Friday, December 10, 2010

Helicopter Rides - Popular Scenic Flight Destinations

Helicopter rides over New York City are very popular and will afford a unique aerial perspective of the skyscrapers of Manhattan, Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Yankee Stadium, and Ground Zero. A New York helicopter flight will afford you a bird's-eye view of New York's skyline, New York Harbor, the famous Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, and the busy financial district. Your flight will likely feature the Empire State Building, Met Life, and Chrysler Buildings, amazing views of Central Park and many of New York's other historic landmarks. You may see Cathedral of St. John, and the timeless George Washington Bridge as you soar over Manhattan. A New York helicopter ride is a terrific way to see this great city from an amazing aerial perspective that most people will never forget.

Another very popular helicopter ride destination is Hawaii. Exploring the rugged paradise of the Islands of Hawaii via a helicopter ride can be an adventure of a lifetime. A helicopter tour over these islands will expose breathtaking waterfalls, active volcanoes spewing lava, panoramic coastlines, and rugged mountain ranges along the coast. In Oahu you may fly over the famous shoreline of Waikiki followed by the Diamond Head Crater. Along the route you may fly over the beautiful Hanauma Bay snorkeling beach, the breathtaking Makapu'u Point, and the shallow waters and coral reefs of Kaneohe Bay. Next you may fly over the tiny island of Chinaman's Hat and the uninhabited lush green valleys of the Ko'olau Mountain Range, and the spectacular 1,310 foot cascading Sacred Falls. Additionally, you may see world-famous North Shore of Hawaii surfing beaches, before finally flying through the island's vast central farming plains, which are used as pineapple fields. An aerial view of Pearl Harbor allows the best view of the sunken warships and bird's eye view of the harbor. While in the helicopter, it's easy to find yourself re-enacting the history of December 1941 in your mind.

Grand Canyon helicopter rides are also tremendously popular, and the only way to see much of Grand Canyon National Park, which is geographically located in the northwest corner of Arizona and covers more than 1,900 square miles. The Colorado River, which continues to carve out the Grand Canyon, is visible from the ground from only a very few number viewpoints. The mighty river flows along the bottom of the canyon, nearly a mile below the canyon rim. Due to the enormous depth of the canyon, a two-day hike, multiple hour mule ride, or helicopter flight, is the only way to the river and back from the canyon rim. There are over 275 miles of breathtakingly rugged canyons. There are sheer walls of rock a mile deep in many places. Grand Canyon National Park includes other nearby attractions such as Hoover Dam, Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead National Recreation area. Helicopter rides to the canyon depart from the cities of Las Vegas, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Page, and Sedona.

Helicopter rides over the Miami area have become increasingly popular over the years. The many beaches, harbors, amusement parks, and stunning cities by the beautiful emerald green tinted water are all sights best seen from the air. Helicopter sightseeing has become incredibly popular by those wishing to see the luxury homes and boats on the water. The white-sand beaches, the magnificent Biscayne Bay, Art Deco Historic District, and Everglades offer amazing perspectives from the air and unique photo opportunities.

Alaska is one of those locations where the visitor can really benefit from a helicopter tour. Much of Alaska is not accessible by road, and the only way to see many parts of Alaska is by helicopter. Due to the inaccessibility, helicopters are commonly used throughout Alaska, for not only helicopter rides, but for oil exploration, logging, fighting fires, and heli-skiing. Tour helicopters often land on glaciers, and some tour companies offer combined helicopter flights and dog sled rides. Alaska helicopter tours are most popular in Seward on the Kenai Peninsula and in the Denali National Park. Some helicopter tours combine glacier landings with part day glacier hikes. A helicopter ride over Denali National Park will expose tremendous snow capped mountains, blue tinted glaciers, and Alaskan wildlife.

In some urban locations, such as Los Angeles, the sights and landmarks are geographically spread out, requiring multiple days of driving in heavy traffic to see what can be viewed by helicopter in about an hour. Relatively short helicopter rides over Los Angeles will afford amazing aerial views of the skyscrapers of Downtown LA, Dodger Stadium, Staples Center, the state of the art LA Live center, Hollywood Sign, Beverly Hills mansions, Santa Monica Pier, and beautiful beaches including the Malibu coastline. There are multiple airports in Los Angeles where your tour may originate, and it is usually best to start LA helicopter tours from airports located in the Northwest part of Los Angeles County, because you are nearest the beaches, canyons, coastal mountains, and Hollywood area. As metropolitan traffic increasingly slows travel time, Los Angeles helicopter rides are becoming an attractive alternative to land based tours.

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