flight:
1. Where does the actual flight depart from? Some operators use a coach to take you some or all of the way to the Canyon - which is several hours' drive from Vegas. Others use the airports at Boulder City or the main Las Vegas McCarran airport - this was the case with our Papillon package, which meant less time spent on the road and more time in the helicopter.
2. Where exactly does the flight go? I wanted the experience of flying into the canyon itself, which Papillon offered. When we travelled, only two operators were allowed to do this, because the Canyon is actually part of a reservation belonging to the indigenous American Indians, and they auction limited licenses at what one might imagine is a pretty substantial sum of money. Other operators offer flights over the canyon or around the rim.
3. What will you be in? Again depending on the operator, could be a small plane or various types of helicopter - those used by Papillon have large panoramic windows, another point in their favour for me.
4. Are there any other extras, optional or otherwise? We had a limo service to collect and drop us at our hotel, and were also able to add on a flight over the Vegas Strip at twilight, during the return leg.

I booked direct with Papillon's own website, as I preferred not to go through an intermediary, and their prices were about the best anyway. The booking process was simple, and I received a confirmation number and voucher plus confirmation of the pickup time, within a few minutes of booking.

~ On the day ~

Our flight was booked for around 6pm, which meant the limo would pick us up from the hotel about 90 minutes earlier. As the afternoon wore on, I went from excited to quite nervous - my partner is very afraid of heights, and I suffer from motion sickness, so I was thinking that maybe what we were about to embark upon had considerable scope for disaster!

The limo arrived pretty much on time, and so it began. Actually i think the limo collection was the only part of this trip i didn't totally love - a bit like London cabs, limos have that very bouncy suspension and as we picked up two other couples from their hotels, there were plenty of speed bumps to be got over. So the journey was actually quite uncomfortable, and longer than it needed to be - i'd recommend just getting a 5-minute cab direct to McCarran.

On arrival, we were given a short safety briefing about which i remember absolutely nothing, such were my nerves at that point! They also have a photographer there who takes a shot of you getting into the helicopter, which is printed and given to you as a complimentary gift on your return.

You have to give the weight of all passengers when booking, and this is used to determine where you sit on the flight, so as to ensure even distribution in the copter. There were six passenger seats in the helicopter, two in the front and four across the back, and my partner and I were assigned to the back row. This was fine as we only had four on board, but i have to admit to being a bit jealous of the slightly better views enjoyed by the couple in the front, and if we'd had a full house, the two middle seats in the back row definitely offer poorer visibility as there are people between you and any window. Finally, we were all given headsets which allow the pilot to communicate with us during the flight.

~ The flight itself ~

The moment of truth - taking off! I was crossing all my fingers by this stage that I wouldn't spoil things for everybody by getting sick, and the first few seconds were a bit dicey - the copter tilts forward when taking off, and the motion is weird. However, as soon as we were up and flying straight forwards, i had no problems whatever and any thoughts of motion sickness were blown away by the sheer thrill of the vertical ascent. My partner was fine too - I think the adrenaline rush just takes over. Being in a helicopter is like nothing else I've experienced, unlike the clumsiness of a plane where you can hardly believe it'll get off the ground, the copter is totally agile and the nearest thing i can imagine to being able to fly!

We flew out over Boulder and the Hoover dam, with fabulous views over the network of lakes in the area. The pilot gave a very interesting commentary about the history of the area, most of which i was too excited to take in very well. The scale of the Dam is really brought home to you by seeing it from the air. Then, we flew for around 30-40 minutes until our first glimpse of the Canyon itself. Truly breathtaking is the only way to describe it - in some ways it feels unreal, being somewhere that you've seen in so many pictures and TV documentaries since childhood. We dropped vertically down into the canyon itself, and then flew along within the canyon for quite a way before landing on a ledge maybe half way between the rim and the Colorado river.

We had maybe 15 minutes on the ledge, during which time the pilot tried to interest me in a picnic and some champagne. This is a nice thought but honestly, I'm in the middle of the Grand Canyon, you really expect me to take my eyes off it for long enough to eat an ordinary sandwich?! Not a chance. I was taking photos, and just trying to take it all in, until the very last second when we got back on board.

The flight back took a slightly different route, out over the Indian reservation where we could just spot various native animals. It was a fantastic way to see the landscape, and as we approached Las Vegas, really brought home to us just how the city is built in the absolute middle of nowhere. Finally, a flight up the central Strip, between the neon towers of all the hotels just as the lights were coming on, completed an unforgettable experience. As we landed at the airport, i was just sitting in the copter with a huge, stupid grin on my face, which lasted for the entire evening.

It's not often that you experience a day you know you'll remember until you die (especially not for positive reasons!), but this was definitely one of them. We paid about £150 per person, but the experience was truly priceless. Papillon's service was excellent, with our driver, the airport staff and the pilot all being very friendly and full of interesting information, and the trip itself was all i hoped for and more. I can't recommend them too highly.

Summary: If you get the chance, just do it!