8 Important Things To Know Before Booking A New York City Helicopter Ride

Flying high above Manhattan in a helicopter tour is certainly one of the top bucket list things to do in New York City. But with so many operators and companies how do you choose? This was the problem we faced when we decided to book a once in a lifetime flight over one of the world’s most famous cities.

In this guide, we’ll show you what to look for when choosing a helicopter tour company in addition to our experience with Heli New York. Many of the operators run similar tours, but we’ll give you a list of the most popular tours currently offered at the end.

Our Experience

In the city that never sleeps, you can’t visit for a few days and claim to be an expert so we temporarily moved to New York City at the end of 2020 in order to create the best possible content. We took the Ultimate Tour with Heli NY in March 2021 to see if a helicopter ride over New York was worth the hype. But before booking our tour, we performed extensive research to make sure we chose the right company and experience.

New York City isn’t cheap and it’s important you have all the right information in order to pick the best New York helicopter tour for your NYC itinerary. So instead of just listing helicopter tours in New York, we’ll show you what to consider before hitting that book button. Here are the things you should think about when booking a tour:

1. Research Different Tour Companies

There are many helicopter tour companies in New York City and each one offers various routes with different features. Some will fly directly over the buildings of Manhattan, whereas others fly along the Hudson River. You can choose a New York helicopter tour with a doors off experience, but you can also opt for a doors on experience if this makes you more comfortable.

Popular helicopter companies in New York include:

• HeliNY
• Zip Aviation
• FlyNYON (Liberty Helicopters)
• Charm Aviation

One of the biggest concerns for us was safety. While it’s fun to ride in a helicopter, they are also quite dangerous. We wanted to book with a company we knew took safety seriously because sadly there have been recent deaths from helicopter crashes.

The best way to research companies is to check official websites for professionalism, read both recent and old reviews across multiple platforms then look at social channels. Just because a company was great a few years ago, doesn’t mean they are the best option now.

2. Heliport Locations

Another important factor to consider is where the helicopter ride begins. Each company has a dedicated heliport in either Manhattan or New Jersey so if you’re set on one company, this may limit your options. When booking your NYC hotel, the likelihood is you’ll be staying somewhere around Central Park, Midtown or Lower Manhattan which means the Manhattan heliport is much easier to access.

Here are the 3 heliports in Manhattan:

• West 30th Street (midtown)
• East 34th Street (midtown)
• Pier 6 on the East River (lower Manhattan)

Opened in 1956, the West 30th St heliport is New York City’s oldest public-use heliport and it’s available 24 hours a day seven days a week. The East 34th St heliport is next to FDR Drive and it has limited hours from 8:00am to 8:00pm as well as an operational cap on flights.

The lower Manhattan heliport on Pier 6 is the only option available for use by tour operators. You’ll find it near the Staten Island ferry and Governors Island ferry. This is the heliport we used for our helicopter ride with HeliNY and it’s common to see other tour operators here too.

While many of the tours fly from Manhattan, there are a few companies who fly from New Jersey. So if your NYC helicopter tour begins in New Jersey, it will likely be flying from Kearny, NY. Use our map above to familiarize yourself with the locations or you can see it via this link here.

3. Understand The Cost

We’ll come out and say it because helicopter tours can be expensive. It’s essential to understand the prices including any additional feels that are not included. You can typically expect to spend $200-400/person for a basic shared ride over the city. If you’re looking to book a tour for a special occasion such as a proposal, you can charter a private helicopter but this might set you back a few thousand.

The price also depends on flight time, heliport location and extras such as the doors off experience. When comparing prices, be sure to look into:

• Seat, facility or booking fees – Often not included in the original price
• Doors off helicopter experience – Additional fee for the instagram shoe selfie
• Fuel surcharge – Sometimes combined with the seat fee
• Popular day time charges – Extra charge to fly around sunset or at night

Tour companies often run deals throughout the year due to competition and demand so always shop around. If you fly in the off season during spring and fall, the prices may be a little cheaper compared to the busy summer months. We paid $240 each for our March helicopter ride.

Travel Tip: We’ve also seen lower prices with tours flying out of New Jersey because these heliports are far less convenient for tourists.

4. Think About Flight Time

One of the biggest differences between tours is flight time. You can expect to be in the air anywhere from 12 to 30 minutes. You can book longer tours for a more extensive view of the city, but you essentially pay for flight time so it will cost a whole lot more. Read the flight descriptions and FAQ’s page to understand exactly what is involved with your flight.

Our tour had a suggested flight time of 17-20 minutes. It went quickly and before we knew it, we were back on the heliport in Lower Manhattan. We think it’s more important to pick your NYC helicopter tour based on what you’ll see rather than time.

5. Preparing For The Flight

Most people book their NYC helicopter tour in advance to reserve a space. So if you booked in advance, you’ll be sent a waiver via email that will be a requirement to board your flight. Make sure you thoroughly read what you’re signing. If you don’t book in advance and turn up on the day, you’ll be required to sign this waiver on the spot. Each individual person riding in the helicopter has to sign a waiver, so if you booked for 2 people, both of you need to sign an individual waiver.

