Ok so wifey, stepson and I flew on a helicopter about 10 years ago. This was during the day (we had enjoyed it). This time...for my birthday...I wanted to do this at night over NYC. Did they wanna go with me for this one??? Nooooo lol. I wanted to make sure I was over NYC at night to see the beauty of the city lights. So we had to drive to Liberty Helicopter's Kearny NJ heliport for the $200 City Lights Tour. This tour was WELL WORTH IT! My wife was on the ground watching me lift off haha. The tour lasted about 15-20 minutes and I sat upfront with the pilot. This was such a smooth and breath-taking experience. The staff was awesome..especially "Q" who made us all feel relaxed before the big event with his information about visitors' perspectives from around the world and had explained how much of a "family" atmosphere this Kearny heliport is as compared to the NY heliport. I would definitely take this tour again!! read more

Liberty Helicopters - Aerial Tours Near Me - New York, New York

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I bought a Living Social deal for a 15 min helicopter tour that came with a picture. They told us to get there half hour before our tour time. Once we got there we had to show them our IDs and watch a safety video. Then they took in a line to the chopper, before you board they take your picture which you can purchase later. The ride was amazing, the views were beautiful and you get to see a lot in 15 minutes. You start by seeing the Statue of Liberty as you head through downtown then the garden as you head to midtown. You get to see a lot and as a New Yorker I knew where to look and what I was looking at but I felt bad for the other people there since they were tourist and the pilot didn't really say much or explain the sites. Overall it was a great experience. read more

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Booked at 11am for a same day flight. We were told to arrive 30 minutes early and then had to sit almost an hour without an update. When I asked I was told they had been running late all day... Awesome! Thanks for having us show up early I understand if a service is running behind but why tell us to be there so early? Entertaining two young boys without knowing the time frame is frustrating. Things to know: 1) There is no WiFi. 2) You must ask for updates as they won't be offered. 3) They board by weight so if you get there early prepare to be frustrated that last minute people can get better seats. 4) there is nothing to do in the facility. read more

We went on our first ever helicopter tour with Liberty yesterday, and it was awesome! In mid-November, I highly recommend booking at time around 4:30pm because then you get to enjoy both the daylight views, incredible sunset views, AND night views of Manhattan. It was so cool flying up close to the Statue of Liberty and watching the skyline from a whole new angle. I thought I would get "plane sickness" because the helicopter looked so small, but I was happily surprised when taking off and landing were both such a cool feeling and not scary at all. My only criticisms would be that our guide was not all that enthusiastic (I know he's probably given the tour a million times, but still) and the security people were really mean when my boyfriend stepped slightly out of the "safe" walking zone (I guess that's what they're paid to do...) Bring a nice camera and be careful if you are wearing hats or scarves; mine almost blew away! read more

I GOT TO FLY OVER NEW YORK CITY IN A HELICOPTER!!! Do I really need to say anything else?!! The front desk staff were borderline rude, something I'm used to from Australian customer service but not here in the U.S. But once you get past the ladies, the guys prepping and leading you through to the helicopter were all great. The only reason I deducted a star was in sympathy for the guys sitting in the middle seats but he had as big a shit-eating grin as the rest of us on so I guess he was doing OK. The pilot was informative and actually funny (not the usual cheesy tour-guide funny), and we got a great view over all the sights you would want to see. An absolute dream opportunity & if you can, do it! read more

Liberty Helicopters - well that's a pretty looking building - Aerial Tours Near Me - New York, New York

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Since I was the lightest one, I was allowed the sit In the front with the pilot. Wow, what an experience. It's worth the view, absolutely. Here, take a look at my pictures of the tour; read more

Liberty Helicopters - Aerial Tours Near Me - New York, New York

I was in NCY for NYE 2008/2009. A helicopter flight was always on my list of things to do, so this was the perfect day to do it. My recommendation is to get a flyer. Note the prices vary from the listed once. Call the tool free number and ask if they are flying from all listed heliports the day you wish to fly. We did it from the west side heliport. The facility is very clean and staff is professional. Also the helicopters looked well maintained and clean. You have to put away everything except your jacket and your camera (they have free lockers). NOTE: they do not allow cell phones with cameras, but other than this digital cameras are ok. You will be screened for dangerous items as in a normal airport. After a short briefing they will guide you to your helicopter in groups of 4-6 people. Our pilot was very nice. Over the headset you will hear his tour guide comments as well as the air traffic. We booked a 11-12 minutes flight and were in the air for 15 minutes. I would do it again read more

