On a Recent Visit to New York, we heard about FlyNyon Helicopter tours and thought they sounded pretty cool. Soaring above Manhattan in a Helicopter with the doors left on the ground. Honestly it never really occurred to us there was something terrifying about Flying in a Helicopter with the doors off. We just figured we would get better Pictures. It was one of these situations where things start to dawn as it gets nearer. When Friends and Family start calling you crazy. When at the Hanger You are constantly asked “Are You Nervous?”, “How are you feeling”, and “Just stay calm and try and Enjoy it”. It all starts to add up. You will be perched on a tiny seat, suspended in a bumpy Helicopter 2000ft above New York City…Oh C***
In Our FlyNYON Review, we take a look at this company which is one of the only New York Helicopter Tours to offer the Doors Off. This thrilling and unique experience offers the chance to really see New York from a unique perspective. But it doesn’t come cheap and is not for the faint-hearted so we grabbed our cameras and jumped aboard to see what it is REALLY like to hang half out of a helicopter above the concrete jungle of NYC!
Who are FlyNYON and What are their Helicopter “Tours” about?
When researching our latest trip to New York we came across FlyNYON on Instagram. Posting amazing shots of New York Iconic landmarks from incredible angles and just knew we had to experience this.
FlyNYON offers the incredible experience of flying in a Helicopter over Manhattan without the doors on the Aircraft! Why? Well, the big issue with helicopter tours is the view out the windows are often partly obscured and this makes photography and sightseeing less enjoyable. Without the doors, you are getting a full uninterrupted view of the city.
The Other BIG advantage of these tours are they are classed as Photographic operations and as such fall outside of the very restricted flight rules imposed on the sightseeing operators. This is all very complicated but the upshot is most helicopter flights have a set route to fly that stays over the water at all times. FlyNYON’s flights can operate over Manhattan giving incredible close-up views of the Citys best landmarks.
The Routes offered by FlyNYON simply blow the other operators out of the water. But at what cost?
Prices
Unfortunately, these are not Cheap Flights! The Doors off start at $260 per person and you will be sharing your helicopter with someone else. While the Doors on flights are better valued, they run up against some serious competition with the Manhattan-based outfits that don’t require a trip to Kearny and don’t incur the same loss of flight time flying two and from Kearny.
The pricing structure is also VERY fluid. We keep an eye on them and they float around like crazy, like Airline flights. They are also more expensive at “premium” times of the day and they implement SURGE Charging at busy times. Below is a guide as to what to expect. But check live prices for your time and date.
Doors Off
- Doors Off – NYC Classic – 30-33 Mins – From
$433$260 Per Seat - Doors Off – NYC Experience 16-19 Mins – From
$791$475 Per seat
Doors On
- Doors On – NYC Intro – 12-15 Mins -From
$326$196 Per Seat - Doors Off – NYC VIP – 24-27 Mins -From
$658$395 Per Seat
Foot Selfie Guarantee
for a set fee, you can book a Shoe Selfie guarantee. The seating situation can be awkward, and you are not guaranteed a window seat. But add this option and your crew will be guaranteed prime spots with no obstructions so at the appropriate moment you can pivot and get those shots of your tootsies over Manhattan.
Are the upgrades worth it? We have never gone for it and always got a window seat, but if not getting those all-important feet shots is a deal breaker for you, then definitely consider it. Otherwise, it’s luck of the draw. See more on seating options later.
Discount Codes
It is worth mentioning FlyNYON offers many discount codes on their flights. We follow them on Twitter and we constantly see 40-70% off codes offered throughout the year. We are not affiliated with NYON in any way so can’t offer the code ourselves but make sure you follow them and only buy when there is a good offer. We have seen 60% around Black Friday and the Holidays and 50% is the most we saw at other times of the year.
They also offer some good discounts when flying off-peak. In total we paid
$495.00 for two seats on a Classic Doors Off! That’s $247.50 each. Not bad for a $499 list price. That was
Experience
One of the best ways to describe the flight is with a video. We recorded the whole thing on our Go Pro in 4k so you can see the full flight from engines on to touchdown. We have sped up the slightly less interesting bits.
As you can see from the above video. It was quite an experience, however, the actual flight is only part of the day and it does little to explain what it really feels like. So read on for our full review on what Flying over New York in an open-cabined Helicopter is really like.