For many of these tours, you won’t be able to bring personal belongings with you. At HeliNY, we placed our items in the secure locker at the heliport and we can assume it’s similar at other locations. The only thing we were allowed to bring in the helicopter was our camera, sunglasses and cell phones. We also had to watch a brief safety video about how to safely strap ourselves into the seats and we were provided a life jacket in case of an emergency landing in water.

6. Seating Arrangements

Unless you book a private flight, you can expect to share the helicopter with about 6 other passengers. You might get luckily flying in the off season with fewer people, but we had 5 people for our flight including ourselves and not the pilot. Typically, there are two passengers up front with the pilot and four in the main cabin of the helicopter.

Similar to a plane, the seating is pre-determined according to passenger weight. This is based on efficiently distributing the total weight because you certainly don’t want to go up in a lopsided chopper. You can make a request for a specific seat but there are absolutely no obligations to put you in that seat if it may compromise the safety of passengers.

Most tours will have a maximum weight limit per passenger. For HeliNY, the max weight was 275 lbs (125kg). Passengers who are bordering around this weight may have to wait for a flight in which a proportionate weight can balance the helicopter.

7. Best Time Of Day

Choosing the right time of day can greatly affect your New York helicopter tour experience. We also found that weekdays are less crowded compared to weekends if you want to avoid the larger crowds.

An early morning ride will often be quieter with clearer weather and calmer air. You’ll beat the rush while having the rest of the day to explore the city, but the sun may be a problem leading to limited visibility. An afternoon ride is the best time of day for photographers. But it can be a trade off because the weather is more unpredictable and the heavy grey clouds may blow in later.

Sunset helicopter rides are most popular with couples celebrating a romantic occasion. But there is often an extra cost associated with this time of day. A night time helicopter ride is unique because you’ll see the city lights illuminating from below. There is also an extra cost associated with this time of day and it can be difficult to take photos due to lack of light and a moving helicopter.

We took our HeliNY helicopter tour at 2:00pm and we ended up being extremely happy with this time of day. However, since we flew in March, we took a chance by flying later in the day because weather is often unpredictable this time of year.

Keep in mind, it will also depend which way you’ll be flying. For example, flights over the East River and looking west over NYC are probably best completed in the morning as the sun will be at your back. Conversely, flights over the Hudson River as you look east over NYC are best taken in late afternoon or early evening such as sunset because the sun is behind you.

8. Weather And Cancellations

Weather is the main factor when it comes to a successful helicopter tour in New York. Unfortunately, tours will not fly if the weather is bad so if you want the best chance of flying, we recommend booking early in the morning. The hours between 1pm to 3pm are a good choice for photographers because the sun will be at its highest point in the sky. Therefore less glare will reflect from windows and you shouldn’t have to shoot directly into the sun.

Depending on the company you book with, helicopter tours may be delayed or cancelled due to poor weather. This includes low clouds, lightning, heavy rain, snow, poor visibility and wind gusts. If flights are cancelled due to weather, they are usually refunded or passengers have the chance to rebook for another day. We highly recommend you look into this before booking a tour because some companies charge a sneaky fee if a tour is rescheduled at the last minute even for weather.

Our Helicopter Ride With HeliNY

Before sharing what we experienced during our flight, here are the reasons we chose HeliNY over the competition:

• HeliNY had some of the best customer reviews
• They were taking covid cleanliness seriously (our flight was March 2021 when NYC was still heavily affected by covid)
• Tours depart from Manhattan, which made it easy to visit
• Prices were extremely competitive, if not the best value for money
• It was a family friendly helicopter experience
• We hadn’t read about recent misfortunes with this particular company, whereas others had recently been in the news

Our top priorities were safety, cleanliness and price. HeliNY ticked all the boxes and it was an easy decision. This company is part of the Helicopter Flight Services Company so you may see the names used interchangeably. We booked the Ultimate Tour which is the most popular HeliNY package.

When we flew, it was a warm spring day in New York City with a clear blue sky. The city was just coming back to life after a long, hard, covid hit Winter. Right after eating delicious pepperoni from Underground Pizza in the Financial District (one of our top rated NYC pizza places), we arrived a few minutes early for our scheduled 2:00 pm flight time and waited right outside the pier on a bench watching as others took off and landed.

After checking in, we watched the safety brief and putting our belongings in a locker. We also met the three other passengers who shared our HeliNY helicopter ride. Before boarding, the staff took a photo of each group in front of a helicopter which could be purchased after flight.

We both were placed on the right side of the helicopter with Mark back to back with the pilot and Kristen opposite Mark. Another couple sat in the back with us but we all had a window seat with plenty of room. Headsets were provided so we could listen as the pilot pointed out various landmarks along the flight path.

With nervous excitement building, our heart rates increasing and the long blades slicing through air, we were finally buckled in for our helicopter ride over NYC. Before we knew it, we were in the air and heading out into the East River. The helicopter banked right, gained elevation and within 30 seconds we were circling around the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Quickly moving on, we had the money shot of Lower Manhattan skyline in a V shape with both East and Hudson Rivers. Unfortunately, our orientation wasn’t directly head on. The route then traced the center of the Hudson River, passing by One World Trade Center, Empire State Building, Times Square, Edge at Hudson Yards, Midtown and Central Park.