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The flight itself was amazing. The staff, including the pilot, there were very polite and friendly. I just give 4 stars bc I called three hours earlier to find out if we could start our helicopter tour one hour later. They told me it wouldn't be possible. Then we rushed and got there on time but the moment we got there they told us we have a one hour delay which was very unfortunate at that point. Other than that: it was perfect. read more

I don't know about others but this one failed to meet my standard. The inside of the chopper felt very crammed. To make matters worst, there was a big pilot's box in from of me that made it uncomfortable as it caused my leg to brush against the door latch. Pilot just point out and named the land marks; didn't feel like a welcoming tour guide. In his defense I guess he assumed nobody speaks English taking these rides. I am gonna get me a commercial pilot license just to up this experience! read more

Liberty Helicopters - Aerial Tours Near Me - New York, New York

This review is so overdue ...but I have to show my appreciation to someone in-particular who went above & beyond. It was my birthday and also the day I announced my Pregnacy to family. Hopefully corporate,manager or even the owner reads this ..You have a great employee at Liberty. I really would like to thank "TT" she was very caring and informative and one of the few who went out of her way to make sure I have a good day within company guidelines. Very thankful ! And highly recommend this company. read more

Don't bother! 2 stars because a helicopter around NYC is cool... The Liberty experience was poor. The site FAQ says "Yes reservations are mandatory for all helicopter tours.". Reservations are worthless and clearly not mandatory. 2 hours after our reservation time we got into a helicopter. Lots of rude excuses and we shared a helicopter with people who had walked up and waited in the same line (they were told 45 minutes wait but had the 2 hour wait like us). To add to this, the walk up people had paid for the shorter tour but got the longer tour because we'd paid for it... lucky them i guess. Just turn up at pier 6 and pick any of the other companies that operate from there. Don't do a reservation and don't believe any wait times you're given. read more

The helicopter tour is a great way to get a good view over NYC and a nice experience, if you didn't use a helicopter before. They are processing costumers in a tent, which was fine. In the beginning you have to give your weight and then they say, they will balance the helicopter accordingly, but it doesn't seem to matter too much. So you don't have to be afraid, not to be placed next to the person you came with for balance reasons. Then you have to lock your stuff in a locker, watch a brief safety-advise video and put on your emergency equipment. Our flight was scheduled for Saturday afternoon and I expected it to be crowded and to wait for a long time, but we have actually been in the air, basically without any real waiting time, even before our actual reservation time. (You have to be there 30 min before your scheduled time. We have been there in time , but I'm not sure, if they are too strict about being very punctual.) Then you walk outside in line with the other passengers (usually 6 overall) to the helicopter. There will be enough time to take pictures before and after the helicopter ride. The staff is also very helpful and will take your picture. Liberty H seems to have more helicopters with seats next to each other, while some other companies seem to have helicopters where you sit opposed, which gives the advantage that everyone sits at the window. I preferred Liberty, because I wanted to sit next to not oppose to my girlfriend, while being in the air. Sitting in the middle, you have a limited view out of the side window, but you can see somewhat better through the front window. The helicopter goes along the Hudson river, makes a circle behind the central park and returns above the Hudson. So you can not sit on the wrong side, you will see the city either in the beginning (right side) or on the way back. The pilot provides information through the headphones everyone is wearing. It is a nice idea, but I didn't understand everything. The experience and all the photos were well worth the price (165$ incl. tax/fee/discount per person) and I recommend to do it. read more

It was a rainy day but we were told we could still see 'everything'. The sites were barely visible from the rain soaked windows of the helicopter and many of the buildings were shrouded in a fog. The ride was shorter than it was supposed to be. The amount of money we paid was definitely not worth it. read more

