Best Doors-Off Helicopter Tour of New York City

If you are a daredevil who finds the idea of hanging out of a helicopter with only straps holding in you for the ultimate photo experience as fun, then FlyNyon is for you!  My friend Valerie of Trusted Travel Girl and me chose to take the NYC Classic 30 minute tour for sunset photos over Manhattan. We were hoping for a perfectly golden sunset. Though we ran into some slightly cloudy skies as we were taking off, the weather couldn't ruin our breath taking view! 

Relive my flight through some of my favorite photos: 



All strapped in their 8 point safety harness system that literally made me feel safer than I do riding a roller coaster and especially more safe than the NYC subway. 



Our departure point for FlyNyon was in New Jersey and some locals may find that a bit daunting to make the journey over. I will say the trip via the NJ Transit and a cheap uber pool ride over was super easy! Totally worth it too!





The flight starts in the industrial part of New Jersey, then quickly in the distance you see the Manhattan skyline in all of its glory. Such an epic feeling arriving in the city by helicopter instead of an airplane. Feels unreal! 



Just as you are crossing over the Hudson river, I would recommend keeping legs and arms inside of the helicopter until you're at a hover position. I learned that quickly, by sticking my feet out while over the river and instantly feeling them pushed away by the couple hundred miles per hour wind. Also, let your pilot know which spots you would like to see before you get in the air so he can hover over them for you to get the shot you want. 







Now for the photo, we all are really taking this doors-off helicopter tour for.... the #shoeselfie. My main points of attraction for this tour were Central Park, The Empire State Building, and The Freedom Tour. 







At this moment, my friend Valerie had to remind me to stop taking photos and really live in the moment. We were flying over New York City, literally hanging out of a helicopter! I would highly recommend you to take a moment to grasp how amazing the city is from above and how lucky it is to have this experience. 



I mean, can you just take a moment now for this view! 







Now back to a few more #shoeselfie moments. My pro-tip is to bring a wide camera lens that has auto stabilization and good focus. While in the air it can be tough to get stable focus with all the movement. 





Having auto-focus really comes in handy for this photo! When hanging out of the helicopter there was so much wind, it also felt like a workout to keep my body stable. 





30 minutes later, I couldn't believe it even happened it was all so fast! Looking back through these photos, I hope to have the chance to do it again with my husband. Talk about epic date moment! 

If you are considering this helicopter tour, head over to FlyNyon to learn more details. Enjoy!