2021 Update
We headed back in 2021 and took another flight, this time at night and it was even BETTER
Getting There
Getting there is the biggest issue, and it takes a good hour on Public Transport and possibly even longer in a cab. And if you don’t get there 1hr15Mins before the flight they cancel it!
This all adds quite a bit of stress to the pre-flight process. We got to Penn station NY 2Hrs45Mins prior to our flight giving us a good 1hr30 to make the journey. We took the NJ Transit to Penn Station Newark and then Hopped in an UBER for the connection to Kearny. It was $10.50 (Two trips) on the NJ Transit and the Uber was around $7-8. In total, it took us around an hour so we were in plenty of time to relax at the Hanger
If you are not an Uber User you can get a cab to pick you up from Newark Penn Station Instead and can arrange for one to take you back there too to avoid the LONG cab journey from Manhattan.
It is worth noting that FlyNYON Offers a full transport service from most Manhattan Hotels. While this is costly it probably isn’t too bad compared with a cab and the bonus is they will NOT cancel your flight if you are late as the Onus is on them to get you there. We opted to take public transport to you understand what is entailed.
Hanger
With about 45 mins to go, we were called into our briefing. Here you watch a short video and then a quick question-and-answer session on the upcoming flight. This is mainly from a safety point of view. Explaining how the flight operates, the safety and restraint systems, and what you are and are not allowed to take with you.
You are allowed two photographic devices including your phone. They must both be securely attached and you can not take selfie sticks or anything you can extend out of the cabin. If you are taking your phone they will provide a Wrist grip for you to attach the phone to. Clothing and shoes must all be securely fitted. So, no slip-on shoes, or hats. Essentially you are not allowed anything that could fly out of the cabin…because it WILL.
Any Valuables and loose items are stowed away in secure lockboxes and then you are fitted with your climbing harnesses. In the Helicopter, you have two harnesses. A standard car style 3 point and Climbing Tether with Quick release. The tether does very little to stop you from falling out of the helicopter, it just stops you from falling very far. We were required to have a couple of goes at undoing the quick release by touch alone just in case we needed to in an emergency.
It is during these briefings and being constantly asked if we were ok and not too nervous, that the nerves did start kicking in. It was also around this time one of our fellow cabinmates began kicking off! He believed he had booked a private tour and the fact he would have “strangers” in the helicopter with him meant he had been misled! From our point of view, it was very clear we would be in a mixed-occupant cabin, and can’t for the life of us think why he believed any different. He really was very unpleasant about the whole thing and went as far as saying if he had known he wouldn’t have booked. Not wanting to upset someone who we were about to be in an open-cabined aircraft with, we didn’t antagonize him too much.
Once all fitted up we were led to the shuttle for the final hop to the Heliport. Here we would be introduced to our Pilot and given our
The helicopter, Seating Position, and View
One of the things most people worry about is the seating in the Helicopter. As we said one of the Gents in our helicopter was under the illusion he would have the chopper to himself and his companion. But most people who have read even a little on the FlyNYON Site know you will be in a shared cabin.
This means there is the issue of who gets what seats.
They claim that seats are automatically assigned by computer based entirely on weight. We don’t believe this and it is simply an excuse to avoid confrontation about who is sitting where. It makes no sense to assign seats solely on weight and balance as this would spoil the flight for most people. I was with my wife Katie and He was there with his companion while the two others sharing the flight were solo riders. It only makes sense to keep me and Kate together, him and her together, and the Solo riders fitting in the gaps, such as upfront. This is exactly what happened so in our minds there is human intervention at some point.
As a pilot myself (Fixed wing), I know the importance of weights and Balance, I also know there are tolerances and you do not need perfection.
The Layout of the Bell 206L Long Rangers used can be seen above. As you can see it’s three
I was assigned the outside left, with one of the Solo riders opposite me. The Outside Right was given to Grumpy Guy’s Female Companion. These three are all excellent seats. The Grump guy himself was stuck in the right-hand rear-facing seat. This is the worst seat and actually has a solid unremovable part of the helicopter between him and the outside. Basically Doors On. We do hope this was a last-minute change by the Crew to “Accommodate” his attitude but who knows it might just be Karma.