This was a dream come true! Check one off the bucket list!! Fantastic ride. Very attentive service. Very pricy ride but worth it. The statue of liberty, central park, and everything in between. Awesome! read more

Liberty Helicopters - Aerial Tours Near Me - New York, New York

There are a wide selection of helicopter companies available in the same building as Liberty Helicopters but they will have you believe they are the only ones. The experience itself of the manhattan helicopter tour is the exact same with all companies, the routes are the same, the times are the same, helicopters the same - you get the picture. The only real difference is price, Liberty Helicopters are the dearest company, but have PR / promoters dotted all around the outside on the building to catch any tourists walking towards it. Our experience: We called the helicopters companies prior to going and found another company to be 180$ cheaper than Liberty for a couple to book. We decided to walk down to speak to them in person and book with cash as that is what we were carrying. We followed google maps to the location on the waterfront, where we were approached by a very pushy promoter (working on commission) who was offering us helicopter tickets and telling us he would walk us there even after us saying we were fine ourselves. Once outside the building (which houses all the helicopter companies), his supervisors were waiting. They quickly gave us a ticket with a promoter number on it and a price for us to take to their desk inside, this was all happening despite us still saying we were wanting to speak to the other company as their price was a-lot cheaper. It felt like we were being forced into booking with them. They started telling us the rival company that was cheaper only offers a 10 minute service compared to their 15 minutes and that the price is the same for all companies. We found all the staff extremely rude and pushy. We eventually got away from Liberty's section and went to the other company that we had planned to speak to and had an amazing experience with them, it was for 15 minutes (yes 15, not 10!) and for $180 less. I advise you to google the helicopter companies offering this manhattan tour service and to call each to compare prices and services offered yourself rather than walk down there and get sucked in by the pushy sales technique of this company. read more

The good: it's a freaking helicopter tour of New York City. The bad: only 20 minutes long, and I was promised views of Yankee Stadium (nope). The ugly: the fly over of Red Hook. read more

Here is the deal, you pay all this money to be treated like cattle. They will make you stand on a line like a bus and yell at you. I had a handicap person with me who needed to sited and we were yelled at several times. Their service is like taking a Bus from China town and pay S3 for a ride when you actually are paying big bucks for it. Then there is getting into the helicopter. They will shovel 6 people into a tight helicopter quickly and it is also not a good experience. The flight is actually OK. Pilot was a gent. Getting out is another mess. They don't properly direct you and again you get yelled at if you don't go the t right way which is not properly shown to you. Overall, the rudeness of the staff, the misguidance, the pushing around like cattle makes the whole experience quite not fun. I would not recommend this place. read more

Having done several helicopter tours in different places I was very impressed with the professionalism of this tour. I took a 20 minute tour with the family when they were visiting. The driver was great, very chatty and sharing lots of information. He informed us we were in the Farrari of helicopters before turning us completely on our side. I love a bit of scaring so this was perfect for us. The views were amazing and they played an audio guide to the sights as we passed. This would get 5 stars if it wasn't for the fact we'd been told we'd be in a four seater helicopter (as a family of four) and we were put in a six with two incredibly irritating shared passengers. If we could have chucked them out it would have been perfect. read more

What an experience! Totally professional, focused on safety. Once in the helicopter it was a amazing experience to see so many parts of New York from the air. We only had one day in New York and this helicopter trip allowed us to see everything we wanted to see! Highly recommended!! read more

Liberty Helicopters - Aerial Tours Near Me - New York, New York

As a resident of the Northern NJ waterfront facing Manhattan, I respectfully ask anyone booking a helicopter tour to consider the effects they have on the tens of thousands of people who live on the NY/NJ waterfront. Due to the increasing number of 15 min flights, we have been assaulted by low-flying helicopters, sometimes two per minute for the entirety of the day, at noise levels so loud that children cannot be put down for naps, people must wear noise cancelling headphones around their homes, and people cannot take phone calls or enjoy their balconies. In addition to the environmental impact of all of these unnecessary flights, the constant noise is detrimental to residents' mental health. Please have empathy for people who live here and choose to sightsee from one of the many observation decks around the city instead of by helicopter. Would you want low flying helicopters passing directly over your home every minute of the day? read more

