Doors-Off NYC Helicopter Experience + Everything You Need to Know
Doors-off NYC helicopter tour experience + everything you need to know before you fly
Have you ever wanted to take a helicopter ride over New York City? What about with the doors off? With FlyNYON, you can take a foot-dangling helicopter tour that will fly you over the most iconic NYC locations! Snap the popular “Instagram NYC shoe selfie”, capture some beautiful aerial photos, or just enjoy a birds-eye view of the city on this unforgettable helicopter tour!
Read on for what you can expect, how to plan for your flight, tips for taking photos and videos during your flight, and more from my bucket-list doors-off New York City experience with FlyNYON!
What to expect
How to get to FlyNYON
Although your helicopter will be flying over New York City, you will be taking off from New Jersey at Kearny Heliport, located at 78 John Miller Way Kearny, NJ.
What you’ll experience
This blog post only covers the doors-off helicopter NYC flight experience. However, the packaged sights that you get to see are exactly the same. The only differences are pricing and visibility (doors-on is more limited based on seating).
16 minute flight experience:
Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
Wall St
Freedom Tower
9/11 Memorial
The Oculus
Lower Manhattan Money Shot
Brooklyn Bridge
30 minute flight experience:
Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
Wall St
Freedom Tower
9/11 Memorial
The Oculus
Lower Manhattan Money Shot
Brooklyn Bridge
Empire State Building
Midtown
Times Square
The Vessel
Central Park
Time
Arrive 1 hour and 15 minutes before your scheduled flight time. This gives you ample time to go through the flight safety video, have a bathroom break, get harnessed up, go through in-person safety measures, and to shuttle out to the helipad. Overall, you should anticipate a time block of around 2 hours for your entire experience (check-in, on-boarding, flight, and off-boarding).
Seating
Helicopter seating arrangements are based on weight and are calculated by a computer for maximum safety. If you purchased the “guaranteed shoe selfie” option, you will be seated on the outer sides of the helicopter. Just a heads up: the seat directly behind the pilot has a half door that stops right at the end of the seat, this means that you will not be able to turn the full 90 degrees. If you are short, you can opt for lifted feet photos instead.
Wind
Due to the doors being off the helicopter, you will get hit with wind gusts. On a regular day it’s not so bad, but on windy days it can be incredibly difficult, so be prepared. Here’s some tips below to help combat windy situations:
Wear glasses or sunglasses to shield your eyes. The last thing you want to do is have your eyes shut or filled with tears for your entire flight.
Hold your phone closer to you. Keeping it closer reduces the amount of screen shake from the wind while recording video.
Wear pants (unless you don’t mind skin rippling/jiggling).
If you have long hair, TIE IT BACK! I highly recommend a tighter style to reduce tangle and hair strands interfering with your shooting. I made the mistake of wearing mine in a low ponytail and my hair got incredibly tangled due to the mixture of humidity and wind.
What to wear on your flight
In order to have a comfortable flights, it’s important to know what to wear on your your doors-off helicopter flight. Be aware of the weather on the day of your flight and wear the appropriate clothing for the temperature. It will be chillier up in the air so if you get cold easily, opt for long sleeves. You should wear form-fitting clothing, nothing loose as it will be windy. Also due to the wind, your skin will experience a rippling effect, if this is bothersome for you then opt for pants instead of shorts.
What you can & can’t bring on your flight
For safety reasons, it is important to bring ONLY what you need for your flight. Empty your pockets and leave all non-essential items in your car. They have lockable containers where you can place your purses and keys.
Appropriate clothing
Glasses or sunglasses
Phone (case off) OR camera (lens cap/case off & 1 lens only) - you can only take one
What you can & can’t do on your flight
YOU CAN:
Turn 90 degrees and let your legs hang out for the entire flight, but you must keep them in during both takeoff and landing.
Take as many videos and photos as you like!
YOU CAN’T:
Do anything that will put you or your fellow passengers in danger (please follow all helicopter safety guidelines!)
When to book
When looking for the most affordable tickets, the best time to book is during the major holidays. Discounts range anywhere from 25%-70% off!
Best time slots to book
Weekdays and Sundays are the cheapest. Saturdays are the most expensive. Early mornings are the cheapest. Sunset, and nighttime flights are pricier.
Book cheaper, upgrade later
I booked my ticket during Memorial Day weekend for 70% off. I chose the 16 minute experience because it was the cheapest option. Once we checked in, they offered to upgrade us to the 30 minute flight for a discounted rate, which we happily accepted (and definitely recommend).
How to capture the best photos and videos during your doors-off helicopter flight
Want to capture that perfect, Instagram NYC helicopter shoe selfie? Or maybe even some amazing aerial shots of the New York City skyline? I’m sharing some tips to help you capture the best photos and videos possible on your flight!
Due to the amount sights to cover and short flight times, your helicopter will not stop and hover over the locations for you to snap the perfect photo. You may get slower passes as you approach key spots, but it’s important to be as quick as possible to get the content you’re looking for!
Plan ahead
Looking to capture a specific iconic New York City skyline shot? Make a list of important photos you want to snap and make sure to have your camera ready before you arrive at that spot. Your pilot will be giving you a verbal tour via your headset so they will let you know what’s going on every step of the way.
Practice
In order to avoid awkward leg and foot photos, you might want to practice shooting before your flight. Sit on the edge of a chair and move your legs around as you take test shots. This way you get the motions down and you can snap effortlessly during your flight.
Prioritize
Photo or video? It’s difficult, but not impossible to capture both, but you have to be quick! If you’re worried you won’t be quick enough, pick one form of content that will be your main focus (you can always shoot video only and select stills to export as photos - the quality will not be as good, but it’s an alternative method).
TIP: If you’re shooting with the iPhone 11 Pro, keep your phone on camera mode. Tap rapidly or hold the shutter and slide left to take burst shots. For video, hold the shutter and slide right for quick video clips. This is the quickest way to capture both forms of content with the least amount of effort.
My thoughts on the NYC doors-off helicopter experience with FlyNYON
Flying on a doors off helicopter over New York City was a bucket-list item for me, so I’m so happy that I was finally able to check it off my list! It was actually everything that I had anticipated (minus the extreme wind gusts haha). The FlyNYON staff was super knowledgable and fun, and the flight was seamless and safe. Honestly, after riding in a helicopter without the doors, I’ve become hooked and this will definitely not be the last location that I do this at!
I hope this blog post helped you to plan and book your doors off helicopter NYC flight experience with FlyNYON.
Happy flying!
