The beauty of helicopter flying

The Beauty Of Helicopter Flying

Some people have a fear of flying. They will make the big commercial plane ride to Florida or California because otherwise they wouldn't get there when they have to, but they don't like it. Turbulence? For them, that's tantamount to having one foot in the grave. No force in the world will get them to board a small Cessna or Piper.

At WillemAir we have invited a number of people with a fear of flying to make a helicopter ride in our comfortable R-44. We strapped them in their seats, and explained how safe they were going to be. First the pilot will pick the helicopter up in a hover: now you are three feet above the ground. If you're scared and you want out, you can. We will put the helicopter back on the ground, and you can leave the aircraft if you want. No? Okay, now we will taxihover a little distance. Still not panicking? Alright, we'll take off and fly a pattern around the airport. Tell us when you get sca...

At that point, the awe takes over and makes the fear a distant second emotion. Everyone who takes off in a helicopter cannot help but uttering "oohhh" and "aahhh" when they suddenly see the town from a viewpoint never experienced before. The world looks different from 1000 feet up. The buildings, the houses, the traffic, but also the trees, the surrounding hills, the fields. And as the pilot makes the ship climb higher as we pass the mountain ridge west of the airport, a whole new world opens up.

The passenger now enthusiastically points out landmarks that they recognize. They take great joy in flying over their house, their street, maybe the office where they work. They notice rivers, historic towns such as Harpers Ferry, or when we fly south-east, they are surprised how fast we approach the high-rises of Baltimore.

They have no time for their fear. They are distracted by the radio traffic that they hear in their headset, they are impressed by the calm demeanor of the pilot and his apparent professionalism, and most of all, there is too much to see and enjoy because, with so much window space in a helicopter, the view from where they sit is spectacular.

Never has any one of our fear-of-flying passengers requested that we abort the flight. Every single one of them came away from the experience with a big smile. They just did something that they will never forget for the rest of their lives, and also: they feel good about themselves, because they realize that they were stronger than their fear.

That's one of the beauties of helicopter flying.