The big issue with all this is there is absolutely no way to know, impact, or alter this assignment in any way. You don’t even know how many people will be in the helicopter with you. The minimum is 3 but as we were at an “Off-Peak” time and every helicopter leaving
This has changed slightly and you can now Pay for the Show Selfie Guarantee, Which will definitely avoid you from getting the BAD seat and the Middle seat. It also stacks the odds against you if others have paid for the upgrade…
Flight
Once in our assigned seats and securely tethered to the helicopter the Pilot jumped in and began firing up the engines and negotiating with Air Traffic Control. This is when you truly begin to appreciate the precarious nature of your current predicament. You start to look down and think
You are perched right on the edge with seemingly very little to stop you from falling out. Yes, you have a 3-point belt on but it’s not tight and doesn’t provide the feeling of security. And while you are strapped into a climbing harness that is securely tethered to the aircraft, It too provides no feeling of security. YOU CAN NOT FALL OUT, but I was having a hard time convincing the primitive part of my brain of this fact.
Too late now as the Chopper lifted off and we were away on our trip of a lifetime over New York City.
Wind, Wind, Wind
It is impossible to talk about this flight without mentioning the WIND. Everything we have read had stated the wind up there is brutal. It really can’t be stated strongly enough though. It was a pretty calm day with low winds on the ground but up in the air, you are brutally beaten by the wind. Wind Strengthens when aloft but this was something else. It is the downdraft from the rotors being forced into the cabin and it literally takes your breath away. Operating a Camera, moving your head, or even just keeping your eyes open can be impossible when it’s at its strongest.
This does not help the feeling of impending doom of death by free fall. And for the first 10 mins of the flight, I was pretty useless. The Camera was getting fired off plenty but exactly what I was shooting and the chances of any of it being any good were pretty doubtful. It is essential you have your settings right (see below) before liftoff as the thought of fiddling with the camera settings was right out. It took a while before I even had the guts to alter the Zoom length!
As the flight goes on this fear settles, the wind and the drop become more normal and you begin to enjoy it. The feet start hanging out the cabin for selfies and by the time the chopper rolled back to the Heliport I had my foot out the Cabin nonchalantly resting on the skid pan like some hardened Air Cavalry Vet…well sort of!
Route Around Manhattan
The FlyNYON Website suggests there are no set routes and the Pilot will plan your route based on the requirements of the passengers on the day. This is simply not true. First, really, we all want to see the same things so there are likely to be few requests other than the NYC Highlight reel. And secondly, from what I could tell from the ATC Chatter, we went pretty much where ATC would allow us.
While we had zero say, had we been given the choice, I am 99% sure everyone would pick exactly what we saw. Our route was inverse of what you usually hear about but still hit all the big New York landmarks. The Flight began with us heading alongside the I-9 towards Manhatten. We then flew up and across the Hudson and into Central Park. Here we were at a fairly high altitude and had sweeping views of the park and the City Behind.
After Circling a couple of times to give both sides the best view we descended slightly and headed to mid-town for close-ups of the Empire State, Chrysler, and the sprawl of high-rise buildings.
Next up we headed downtown past the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge. Here we ascended for a high-altitude view of the Island. This really is the Money Shot. The sort of view that made everything all worthwhile. This will probably be the best Photo I will
It’s important at times like this to try and
We then headed down to get up close and personal with the Freedom Tower, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, Wall Street, and the Downtown Area.
After Circling Downtown for a While, The Pilot requested a low-level descent into the Statue Control Zone. This meant we were cleared to fly low and close to the Statue of Liberty. Down at only a few hundred feet and we made a couple of passes of the Statue which were really thrilling as you could feel the bank angles as the chopper turned. Of Course, getting to see the Statue from this perspective was really awesome.
On the Night Flight, we first dropped down and got some awesome shots of the Brooklyn Bridge too.
Return
And that was it! We peeled away from the Statue and headed back to Kearny. I was sure we were short in time, It flew by so quickly, but the Go Pro was rolling the whole time and it showed a good 32 Mins in the Air. The Flight back was pretty great as we flew low over the docks and
The Buzz around the place was very different than the mood before. We guess we were not the only nervous Passengers but now everyone was a- Buzz about the incredible experience they had just gone through.
