Helicopter tour of New York
 

Afternoon guys,

A helicopter pilot friend of mine suggested this would be a good place to post for information on flight tours around New York.

I'm visiting my girlfriend in Connecticut this week, and will be paying a visit to NYC and thought it would be cool to fly above the city in a helicopter.

Anyone able to recommend any good companies and/or give me a rough idea of price.

Thanks in advance.

Tony.

e. [email protected]

http://www.libertyhelicopters.com/
Fly with "Uncle Billy" Eichenburger---friend of mine.
Hope this helps.

Try PMing ENG Brit.

I understand that he flies for one of the NYC tour companies (and he's a Brit, surprise, surprise! ;) )


HTH,

B73

or if you ask Bronx REALLY nicely.............:bored:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...entralPark.jpg

Dear Bronx...

Please, please, please, please :lol:

Nice one, cheers guys.

Hhhmmm....

I think I know who this heli pilot mate of yours is. Oh yea, BTW, he just passed his AFI test.

:D

FP.

Hey if Mario is still there, tell him Hello.

Nice shot of Central Park...pity it didnt look like that this afternoon with 600 BKN and downt to a mile vis at times - a sucky afternoon. Hopefully you'll get better weather later this week, but dont peek out your CT window tthis evening, its horrid.

Liberty Helicopters are pretty good for tours. Suggest West 30th Helipor location (at 12th ave). Newer EC130's for tours plus the odd Astar. Probably get a little more out of a daytime flight than a "night" flight, though sunset might be nice. Sunset is 6pm about now.

Otherwise, New York Helicopters at Wall St/Downtown Mo-Fri and shares W30th location at weekends. At W30 you get to see the corporate guys in the 76's whixch can be a nice sight.

Havent worked for Liberty (Im fractional/corpporatE)), but hear good things and we employ some of their ex pilots so they cant be too bad, lol... :=

Quick note for Dave
 

:) Quick note for Dave...

... gratz' on passing your instructor's course AND don't you dare !!! :}

Visit to New York
 

I'll be there next week, any recomendation to visit?
I'm looking at libertyhelicopters for a tour.
The Intrepid Aircraft Carrier museum is under repairs :{
Aviation library/shop/bar etc. ?
Anything you think it's worth.

Regards.
Aser

Apart from the numerous famous tourist attractions in one of the most exciting cities in the world:


Staten Island Ferry
Wonderful views of Lower Manhattan, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
It used to be the best value for money trip in New York @ 50c each way, but I think it might even be free now.

Bar at the Rainbow Grill (Rockefeller Center)
Perfect for a relaxing nightcap after a busy day's sightseeing - stunning views of New York at night from the 65th floor bar.
There's also an observation deck.

Marriott Marquis Hotel, Times Square
47 floors up - and the only revolving bar/restaurant in Manhattan, I think. (The Rainbow Grill is 18 floors higher so IMHO the view is even more stunning.)

River Cafe, Brooklyn
Water Street, immediately next to the bridge on the Brooklyn side. Spectacular view of Manhattan across the East River, day or night. Good place for a drink/snack at lunchtime. Dinner isn't cheap but, if you get a window table, IMHO worth it for the view.

Helicopter tour
Simply amazing.

Carnegie Deli
Seventh Avenue, at 55th Street. Famous deli, reputedly the best in America (although IMHO not as good as Nate'n Al in LA.) Good food and a New York experience. Always a long line - no reservations - but worth the wait.
Tips:
#1 Miss breakfast and go for an early brunch before the lunch rush starts.
#2 The portions are absolutely enormous - a 'sandwich' is a full meal - don't over-order.

Christmas decorations at Rockefeller Plaza
Always a fabulous display. The enormous Christmas tree will be lit by now. Lunch at the outdoor cafe watching skaters on the ice-rink is an enjoyable experience even if, like me, you can't skate.

Just walking the streets of Manhattan
I'll never forget the first time I walked amongst the skyscrapers - almost 30 years ago - and I still find it a thrill every time.

Airport to Manhattan
The helicopter shuttle has started again. No idea how much it costs - but what a way to arrive! :)
Otherwise, I recommend taking a taxi or bus from the airport. The view of Manhattan as you approach is very impressive. The subway is quicker, but you'll miss the view.

New York taxis
Know exactly where you want to go before you get in and keep the instruction as simple as possible - preferably just the avenue and cross street. The Manhattan grid layout makes finding your way around easy but, for some reason, many NY taxi drivers don't seem to find it so.


Have a wonderful time. :ok:

FL

Some top notch recommendations there from Flying Lawyer and a big +1 on the River Cafe.

Also worth a visit is the Spotted Pig pub (314 W 11th St #1) in the West Village. Superb food (actually Michellin rated so my wife tells me), good value and a great atmosphere.

Don't forget the Empire State Building as well, but get there very early to avoid the massive queues.

Thanks a lot guys! :ok:

Liberty Helicopters are excellent

Carmines restaurant , http://www.carminesnyc.com/ . but you'll need to book.

Lee...

The transfer from Manhatten to Newark was $170 in the summer - S76 - only 2 pax, we were going to take the tour but the aircraft looked very cramped with full pax!

Oh, and you clear security at the heliport, go direct to the departure lounge, and next see your baggage when you arrive back in Europe.

:) handy thread as I am there in January

Serf is the transfer also with Liberty? could not see on the liberty web site and sounds a good idea..

The transfer was with us helicopters, they have 2 sites in Manhatten, one on the East River at 34th next to the UN and the other at the bottom still on the East river.

Thks serf, here is the link if anyone else interested http://www.flyush.com/

Thats the fellas, the service was very good. We flew from E34th to Newark, this gave a good view of everything on the way and only takes about 10 mins.

