Travel is exciting. When it air travel, it gets more exciting especially if it is your first helicopter ride. We have seen helicopters countless times. Whether flying over the city or on your favorite television show, helicopters are a truly unique form of aviation. The ability to both fly and hover makes helicopter rides a different experience than riding in an airplane. So, if you’re planning for your first helicopter ride we’ve got some tips for you to help maximize the experience:
1. Dress the part
As is the case with just about everything in life, the way you dress is important. For starters, you’ll watch to leave all the loose-fitting items at home. You don’t want anything that can be pulled up by wind generated by the rotors. With hats, you’ll want to leave these in the car as well. Hats can be kicked off due to the strong gusts generated as well. You’ll also want to pull your hair back if you have long hair. Don’t worry, it’s not dangerous to have long hair, but it may become tangled due to all the wind created. So while it isn’t dangerous to have long hair, if you don’t have it pulled back it may be rather painful to brush out the tangles later on.
2. Pay attention to seating
There are going to be very specific seating instructions. If the flight is just for you and a significant other it shouldn’t be an issue. However, there are times where a helicopter tour will include several people you don’t know. When this happens some may want to push to grab the best seat. That should never happen. It is why you will be given very specific seating instructions. Your helicopter tour service will do everything in their power to seat people together, but there are times where this just isn’t possible. Once you have your seat assignment don’t try to sit in someone else’s seat.
3. Know the helicopter
The helicopter you end up on will be determined by who you book through and the services offered. Some helicopters use all front-facing seats while others (usually larger helicopters) might have a handful of rear-facing seats. Don’t worry, everyone can see, but if you want to watch what the pilot is flying to you’ll want to book a front-facing seat. This is also important if you (or anyone else in your group) suffers from motion sickness. People who suffer from motion sickness are more likely to experience symptoms with rear-facing seats. You may also want to take some non-drowsy motion sickness medication before taking off, just in case.
4. Listen to your pilot
Your helicopter tour is carefully planned out. From the flight course to the time it will take off and land. The best way to stay on schedule and to make sure you experience the full tour is to listen to the pilot. The pilot and the rest of the tour staff are on hand to help answer any questions you might have. This can help offer up a peace of mind, especially if anyone in the group is feeling a bit unsure about the flight.
5. Plan your photographs
Naturally, when you’re on a helicopter you will want to take photographs. You can do this with either a cell phone or a stand-alone camera. However, if you want to make sure you capture the best picture possible we do have some pointers. First, wear clothing that is darker in color. There will be some reflections and glares on the windows during the flight. Bright colors are picked up in the glass. Instead, you want to wear dark-colored clothing. This is an old photographer’s trick when taking pictures of glass (such as of wine bottles).