A Long Beach Helicopter Tour toward Catalina Island
Fly for fifteen minutes over the Queen Mary, Long Beach's container terminals, and open water toward Catalina.
The flight runs fifteen minutes and the aircraft is yours: two or three passengers, nobody else. The visit is booked as 45 minutes, though, and that is the number to plan around: the weigh-in, the paperwork and the safety briefing all come first, on the ground. The flying covers the Long Beach waterfront and the harbour mouth, and that is the whole route.
Anthelion Helicopters flies it from the field at Long Beach Airport. Everyone wears a headset. The pilot narrates the ground as it goes by.
Booking is per person with a minimum of two. A solo traveller cannot fly this one. Three passengers is the cap on a single booking.
Taxes, fees and the fuel surcharge are inside the fare. Tips for the pilot and ground staff sit outside it. Confirmation is manual and the cut-off is two hours before departure. Same-day plans need that margin.
Private Helicopter Tour over Long BeachFifteen minutes, private, two or three passengers. Headsets and live commentary on board. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.www.viator.comThe Waterfront Half of the Loop
The Queen Mary comes first. From the air the whole hull reads at once, the dome beside it, the marina behind.
Then the waterfront proper: Shoreline Village, the aquarium, downtown Long Beach standing up behind them. Belmont Shore Pier marks the eastern end before the aircraft turns back west.
Then the Working Harbour
West of downtown the view turns industrial. It is the more interesting half.
Container cranes line the channel. The Battleship Iowa is moored at San Pedro, and the Vincent Thomas Bridge crosses the main channel just past her. The climb at the far end opens the long view inland over the Los Angeles basin. Anthelion lists Catalina on that horizon too, and the air has to be clear enough to deliver it.
Weight Is Checked Before You Fly
Weights are verified on arrival and the numbers are firm.
- R44: 300 pounds per seat, and under 580 pounds for the group
- R22: 220 pounds
- Over the limit at weigh-in means no flight and no refund. A reschedule is offered instead.
A liability waiver is signed at the counter. Government photo ID has to match the name on the booking.
Timing, Weather and the Refund Window
Arrive at least fifteen minutes before the scheduled flight. Paperwork and the safety briefing happen in that window, and a late arrival can mean a shortened flight or a rebooking fee of 100 dollars.
Weather moves this one. Adverse conditions or FAA restrictions can change the route, and Anthelion reschedules at no extra charge when that happens. Cancelling yourself is free up to 24 hours before departure. Inside that window nothing comes back.
📍 Check-in is at the hangar, 3213 Airflite Way, at the end of a private two-lane road on the Long Beach Airport field. Park anywhere in the lot, then find the sign above the door and ring the doorbell. Airport policy keeps that door locked. On a booking after 5pm the front desk may be empty, and your pilot lets you in when they are back on the ground.
Fifteen minutes after the skids come up, the Queen Mary has gone by under the nose and the cranes are lining up ahead.