The Bus back to the Terminal took an annoyingly long time but when it finally arrived we were very glad to get into its heated cab. Our flight was early November and it was unseasonably warm at 61 DegF (16 DegC) but still at 2000ft with the wind howling it got a bit nippy. Any colder and you would quickly be very cold indeed. There are Cold weather policies on the Website and we suggest you check them out if you are flying Autumn/Winter/Spring
Back at the Hanger we were relieved of our Harnesses and reunited with our valuables and then that was it we were free to make our way back to New York. We simply reversed the trip with an Uber to Newark Penn and then NJ Transit back to Manhattan.
Photography Tips and Gear
Daytime / Sunset
I was in ten minds about what kit to use. I was taking my trusty travel Canon 100d (rebel 100) but what lens to use was driving me quite crazy. I finally Narrowed it down to my 11-20 f.28 (Tokina at-x 11-20mm f/2.8 pro dx) or my 17-50 f 2.8 (Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 EX DC). It is essential to have a fast lens as with all the vibration and wind fast shutter speeds are pretty important. A 2.8 Aperture was going to provide this. So the only question was the Zoom Range. Did I want the Extra reach or the ultra Wide angle?
I didn’t feel 17mm would be wide enough but really wanted the extra reach the 50mm gives. This is my go-to lens for 90% of situations and I normally resolve the lack of wide-angle with a simple Panoramic/stitch job.
So I was torn. I kept this Dilemma up, right until an hour before the flight. Still undecided I simply asked the Camera Guy at the FlyNYON camera desk. He was pretty adamant the wide lens was the best option so I bowed to his wisdom and took the 11-20mm.
Was he Right? Yes, No Question.
Photography from the wind-strewn open cabin was extremely difficult. There is no way I would have pieced together anything resembling a Pano. A lot of the time we were probably moving too fast for a good pano anyway. I shot a lot in HDR (AEB)and even with this fast shutter repeat, I didn’t get a consistent shot angle. This meant I would have probably missed most of the best wide-angle shots that I think are the best looking.
I did miss the extra range and could have got a few excellent shots with a tighter angle but these would have been few and far between and as such the wider lens was the only choice.
Of Course, I should have taken two bodies and two lenses, but I didn’t have a spare and didn’t want the expense of renting one. And still, the time whizzed by so fast, and the opportunity for shots so short I would still have spent 99% of the time with the wide.
Getting good shots in the pressure cooker was an issue. For the first half of the flight most of my shots we not only hand-held but single hand-held. The other gripped firmly on the fuselage, holding on for dear life. While the was
With this in mind, I opted for Aperture Priority mode. Full Auto would have required me to alter settings on the fly. AP meant I could just have the aperture wide open and the camera would take care of exposure. This led to super-fast shutter speeds to try and counter the endless buffeting of the wind, the motion blur of the helicopter, and my shaky one-handed shooting.
While I don’t regret the AP setting I do regret sticking to 2.8 throughout. Some of the focus is softer than I want due to the narrow Depth of Focus the 2.8 incurs. I still love my shots but wish some parts were crisper. I think with the light available, I could have gotten away with a narrower aperture.
Basically Taking shots in the Air is hard I think I would need several trips to master this, Having no idea if I will ever experience this again I wanted to ensure 100% that I would have at least decent workable shots. I believe I achieved this.
Light is So important on these trips. And really our luck ran out here. It was very flat. While we had clear skies over Manhattan the sun was obscured by some high-alt clouds and this made the whole city dull looking. With so much of the skyline made of glass, reflections play a huge part in coloring the city and with the dull light, we got dull reflections. It was annoying as we were probably 30 mins late from the incredible light before the cloud rolled in.
Our flight was at 3 pm which in November was close to sunset. I had gambled on this time as a compromise between the more expensive sunset flight and still
Night Flight
Several years later We returned and I had gone through a few upgrades in Camera Gear, and you are going to need some good gear if you want workable shots at night. I actually took two cameras. My Sony Alpha A7III and My Sony Alpha A7II.
Two cameras are the only way to get two lens options up there as swapping is not allowed. It felt very indulgent to be running two very expensive cameras, but in reality, I was upgrading the A7II to the III and just held off on selling the II.