It felt like we’d been in the air 2 minutes by the time we reached Yankee Stadium and George Washington Bridge to turn around. On the return leg, we followed the exact same path along the Hudson, except this time couple next to us had the Manhattan view and we had the New Jersey view. One more look at Lady Liberty and a left bank brought us around in line of sight for Brooklyn Bridge before landing back on the big H target along Pier 6.

Back in the heliport, we took a copy of our photograph in front of the helicopter, before picking our gear up and heading back into the beautiful sunshine of Lower Manhattan. What an incredible experience flying high over New York City with HeliNY!

While we flew with HeliNY, there are several other companies who’ve been in business for years so the good news is you have numerous options to choose from. Just follow our tips and you’ll have a great time.

If you want to experience this for yourself, here are the best helicopter tours in New York City based on customer reviews in no particular order:

HeliNY Tours

After our great experience with HeliNY, we feel confident to recommend them as a tour option. Above you’ll find their 3 most popular tours and the great reviews speak for themselves. This company offers closed door tours with large floor-to-ceiling convex windows for your viewing pleasure. Tour narration and all heliport fees are already included in the price, but you’ll pay a small fee for the photo with the helicopter if you want it. These flights include Central Park, Hudson River, Empire State Building, New York Harbor, the Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum, One World Trade Center and the iconic Statue of Liberty.

Travel Tip: We booked the Ultimate Manhattan Sightseeing tour which lasts 17-20 minutes.

Zip Aviation Tours

Zip Aviation is another popular company offering similar tours to heliNY with stunning views of Manhattan. The listed price does not include a $40/person heliport and secutiry fee. It takes off from the 6 East River Piers in Lower Manhattan. A pre-recorded narration is included and you’ll see the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, One World Trade Center, 9/11 Memorial, Brooklyn Bridge, Battery Park and so much more.

City Lights Skyline Experience

This 25 minute helicopter tour is offered by HeliNY, but it begins at the Linden Municipal Airport in Linden New Jersey. You’ll fly right over Newark and then continue on towards Manhattan to see the city light up at night. All heliport fees and taxes are included in the price.

Big Apple Helicopter Tour

Offered by Charm Aviation, this 17 to 20 minute tour begins at the 6 East River Piers. It flys down the Hudson River similar to the HeliNY experience and turns around at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. All heliport landing and facility fees are included in the price, but you’ll pay an additional fee for a souvenir photo.

FlyNYON Helicopter Experience

Offering both a doors off or doors on helicopter ride, FlyNYON flies over the southern tip of Manhattan and includes famous landmarks such as Statue of Liberty, Central Park and World Trade Center. This company also offers tours departing in New Jersey with special flights for the 4th of July, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and New Years Eve. With prices beginning at $190/person, you’ll also be responsible for a $62 booking fee and an extra $94.80 for the shoe selfie seat.

>> Book with FlyNYON here

Photography Tips

We think the skies offer some of the best NYC photography locations. Here are a few photography tips to help you capture amazing photos:

• Wear neutral colors like grey to limit reflections in windows around the helicopter
• Get your lens as close to the glass as possible to limit glare
• Shutter speed needs to be up around 1/4000s – 1/5000s. Seriously because if you don’t, you will not get sharp images
• Use shutter priority and set it super-fast, leave your ISO on auto and let the camera choose your aperture (which will be the widest it goes, such as f/2.8 or f/4). Our ISO never went above 500 because we had a 2:00 pm flight on a bright day
• Take more photographs of the same thing than you usually would. Thermals, wind, someone moving and other mechanisms will cause the helicopter to jump, bounce and sway. Many of your images will not turn out, so you need to make sure you get 1 in 10 right
• Think about exactly what you want to capture before you fly. Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, Statue of Liberty etc. Knowing your frames ahead of time will significantly help

We understand how stressful it can be when it comes to photography during a NYC helicopter ride because you want to get the best shot during this once in a lifetime experience! But don’t spend all of your time behind the camera and take some time to soak up the stunning New York City views.

The Morgan Conclusion

We enjoyed our helicopter ride over New York City because it was a unique way to see the iconic buildings and landmarks in one 20 minute swoop. It was interesting to take in the skyline from a different vantage point and it’s something we still talk about today. Prior to this ride, we both had never been in a helicopter before. So we figured NYC would be the best place to it and we think it definitely lived up to the hype. Follow the tips in our guide to have the best experience possible.

The downside to booking a helicopter tour is that it’s expensive so you can expect to spend a large chunk of your budget on just one experience. Keep in mind tours can also be can cancelled due to weather so we highly recommend you book your tour in the beginning of your visit. This way you’ll have a few days of flexibility just in the off chance your tour is rescheduled for any reason.

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Want more NYC information? Head over to our New York City Travel Guide for help with planning your first visit.

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We hope our NYC helicopter tour review helps you pick the best company!

Please let us know if you have any questions about picking a company or helicopter rides in the comments below.

Happy Flying,

Mark and Kristen

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