Practical
What to know before a helicopter tour in New York
The flight is the easy part. What catches people out is the ninety minutes around it: the weigh-in that decides where you sit, the locker that takes everything out of your hands, the check-in time that is a deadline rather than a suggestion. Here is the whole thing, in order.
Quick answer
Arrive an hour before your slot, bring the photo ID you booked with, expect to be weighed, and put everything loose into the locker. The advertised duration is time in the air; the visit is about ninety minutes. Your seat is assigned by weight rather than chosen, so if a window matters, say so when you book. Doors stay closed on every flight here, dress for standing on an open pad rather than for the cabin, and tipping is neither required nor included — ten to twenty per cent is what people who tip leave.
The practical details
- Check-in
- One hour beforetreated as a deadline, not a guideline
- ID
- Photo ID requiredthe name is checked against the manifest
- Weigh-in
- Every passengerthe weights decide the seating, not preference
- Bags
- Into a lockernothing loose goes into the cabin
- Doors
- Closedevery flight on this page is an enclosed scenic cabin
- Headset
- Providedthe only way to hear anything over the rotor
- Whole visit
- About 90 minuteswhichever flight you book
- Tipping
- Not included10–20% is what people who tip leave
- Children
- Varies by operatorcheck the listing; minimum ages and weights differ
- Free cancellation
- 24 hourson all twelve flights here
The ninety minutes, in order
What actually happens from arrival to walking out
It is the same shape at all three departure points.
- An hour before: check in
Photo ID against the manifest. Arrive late and the seat is gone — the aircraft is scheduled and the next group is already waiting.
- The weigh-in
Everybody stands on a scale. It is quick, the number is not announced, and it goes to the pilot so the cabin can be balanced. This is what decides where you sit.
- Security and the locker
Bags, coats, hats, loose phones and anything in an outside pocket go into a locker. You walk to the aircraft with a camera or a phone in your hand and nothing else.
- The safety briefing
Short and worth listening to: the harness, which door you use, and the rule about never walking behind the aircraft. Headsets are handed out here.
- The walk to the pad
In a group, usually with the rotors already turning. Hold on to anything that can lift. Seats are called in the order the pilot wants them filled.
- The flight
Fifteen to forty-five minutes depending on what you booked. The commentary comes through the headset; you can usually hear the other passengers too.
- Afterwards
Photographs on the apron if there is time, headsets back, and out through the terminal. Allow twenty minutes for this end of it.
The seat
Why you cannot simply ask for a window
The scale decides, not the request. A private cabin is the only guarantee.
A helicopter has to balance. The pilot gets the passenger weights from check-in and seats the cabin accordingly, which is why seat requests made at the door rarely go anywhere. On a six-seat cabin two people end up in the middle of the back bench without a window of their own, looking past somebody else’s shoulder.
What actually helps: ask when you book rather than on the day, because some operators note it and work around it if the arithmetic allows. Beyond that, the only guarantee is a private cabin, which starts at $937.
It is worth putting this in proportion. A middle seat on a helicopter over New York is still New York from a helicopter, and the aircraft turns, so both sides get the skyline at some point in the loop. But if this flight is a photograph you intend to keep, or an occasion, the private cabin is what that money is for.
What to wear and bring
Six practical notes
None of this is complicated and all of it is easier decided at the hotel than at the pad.
- Dress for the pad, not the cabin
The cabin is heated and comfortable. The apron in January is not, and you stand on it. In summer the reverse: the terminal is air-conditioned and the pad is hot.
- Nothing on your head that can lift
Hats and loose scarves go in the locker anyway. Rotor wash is stronger than it looks in the photographs.
- Dark clothing photographs better through glass
A white shirt reflects in the window and puts a ghost of you across the skyline. Dark colours disappear.
- Bring the camera you can hold in one hand
There is no room for a bag and no time to change a lens. One body, one lens, wrist strap.
- Motion sickness: eat something first
A helicopter on a scenic loop is smoother than most people expect, but flying on an empty stomach is the classic mistake. If you are prone to it, take something an hour before.
- Sunglasses are worth having
Low sun through glass at eight hundred feet is bright, and polarised lenses are fine for your eyes even though a polarising filter is wrong for the camera.
Every flight here has the same ninety-minute shape, but where you check in changes the day completely.
The three departure points→Common questions
Before you fly, answered
How early should I arrive for a helicopter tour in New York?
An hour before the slot, at all three departure points. Operators treat it as a deadline: the aircraft is scheduled and a late arrival loses the seat.
Is there a weight limit for New York helicopter tours?
Every operator weighs passengers at check-in, and weights are used to balance the aircraft and assign seats. Individual limits and any surcharge for a second seat differ by operator, so check the listing before booking if this matters to you.
Can I take a bag on board?
No. Bags, coats, hats and anything loose go into a locker before you walk to the aircraft. You carry a camera or a phone and nothing else.
Are the doors open on New York helicopter tours?
Not on any flight on this page. These are enclosed scenic cabins with the doors closed, which is why the photography advice is about shooting through glass.
Do you tip the pilot?
It is not required and it is not included. Travellers who tip typically leave ten to twenty per cent with the ground crew or pilot afterwards.
Can children go on a helicopter tour?
Usually, though minimum ages and weight rules differ between operators. Check the specific listing rather than assuming, and book early if a child needs a particular seat.
What happens if the weather is bad?
The operator moves or cancels the flight, and normally offers a new slot first. Every flight on this page is free to cancel up to 24 hours before if you want to move it yourself.
Go deeper
More on flying over New York
What it costs
From $253 to $4,415, and what a minute in the air is worth.
The verdictWhich flight is best
One recommendation for each kind of visitor, and why.
The islandManhattan from the air
What the grid looks like from above, and which flights cross it.
After darkFlying at night
The same city lit from the inside, and what it costs.
The heliportsWhere they depart
Three departure points, and how each one changes the flight.
New JerseyFrom New Jersey
The routes that fly over Manhattan instead of around it.