I still went with a Wide (Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8) on the A7III but used a tighter (Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8) lens on the A7II to get some tighter zoom shots. Settings-wise, I went with as open an aperture as I could 2.7 and ran as much ISO as I dared, and as fast a shutter as I could get away with. Most shots were underexposed but came up nicely in post-edit.
Even at the extreme end of the settings, with the top-notch kit, a full-frame sensor, and fast glass, A lot of shots were unusable. Any movement on the camera blurred the shot, and trust me it’s hard to hold anything still up there.
Of the hundreds of images I took, only a fraction were usable, and even fewer on the older A7II with a tighter lens. This is a hard shooting environment and it’s a lot of pressure to get it right.
Video
Video Wise was a simpler question. Kate would simply film the entire thing on our Go-Pro Hero 7 Black in 4k from the Middle seat to try and capture the essence of the flight experience. This meant some heavy editing as we didn’t want to feature our unwitting Chopper-mates on the video too much.
For the Night Flight, the Trusty Go-Pro was not really up to the Job. The footage is ok, but the Noise is very loud and the sky looks awful. Just another reason to go back and do it again!
Final Thoughts
Overall this was an experience of a lifetime. We do so many incredible things on our trips, We always try and do and see the best things available on our trips and always push the boundaries, but this was still right up there with one of the best and most unforgettable experiences.
There are a few irks with the way seating is assigned and the wind and terror do detract from the enjoyment a little, but without these RAW elements, the experience would be nowhere near as thrilling. We wish the Heliport was closer to Manhattan but this is an Air Traffic Control issue.
There were many times in the flight where you had to just kind of pinch yourself and realize you really are perched on the edge of a helicopter looking directly down on Manhattan with nothing between you and the abyss. These are the things that will live with you forever. And all the hassle, issues, and expense has to be worth it! This was even more so at night when the flight felt like a Sci-Fi Movie!
Of course, the extreme nature of this should not be understated. I am not an easily scared person. I have flown planes, dived with sharks, rode the biggest rollercoasters, etc. I am accustomed to heights and flying. And still, I was pretty terrified! For some, this would be a completely unacceptable experience. We are still a little unsure how Kate would have coped without the security of the middle seat.
For those after a little less terror, FlyNYON offers doors on flights. However, the hassle of getting to Kearny may make these less appealing when there are many other operators offering flights from Manhattan. Check our Article on New York Helicopter Flights here.
But for the Thrill of Doors Off flights, FlyNYON and their Kearny Heliport are the only options and well worth the pilgrimage!
Have Your Say
Have you flown with FlyNYON? What did you think? Was it as awesome as we make out? Did you have any issues? Just let us know in the comments below. Or if you have any questions about getting there. What the flight is like or anything else you can think of just fire away below and we are happy to help.
I’ll have to show my mother these FlyNYON tours over New York – she loves that sort of thing, but me, no chance – no head for heights or flying whatsoever!
If my mother was to go in a group of three to four – would they take them all in one helicopter? Also, would there be a slightly reduced price if you book as a group?
Hi Chris,
Yes all groups are kept in the same helicopter, as long as its 6 or less (anymore and there just are not enough seats)
There is not option for a discount for groups, but you could always ask. However as we say you can get some pretty big discounts from time to time so they would unlikely discount further.
Hope you mother likes the article and has a great flight if she decides to go for it. Shame you are afraid of flying as this would be little fun if you were just terrified the whole time.
Thanks for reading
Steve
Jeez…I’m reading this and I’m already nervous, just thinking about it. I was scanning the article for any mention of harnesses and was initially relieved to see they had….this was short lived as you mentioned you could fall out, not far, but still fall out! It’s a little bit pricey, but I think I want to do this for next summer.
Hi Dave,
The 3 point belt will stop you falling out. It just don’t restrict your moment much so don’t provide a “feeling of security” like say a roller-coaster harness does.
The Tether is the real safety device. And yes you could technically fall out but by that we mean maybe half out at the max. We wouldn’t try it. We should stress it is perfectly safe. It just doesn’t feel like it sometimes. And the ride is pretty smooth in that respect we never felt like we were going to fall out.
It certainly is expensive, but for such an incredible experience it is worth it if you can stretch that far.
