I wouldn't say I'm scared of heights - I mean I can go up to the top of skyscrapers and be fine ... as long as I'm not too close to the edge. Its more a fear of falling than anything else. This made this particular list item pretty scary.
Helicopters are awesome. I've always looked at them and thought it would be fun to go up in one ... but they've always scared me a little. They just don't look very safe.
When we booked a trip to New York a couple of years ago, we did some research on things to do and a helicopter tour kept popping up. I had to think about it a few times before agreeing to go ahead and book it but decided it was as good a time as any to brave it and that the views of the NY skyline would be worth it.
Now here's the scary bit .... in the run up to our trip a helicopter crashed in the Hudson river. No jokes. Just to put our mind at ease a little further. Initially this freaked me out ... but in the end I thought if its just happened the safety checks are likely to be stepped up as a result so not really much of a chance that it would happen again.
So helicopter tour day arrived and we were given a standard safety briefing about how to put on life vests etc. Bit like a plane safety demonstration. We were told that there was a bit of wind so the flight might be a bit choppy but that we'd be fine. Then they walked us out to the airfield.
My dad had decided that he wanted to sit at the front with the pilot and I was cool with that as the pilot cockpit area was made entirely of glass so you could look down, which I wasn't particularly keen on. However the pilot had different ideas. Apparently you need to distribute the weight of passengers in helicopters, so as the lightest I had to sit at the front like a co-pilot!!!
They gave me some headphones and a mic and I felt like I was in a scene in Top Gun (one of my all time fave films!), talking to the pilot and air traffic control on the mic. I obviously looked nervous because the pilot kept asking me if I was OK haha. But he also told me 'don't touch this' 'don't put your feet there' 'mind that lever' etc so I was concentrating all my efforts on not touching something that would result in me accidentally crashing the helicopter.
The ride itself was pretty incredible. Take offs and landings are so smooth in a helicopter and although we got a bit of turbulence where the helicopter dipped a bit I generally felt quite safe. I'd say its probably the best way to see New York. We flew over Central Park, Yankee Stadium and past the Statue of Liberty and I got some great photos. I just kept going 'Oh Wow' every 5 minutes .. it really was breathtaking. The skyline from that height leaves you a little bit awestruck and I had to buy some prints of it which are still hanging in my house :)
I will definitely be trying a helicopter trip again at some point as the whole experience left me wanting more. Also after recalling the experience I have a sudden urge to watch Top Gun* so that's my Saturday afternoon sorted!
Difficulty - 2/10 (you don't really have to do anything other than not push buttons that make the helicopter crash)
Thrill factor - 7/10
Sense of acheivement/fulfilment - 3/10
Recommend to a friend - 9/10
* I am aware that Top Gun is about fighter jet pilots and not helicopters before anyone says anything but the whole get-up that I had to wear (in the pic) just reminds me of that film
Helicopters are awesome. I've always looked at them and thought it would be fun to go up in one ... but they've always scared me a little. They just don't look very safe.
When we booked a trip to New York a couple of years ago, we did some research on things to do and a helicopter tour kept popping up. I had to think about it a few times before agreeing to go ahead and book it but decided it was as good a time as any to brave it and that the views of the NY skyline would be worth it.
Now here's the scary bit .... in the run up to our trip a helicopter crashed in the Hudson river. No jokes. Just to put our mind at ease a little further. Initially this freaked me out ... but in the end I thought if its just happened the safety checks are likely to be stepped up as a result so not really much of a chance that it would happen again.
So helicopter tour day arrived and we were given a standard safety briefing about how to put on life vests etc. Bit like a plane safety demonstration. We were told that there was a bit of wind so the flight might be a bit choppy but that we'd be fine. Then they walked us out to the airfield.
My dad had decided that he wanted to sit at the front with the pilot and I was cool with that as the pilot cockpit area was made entirely of glass so you could look down, which I wasn't particularly keen on. However the pilot had different ideas. Apparently you need to distribute the weight of passengers in helicopters, so as the lightest I had to sit at the front like a co-pilot!!!
They gave me some headphones and a mic and I felt like I was in a scene in Top Gun (one of my all time fave films!), talking to the pilot and air traffic control on the mic. I obviously looked nervous because the pilot kept asking me if I was OK haha. But he also told me 'don't touch this' 'don't put your feet there' 'mind that lever' etc so I was concentrating all my efforts on not touching something that would result in me accidentally crashing the helicopter.
The ride itself was pretty incredible. Take offs and landings are so smooth in a helicopter and although we got a bit of turbulence where the helicopter dipped a bit I generally felt quite safe. I'd say its probably the best way to see New York. We flew over Central Park, Yankee Stadium and past the Statue of Liberty and I got some great photos. I just kept going 'Oh Wow' every 5 minutes .. it really was breathtaking. The skyline from that height leaves you a little bit awestruck and I had to buy some prints of it which are still hanging in my house :)
I will definitely be trying a helicopter trip again at some point as the whole experience left me wanting more. Also after recalling the experience I have a sudden urge to watch Top Gun* so that's my Saturday afternoon sorted!
#127 - ACHEIVED
Difficulty - 2/10 (you don't really have to do anything other than not push buttons that make the helicopter crash)
Thrill factor - 7/10
Sense of acheivement/fulfilment - 3/10
Recommend to a friend - 9/10
* I am aware that Top Gun is about fighter jet pilots and not helicopters before anyone says anything but the whole get-up that I had to wear (in the pic) just reminds me of that film
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