Great guy, nice plane, good views, quick local history lesson, near a nice park and beach...definitely recommended! We got lucky and had the plan to ourselves, so there was lots of space. Says it can fit 7 (depending on size and weight), but I'd rather not share with more than one other couple. Neither of us had ever been in a sea plane before...pretty cool how easy it took off and how smooth the landing was despite a little chop on the bay. Next time I think we would bring a picnic and games for the park, maybe a suit for the beach. Seemed like the best beach in the area with respect to the sand, view and secluded nature. read more

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Totally unplanned trip. We were just driving over the island and saw an ad for sea plane tours. Met John (Pilot and Owner) and he added us (4) to 5 PM trip. The take-off and landing was super smooth and the plane was comfortable for me, my wife, 9 yr old and 3 yr old. The trip lasted for almost 45 mins and John took us through many area of Duluth and Superior. He shared details about every area, rich history and how it is today. The best part we liked about him is his liver to serve the customer. He was always looking to find an opportunity that will make the tour more memorable. He saw that a ship was going to the bridge and he timed it properly to ensure we can see and take as many pictures of the ship crossing the bridge from true 360. read more

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My wife and I booked a tour for the last day of our trip and it couldn't have been more fun! John was a fantastic pilot and tour guide (and a pretty darn good photographer for us after the flight). The Beaver is an incredible airplane. A great first step for those who have never flown in a small airplane. It cruised smoothly along on a day where the little Cessna I fly would be bouncing around a bit. This was definitely the highlight of our trip! Next time you're up in Duluth, contact John at Beaver Air Tours. You won't be disappointed! read more

Beaver Air Tours - Aerial Tours Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

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My son and I were in Duluth to catch the big annual airshow. From the balcony of our Canal Park hotel, we kept seeing this floatplane fly past, and I guessed and hoped that it was operated by a company that offered floatplane excursions. A quick internet search, and I found Beaver Air Tours, operating from the nearby airport. We jumped in the car, were there about 15 minutes later, and bought tickets for their next flight. I was a pilot for over 20 years but had never been in a floatplane before, and my son had never flown in any general aviation aircraft before, so this was really a treat for both of us. The business owner and pilot, John, was an incredibly friendly and gregarious person. I really enjoyed meeting him and hearing the back story on the business and airplane. He's been doing this for a very long time. Since we were interested, he not only showed us around his airplane, but some of the other interesting aircraft based there on the airport. The De Havilland Beaver, for those of you who don't know it, is an iconic, vintage airplane, built from the mid-40's to the mid-50's. John's is a beautiful, exceptionally clean and well-maintained example. The Beaver is a workhorse of an aircraft that, whether on wheels, skis or floats, played a huge part in getting people and supplies around rugged back-country areas in the northern USA, Canada, and Alaska. It is roomy, safe, stable, and provides great views from its large windows. For aviation buffs, the throaty growl of its Pratt & Whitney radial engine is something you'll never forget. The tour itself runs along the Lake Superior shoreline. John does a great job of hitting the interesting sites, and narrating the trip as he flies the aircraft. Everyone on the plane wears headphones and voice-activated microphones, so conversation is easy. Whether you're just looking for a fun, different sort of excursion, or are a pilot or aviation buff looking for a flight in a beautiful, vintage floatplane, this is something different, special, and well worth the price. Don't miss it if you're visiting Duluth. read more

Although the listing address here on Yelp states Minnesota, John J. (the pilot) also operates air tours in Mount Dora, FL during part of the year, and is where I partook in a ride on his seaplane with a small group recently. We had a blast! If I were on my own I'm not sure I would have personally considered doing something like this, but our group decided to take a flight, and I'm glad I went along. The "Beaver" seaplane, owned by John, is parked on Lake Dora all the way at the end of one of the piers. John was very friendly, knowledgeable, and professional which made the experience that much better. He assisted us with boarding, which is obviously a little trickier on water than through a jetway or on a tarmac, and gave us a brief but thorough safety and procedures orientation. We were all provided headsets through which we could talk among ourselves, listen to John's narration, and also hear navigational chatter between him and other planes in the area. After a few minutes gliding out across the lake to a takeoff position, we were up and away. The flight was awesome. Some of the scenery highlights include aerial views of Mount Dora, Lake Dora, dozens of other nearby lakes, a swath of farmland and orange groves, surrounding towns (Eustis and Tavares come to mind), outlying suburbs with regular houses and huge mansions, and the Orlando skyline way out in the distance. The package our group purchased did not include a flight over the Disney theme parks, which would have been pretty cool to see from a thousand feet in the air, but that also would have meant a longer flight time and yet you still see so much. The only bothersome thing was that plane was small and felt cramped. I know that comes with the territory, although very tall or heavyset people should be forewarned that they will probably be quite uncomfortable. The ride itself was generally smooth and we had fantastic weather. Once we landed, John helped us out back onto the dock and offered T-shirts for sale. I almost never go for that, but he seems like a real nice guy and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, so I bought one. Overall, this was a lot of fun and I would definitely go again; perhaps next time to fly over the theme parks. read more

Great trip and definitely worth what we paid! Pilot was knowledgeable and it was a great way to see the city of Duluth.

We booked our tour as a last minute "gee, that looks like it might be fun" idea. John the Pilot obviously loves flying and was very knowledgeable about Duluth and the surrounding areas. The trip was more than worth the price of admission and luckily for us, the weather was perfect for a tour by air. You get a completely different perspective of the area first walking it and the seeing it by air. I'm glad we made this a last minute addition to our trip. read more

This was a great experience. Jim was an experienced and knowledgeable pilot and the flight was smooth and comfortable. We will be back sometime in the fall and are looking forward to it. We will recommend it to all of our friends. It was a perfect end to our honeymoon. read more

My husband and I stopped in Duluth to break up the drive from IN to northern MN. I wanted to experience the area but we had just one afternoon to do it all so I booked a sea plane tour with Beaver Air. Reasonable price for a memorable flight. Pilot John was fun, made the flight very smooth, comfortable and shared interesting ditties about the lake, the community, industry and history of the area. Beautiful city and no better way to see it. read more

My wife and I decided to drive to the Park Point Recreation Area to walk the beach for our anniversary. Noticing signs for air tours of the area we decided to take a 'flight of fancy' and see the Duluth area from a new perspective. We were not disappointed! John's knowledge of the area and willingness to share it made this a memory we'll not soon forget. Thanks John! read more