Thanks for reading
Steve
Hi Steve First off hats off to the person who took the video. I would have suspected that the ride would be bumpy and that the video would have been bouncing all over the place. I really enjoyed the video but I don’t think I would have been brave enough to stick my foot out.My favourite picture is the one of the Statue of Liberty and my second favourite was of Central Park.I have been on a helicopter ride in Las Vegas where they take you to the Grand Canyon and land and give you a box lunch. It was quite remarkable. I remember one guy who was by himself was white knuckled the whole way.I don’t live in the states and the way the political climate is there right now I don’t think I am in a hurry to visit. It sounds like an amazing adventure except for the ride getting there.
Hi Maureen.
I will pass on your compliments to Kate, My Wife, she did a great job with the video.
We have never done the lunch in the canyon but have flown over it a few times. It doesn’t sound like that poor guy enjoyed it much!
We are from the UK so we are unfortunately quite used to political division. But the reality on the ground in the USA, at least in the tourist spots, is it’s just get on with it, life goes on. There is very little tension. We would not let that stop us visiting. The collapsing pound is more of a problem for us!
Steve
An icredible adventure I would say ,not meant for someone with acrophobia but ideas they say rules the world. Thumbs up for the brain behind the idea. Flying high above 2000fts without doors to a helicopter! It’s not for a faint hearted like me.
The breeze wouldn’t in any way help matters.
I think it’s worth it as the pictures taken and the experience can not be bought or quantified.
FlyNYON should be appreciated for daring to provide such a wonderful flight like never before.
Honestly you might be surprised!
Fear of Heights is not actually a huge problem here. Your brain doesn’t process this as height. Its too strange for it to work out. Fear of heights tends to occur when you are on something. You can still suffer a fear though, it’s just not acrophobia. I suffer from fear of heights but it never occurs in an aircraft. I defiantly had a fear of falling out of the open door of a helicopter, but it’s not the same fear as I get say standing on a ladder!
But I would try a Doors on first if you do really suffer as at least then you could close your eyes and pretend it’s not happening lol.
Thanks for reading
Steve
What a video! I watched it all, and will send the page to a few friends who will enjoy that.
You explained everything well, the wind, the initial fear et al. I for one, am not likely to get on a helicopter with doors open, yet with your detailed cautions I could perhaps persuade myself to do so if I get the opportunity.
I am map lover so I am going to google map the area and watch the video again afterwards. I have lived in Manhattan during a short study grant but did not have time to be a tourist.
One day! Even if I choose closed door, this will be on my list.
Hi,
Glad you liked the Video.
Yeah the fear can be a problem for some. You sound like you may be able to cope. People normally fall into three camps. NO WAY, “Worried”, or “Not a Problem” The “No Way” crowd should probably avoid but if you are just a bit worried you will probably be fine and as the flight goes on you end up loving it.
Hope you get to fly soon, even if it’s doors on.
Steve
Very interesting topic and experience. i have never been in a hell but have always wanted to fly. This article has inspired me to put that experience on my to do list.
I have always wanted to fly in anything not just helicopter but planes and jets. so the idea of something like that get me exited.
Im not much of a photographer but will keep your suggestion in mind.
Is this company strictly New York or do they have operation in other cities or states?
What are some other air tours you would recommend?
Hi Terry,
No They operate in a few locations now Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and obviously New York. We have only flown from their New York location.
We have flown a few time in Helicopters at Tourist locations and flown in light Aircraft many times. It really is the best way to see a location.
Hope you get up soon
Steve
I must thank you for this awesome information. I enjoy in traveling to NYC, I have family there but I did not heard about flying with doors off. Honestly, I am a little afraid of flying in helicopters and planes and I would only fly with closed doors. As for the price, it does not look like much expensive although I would not dare to do that.
Hi Daniel,
We know this is not for everyone. If I am honest I am a little afraid of flying too so it takes a little bravery to get up there. It’s just something we HAD to do!
Glad You enjoyed the Article
Steve
Great article Steve. A helicopter really gives you a different perspective of the Big Apple. Although the wind factor might make it difficult, helicopter rides give opportunities for some great shots. For such shots, it’s important to have a high shutter speed. A starting point of 1/500 secs for 24-70mm lens is good enough. Good depth of field is also needed.
Hi Robert,
Thanks for reading, You are right it certainly does, New Yorks Skyline is mightly impressive but once up in the air soaring over it, it takes on a whole new level! You are right the Wind can make it very difficult to get good shots as the buffeting over the camera is quite intense!
