I’m no rookie to helicopters, but riding in one with no doors was definitely a first for me. Can you imagine the thrill of being 2,000 feet in the air with only a seatbelt keeping you from falling? (Ok, maybe not just a seatbelt. You’re also harnessed). Still nothing quite compared to the excitement of skydiving, but you certainly need to try this!
I officially have a teenager of my very own, ya’ll! And for her birthday, we had to do something special, especially since our original plans fell through – thanks COVID. Being the thrill seeker that I am, I’m constantly on the hunt for new and exhilirating experiences. One that would be just as memorable as it is exiting. So, here we are….
First things first, don’t be afraid! I know some of you are probably thinking, “Are you crazy?! Ride in a helicopter with no doors?!”, but trust me, it’s not a scary as it seems. I honestly thought our girls were going to punk out when we got there, but they actually seemed even more anxious to get going. My sister-in-law on the other hand, needed a little more encouragement, but she ended up doing great! Plus, the staff was good with answering any questions we had and made sure we were comfortable enough before taking flight. Aside from this, we watched a safety video (about 10 minutes long) and was given a hands-on tutorial by the Pilots of what do in case of an emergency (and thank God we didn’t have to use them). So this definitely put our minds at ease.
One thing about flying in the cooler seasons, it’s cold! I mean, really cold. In flight it feels about 20 degrees cooler than it is on land. The cold wind literally beat tears out of ours eyes, snot out our noses and my hand felt completely numb. Needless to say, Bundle Up! But generally speaking, appropriate attire for this experience would be sneakers with laces, stretch pants or sweatpants (trust me, you don’t want to be uncomfortable), sunglasses (especially if you wear contacts) and a snug hat.
As I did, most people use this experience to capture beautiful photos of NYC from a different perspective. But don’t worry if you don’t have any top notch photography equipment, your phone is all you need. You’ll be given a selfie stick that you can wear around your neck for no extra cost to use during your ride. And if you do happen to bring your own equipment, make sure it has a neck strap. You are not allowed on with anything handheld.
You’ll have the option to fly on a 16 or 30 minute tour. The route you decide on solely depends on the landmarks you would like to see. Obviously, with the extended tour, you’ll be able to cover a lot more of the City. But for us, the shorter ride did just fine.
🚨IMPORTANT INFO! READ BEFORE YOU BOOK🚨
• DO NOT book your flight at the advertised price you see online. FlyNYON almost always has a sale going, anywhere from 25 – 70% off (seriously, it seems like everyday they have a new promotion). Without the use of these codes, the cost of your flight would be ridiculously high. Also, if you plan on booking but want to save more money then what their current promotion is offering, Don’t be afraid to try the outdated coupon codes! I tried my luck and put in an older discount that was promoted a few weeks ago for 70% off (FLASHSALE70), and guess what? It still worked! We ended up paying $118 per person, as opposed to $298. So keep an eye out for when they have hefty sales going on, and save those codes for later.
• On the site, there are two booking options: ‘Book Now’ and ‘Buy Now Schedule Later’. GO WITH THE ‘BUY NOW SCHEDULE LATER’ OPTION, even if you’re planning to fly the same day. For some reason, there’s a significant price difference when you do it this way.
• The seating space is very small! They allow a maximum of 6 passengers at a time; five in the back and one in front with the Pilot. But unless you, and everyone you’re with are very thin, there’s just no way five people could be comfortable back there. With just the four of us, I had almost no leg room, or space to maneuver when it came time to throw our feet off the sides. Now, there’s a required minimum of three people to take flight. BUT, if you book for less than five individuals, there’s a pretty good chance some strangers will be seated with you (the Pilots will always try to fill the flight to max capacity, but if there’s at least five of you, it’s not likely that someone will be flying alone. So the chances of having a stranger on your ride will be slim to none).
So, who’s going to give this a try?!
XO,
Lexi 💋
