Absolutely nothing beats the view and excitement you get from this bird’s eye take of the falls in Niagara. There’s the “Behind The Falls”, “Maid Of The Mist” and the various viewing areas where one can still be amazed with the splendor and beauty of the falls. And to be quite honest, I was very happy experiencing the falls from any one of those options mentioned above.. Until!
On our last day in Niagara Falls I had secretly booked a tour of the area on a helicopter as a surprise to everyone. Everyone thought we were heading home, until we drove pass the Great Wolf Lodge (in another post soon) and made a left turn into the compound of Niagara Helicopter Tours. Seems Caron and the girls thought that I was just hopping out to get some info from the information desk. Nope! We’re going on one of those helicopters you guys have been watching take off and land.
Before I continue I must let you know that it’s a bit pricey. I don’t recall how much we paid, but if you use the contact information mentioned below I’m sure you can get a price quote from their information desk. Plus, with prices changing everyday, I’m sure their prices would have changed.
You’re directed to a “holding” area for the next helicopter to arrive to take your party up. Since it was the five of us we had an entire helicopter to ourselves. The helicopters they use (Bell 407) can carry 7 people inclusive of the pilot, so I believe they fly with a minimum of two passengers; however, they will fill the helicopters to capacity as long as they have the people waiting.
We were very lucky that it was not a very busy day, so we waited about 10 minutes before we were asked to board the aircraft. As you walk up the ramp, a group picture is taken..as a matter of fact even after you’re about to take off the pilot does a 360 sort of turn so the ground staff can take pics of you and your friends in the helicopter. Then you’re off! Takeoff and flying is like the rush you get on a roller coaster (less belly hurt) and as I’ve mentioned already.. WHAT A VIEW.
The flight itself is only about 12 minutes, but you do travel about 27 kilometers (17 miles) and it feels longer. The journey starts off up the Niagara gorge, then you do a bit of a pause over the entire falls area (great for taking pictures). The pilot then works his way over the hotel district so you get an aerial view of the hotel you’re checked into and as you work your way back to base you get a good overhead view of the entire city area, including Clifton Hill etc.
Some pictures we took over the falls…
An overall great experience and something I’d recommend everyone try. I especially liked the landing. You’re coming in very fast and as you look down at the landing pad you start thinking “wow! we’re going pretty fast and that small marked off area is pretty small”… but it’s a gentle and relatively calm landing. YEA! And you get to wear those cool headphones to listen in on the “guide” talk from the pilot.
Tip! If you do take a video camera as I did, don’t focus too much on filming or you’d find you’re seeing the entire thing through the lens of a camera and not enjoy the fact that you paid to see this from the helicopter. Let the camera roll and you enjoy the sights!
Some safety concerns answered:
How many years/ hours experience do the pilots have?
Each of our pilots attended flight school where they received their Canadian Commercial Pilots License and a minimum of 100 flying hours. In addition to this, Niagara Helicopters requires all pilots to have a minimum of 1500 hours of flying experience, 500 with a turbine engine. All told, our pilots have a total of 90 years flying experience. If you’re flying with Niagara Helicopters, you’re in good hands!
Are the helicopters safe?
Our helicopters are among the safest and most well maintained helicopters in the world. Along with our accomplished pilots, the helicopter ride is one of the safest things you can do in Niagara Falls.
How often are the helicopters maintained?
Daily. Our team of four full time engineers and maintenance technicians is continuously working on and testing each helicopter in order to provide you with the safest ride. They were awarded the prestigious Roland Groome Award for exceedingly high standards of aircraft maintenance.
More about Niagara Helicopter Tours.
Niagara Helicopters Limited
3731 Victoria Ave.
P.O. Box 636
Niagara Falls, ON
L2E 6V5
Canada
Ph. 905-357-5672
Fx. 905-374-2856
Website: http://www.niagarahelicopters.com