Thanks for sharing your tips. You are dead right about the Shutter Speed, but as you say this can have an effect on the depth of field. In search of super-fast shutter speeds I went for as wide an aperture as possible, but this meant some of the distant skylines were a little soft for my tastes. A narrower aperture and higher ISO would have been a better choice. I wasn’t able to change this in the air as I was hanging on for dear life! I think a 24 might be a little narrow, especially on an APS-C. I used the full 11mm wide-angle for a lot of my shots. While I would have preferred a bit more reach for some (I was restricted to 11-20) I definitely felt the wider lens was beneficial.
Thanks
Steve
I plead with purchasers not to use or book this company. They are complete cowboys! A long story short they took my money £500 and i had so many issues with them, wrong date, no free airport collection (claimed i clicked the wrong button), then cancelled our ride and kept the money. I spoke to my card provider and FLYNYON presented some fabricated paperwork to the card company. I am still ongoing an investigation and plan to have my legal team start litigation. Then i noticed they have been drip feeding money off my credit card each month. On the 5th of the month unauthorised. I am now talking to the NY police. I then read a multitude of reviews all suggesting they are ripping people off, and posting their own reviews to dilute the bad reviews. Then i read about the FATALITIES and they should not really be operating Google it!. I absolutely advise people not to touch them. I intend to extend my review and repost with the full story. DO NOT USE!
Hi sorry to hear you had such a poor time with FLYNYON!
This could not be more different from our time there. It is impossible from your post to really discern exactly what went on with the initial flight but does not sound like they handled the mix up very well. Our experience everything went smoothly and we had no issues at all. It is disappointing to hear they do no handle mistakes very well, however.
Fake Reviews are a BIG problem but it does seem with FLYNYON most of the positive reviews ARE genuine, supported with photo’s taken on the day, long-winded and descriptive, fakes reviews are very easy to spot. And there are a lot of bad reviews on their pages.
We are well aware of the Fatalities that occurred in the tragic accident in 2018. We have considered the repercussions of that event and understand the NTSB made compulsory orders banning the type of flight that resulted in the Accident. FLYNYON has changed the way the flights operate and are now fully compliant with the NTSB Rulings. Mainly relating to the Quickrelease Harness. But they also use different helicopters so the same accident cannot happen again. That said, Aeriel operations of this nature are not without risk. We consider a “Doors Off” helicopter flight above Manahatten and in the busiest airspace in the world as an Extreme activity and as such there is an inherent risk. The safety briefings are very serious and We think they make it pretty clear this is not a 100% safe activity, maybe they could do more to stress that. As a Piolet Myself (Fixed Wing) I put a lot of faith in the NTSB and FAA to regulate these things and if they are still happy for the flights to go ahead so are we.
To confirm this review is completely un-sponsored and is simply our experience of the day we are not paid in any way by FLYNYON and are completely unaffiliated to them.
We hope you get all things financially resolved with the company, that will not make up for the disappointment, but at least you will not be out of pocket.
We had a booking with FlyNYON for 3, when we reached the spot on time, they said that they can’t fly with 3 members according to their policy which was hidden during payment. We didn’t get any notifications about this. We told them about availability for the next day which they have rescheduled and we told them since we are International Traveller if that time got rescheduled again we can’t avail that which they agreed and said in that case money will be refunded. On the same day later we got an email that due to “Equipment Repositioning” time got rescheduled again, and we asked for a refund as we can’t make it. We waited for 25 days to get a response from Custom Relations Director that they can’t refund the amount which was $787 for 3 as it was against their policy, which was also unknown during booking. This inconvenience was caused by them then what can’t they refund, they don’t have an answer for this and replied us to sell these tickets by getting voucher in from them. This was a nice way to treat International Travellers. These people are making money by cheating people. Total harassing and fraud people.
Sounds like a very poor experience, thanks for you feedback.
We have had several flights with the company and have not had the same experience at all. In fact, they have always been very accommodating. However, we never had a flight canceled or rescheduled.
I would keep pushing on this as it was THEM that rescheduled not you so you should be entitled to a refund.
If not, consider asking your Credit Card for a Chargeback!
Steve