Thnaks Aser.

That's my week sorted !

Nige:)

Aser, I just got back from a week in NYC, it was a blast. Don't be afraid of the NYC subways, they are safe, cheap and very efficient. We stayed out at Columbia University on 121st, and rode the subways all over town. we did most of the tourist things. The Empire State building is higly over-rated, and takes a long long time in line ups to reach the top. The Staten Island Ferry is free, and well worth the trip over, great views of the lower Manhattan skyline. The area around Pier 17 at the foot of Wall St is nice, sit and drink Margeuritas and watch the tour helis come and go. You can also watch a line of corporate 76's and AB 139's in the AM and PM.
We went to several Broadway shows, but i'm not sure that they are still running now? There a lot of great museums to see, we spent one full day at the Museum of Natural History...Wow.
Have a great time ! !

I did a helicopter tour with Liberty in October and it was well worth the money. Had excellent views up the Hudson, over the Statue, Ellis Island and Manhatten. A good 13 minute flight in an A-Star. It is a shame about the Intrepid, wanted to see it as missed it in 2005, looks very strange as it is not there!

I can also highly recommend the subways, used them all the time as it is only $2 per ride to go where ever you want. One thing that is definetly worth it, is walking into Manhatten over the Brooklyn Bridge as you get fantatic views of the skyline. Also, if you want to do tours, the Grey Line buses (which are actually red) make good value, 48 hours pass to do all tours, uptown, downtown, Brooklyn, night loop, is about $50 and you can get on and off as much as you like.

If you like your food, I can definetly recommend a visit to Juniors on West 45th between Broadway and 8th Avenue, they make the best cheesecake I have ever tasted.

If you are there for a week, get a 7 day ticket for the subway, $24 unlimited use and covers the buses, which are also handy and easy i.e the number 34 runs on that street end to end and then turns around!

:{

I'll take the flight tomorrow (can't wait!) :D

visit to newyork
 

Used the ushelicopter service last Friday,they`ve got a great deal on currently,$99 for the 8 min flight !

They use Sikorsky S76 twins ( our one was a bit of a rattly thing and did nothing to convince my wife to fly with me in the Robby !)

34th St terminal should be considered a confined area with only about 2 rotor dia clearance forward of landing site and an immediate drop in the river behind (did`nt prevent three heli`s landing though !)

Don`t think they operate weekends though .

You`ll have a blast in the big apple, lot`s to see n do , have a great time.

Johndeblanco

So how was it for you Aser?

It was great!

Here are some pics from the helicopter tour.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...h_PC120044.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...h_PC150274.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...h_PC150276.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...h_PC150287.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...h_PC150300.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...h_PC150314.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h2...h_PC150318.jpg

Regards
Aser

Nice pics :ok:

Is that a low fuel warning light on in the 350?

Just wondering -- Did you nudge the pilot and remind him of settling with power as well as a bright amber warning light ?

Feel a bit sorry for the pilot though - all of a sudden he has a guy in the back taking photos of a slightly worse for wear approach that are then posted on rotorheads!

Nice photos all the same!

I remember staring at the yellow light... :E it was "bleed valve" and we were really warm :ok:

Aser - Thanks, wetted my appetite for when I go in April

At the power settings in the pictures, I would have been worried if the bleed valve light was not illuminated. You couldn't have been warm because of that. Maybe you were simply flush with latin excitement?

DD

dust: we were warm because of the heater on...

Some cool pics Aser. What a city! Hope you went to The National History museum, as I agree with 407 Driver, it's definately one of the best places to go and see over there, that's a bit of advice for you 007Heli... for when you go in April. You'll need to set aside a full day for it, though. Unfortunately the Manhattan skyline will never be quiet the same!:(

If you have a few more hours to spare, the Cradle of Aviation Museum is a do-not-miss. It's up in Long Island next to the the now defunct Roosevelt Field (is a shopping mall:rolleyes:). If you are into anything built by Grumman - including the LEM then it's a real treasure trove. A lot of the curators are ex-Grumman employees and worked on the exhibits during their R&D and construction phase.

TOD

Been a while since I've flown the Astar but I seem to remember the bleed valve light was green. Used to fly with the pitot heat off sometimes and that was a yellow light. The fuel gauge seems to show enough fuel in the tank to keep that light out. Perhaps it was the " person taking a flash picture in the cockpit at night while the pilot is on approach" light. No, that should be a red light i think......;).
Anyway, glad you had a good time. The Cradle of Aviation museum is good, but a little further down the Long Island Expressway is the American Airpower musuem with a bunch of flyable WW2 fighters/bombers and the themed restaurant called the 56th Fighter Group. They are both located at Republic Airport.
Cheers

Hi,
Do any of the NYC heli tours operate jet/long rangers?

We'll be there in April and it would be a nice opportunity to combine the experience of seeing NYC from the sky with the experience of being in one of those :)

Thanks
J

New York Helicopter Charter fly jet/long rangers (www.newyorkhelicopter.com)

Helicopter flight services (www.heliny.com) have a 407 (and maybe 206B/L varieties)

Zip helicopter tours fly jet/longs and 407s (www.zipover.com)

I have personally flown with Helicopter flight services. A bit cramped sharing the back with 3 Germans, but of course it's fun, it's a helicopter!

NYhelipilot do you know anyone that will rent a Jet Ranger or a R44 with safety Pilot in NYC I looked at the web sites you gave and could not see these companies do.

I am there 29th March until the 8th of April and would like to do some flying but do not have an FAA license so assumed I could do it with an instructor.

Thanks if any ideas

Duncan