A Helicopter Tour North Over Columbia, Harlem, and the Palisades
An extended version of the standard Manhattan loop, flying north over Columbia, Harlem, and the Bronx before turning back.
The operator calls this the extended version of its Classic Tour, and the extension is all northbound. After Central Park the aircraft keeps going, up past Columbia University and Harlem to the George Washington Bridge, then across to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx before it turns back down the island.
Eighteen to twenty minutes, skids up to skids down. Each landmark gets exactly one pass. Decide before you board whether you are shooting or watching.
Departures leave from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at 6 East River Piers, just north of the Staten Island Ferry terminal and just south of Pier 11. The operator flags one thing about getting there. Use Google Maps. Other navigation apps route people to Chelsea Piers, on the far side of the island.
The fare covers local taxes and the 40 dollar per person heliport fee. Gratuities are not included. The operator's own page still lists that fee as due at the check-in desk, so keep your booking confirmation on your phone.
Deluxe Manhattan Helicopter TourManhattan Helicopters · 18 to 20 minutes · Departs 6 East River Pierswww.viator.comThe harbor half of the route
Takeoff puts you over the East River. The route runs down past Battery Park and the Financial District, out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, then back in toward One World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial.
This is the stretch the Classic Tour also covers, and it is where the whole island fits inside one window.
North of Central Park
After Central Park the aircraft stays north. The official sight list for this leg runs Grant's Tomb, Columbia University, Harlem, the George Washington Bridge, the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge, and the Palisades cliffs on the New Jersey side, with Yankee Stadium across in the Bronx.
The operator alters the route during Yankee home games to stay clear of restricted airspace, so the Bronx leg tracks the baseball calendar.
Uptown from the air is brick and green and bridges, a different texture from the glass downtown. The Palisades surprise people who did not know New Jersey had cliffs.
Check-in, ID, and the weight rules
Check-in is 45 minutes before the scheduled flight time. Every passenger clears a metal detector, and the desk asks for a government-issued photo ID along with the credit card used to book. Children are asked for ID too.
The heliport permits sightseeing flights only between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. Sunday has none at all.
- A phone and your sunglasses come on board. Purses, bags, camera bags, scarves and hats stay in a locker at the heliport, which costs 2 dollars
- Passengers over 250 lbs (113 kg) buy a second seat, paid to the operator on the day
- The hard cap is 300 lbs (136 kg) per passenger
- Infants ride on an adult's lap
- The flight is not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- The heliport and the surfaces around it are wheelchair accessible
The crew assigns seats for weight and balance, so you cannot pick one. On a six-seat Bell 407 that includes a center seat with the narrowest view of the six.
One more thing about timing. You may be sent up any time between your check-in time and your booked slot, and the operator may offer you an earlier flight. Taking it is optional. Your original time stands.
What you hear in the cabin
Narration comes through headsets, and the operator is unusually frank about them. Audio language is assigned by availability, and when more than two languages are requested on one flight the commentary defaults to English. The operator also states plainly that it cannot guarantee the headsets work.
Plan for the possibility that you fly with the view and no soundtrack. On a twenty-minute pass over a city you can mostly identify by eye, that is a smaller loss than it sounds.
Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund. Booking closes 24 hours before departure and confirmation is instant. Weather and weight both move flights, and every published time is approximate.
The pin above marks the Downtown Manhattan Heliport. Check-in is at 6 East River Piers, on the Lower Manhattan waterfront. South Ferry on the 1 and Whitehall Street on the R and W each leave you about five minutes away on foot. You land back at the bottom of the island with the whole Lower Manhattan waterfront still in front of you.