I spent $300 for my mom and I to go on this tour. The only thing I wished for was a little bit more time and expand the Tour. This tour only lastest 15 MINUTES! The quickest tour of my life. My mom sat next to the Pilot - very nice and welcoming personality. However, I was expecting more than just in and out of a helicopter. read more

Liberty Helicopters - Aerial Tours Near Me - New York, New York

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My friend and I scheduled a helicopter ride the Friday after driving over the Verrazano Bridge on our way from Six Flags and seeing a couple of helicopters in the air. We both proclaimed at the same time: "I always wanted to do that!" And so, we did! That Friday we had a 4:45pm ride scheduled (the last of the day). I believe we did the NY,NY tour. It was just alright. Other than being able to ride in the front seat of the helicopter, talk to the pilot, and feel like the co-pilot, there was nothing spectacular. Yes, we saw the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge (and all main bridges from one standing), and the WTC site. However, I felt like the pilot could have done a little bit more talking and interacting with the people on board. Overall, it was a pretty pricey, once in a lifetime experience! read more

I had a great experience flying around Manhattan "walking the city with your eyes PRICELESS" Treat yourself with this great experience you wont regret . Highly recommend it! read more

Had a booked tour on a friday but the Pope was visiting Ny so the helipad got shut down two times that us caused hours of delay so we had to reschedule for sunday because of a Yankees game and got promised to go first in line as soon as we got back no matter what. So when we went back on sunday ofc Obama was visiting The UN so the helipad had to open an hour late but we got slipped thru all the lines and got on the first Chopper that lifted! Pilot was rly gr8 too, feels like a must do of you are in Ny for a holiday! Special thx to Jenny and the boss-man with the sunglasses! 5/5 no doubt! read more

Liberty Helicopters - Wawawiwaa! - Aerial Tours Near Me - New York, New York

We thought that this tour was great. We got it as a birthday present for my husband from my mom. It was really fun. Our pilot was nice and fun...my husband sat in the front seat which was great because he has a tendency towards getting sick. I sat in the back with a family from London. We flew right over my work on the UWS/Hell's Kitchen, the Interpid (okay now I'm dating myself here) and Yankee Stadium, TIme Warner Center (hubby's work) and our apartment. What fun! Also great views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Liberty Island etc. read more

Not good for the community. Disturbing the peace, polluting the air. No consideration for residents quality of life.

Awesome tour of the city. Specially during cold season, its really a good way to see NYC. They were really nice. Recommend it. read more

Liberty Helicopters - Awesome view from the helicopter ride. Worth experiencing. - Aerial Tours Near Me - New York, New York

It was over in a flash, but the copter got reasonable close to the statue There might have been too much time spent flying on the river/ new jersey read more

Was an expensive but truly awesome experience. But a lot of the staff are extremely rude and people are herded like cattle. Very disorganised and chaotic on busy days. I was also shocked at how poor the security is. There basically is none. read more

This was my first helicopter tour. I can't speak for other tours, but I definitely DO NOT recommend this to anyone...at least not in the winter. Since the tour is right by the water, it was freezing. They made us stand outside forever just to get inside and wait and wait. Finally upon arriving to the helicopter after about 2 hrs, the company jammed 6 people in the helicopter (not including the pilot). We were in there like sardines. The pilot was not interactive and I was revealing more sites than him. Overall, it was definitely not worth the expensive money. If anything try for at max 4 people in the helicopter and do it in the summer on an off day like a Wednesday. Oh yeah, and try a different tour company. read more

Safe, professional and efficient air transport. Terrific staff and clean/comfortable aircraft. Seamless process, very happy with experience and look forward to my next trip. The pilot was patient; explained what to expect, answered my questions patiently and set my mind at ease, being new to rotor wind aviation. read more

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As part of my birthday celebrations, I got from an awesome friend a ride on a helicopter over Manhattan. I have ALWAYS wanted to do this...seeing Manhattan from a bird's eye view...floating like they do on TV shows...over all the towers that make up this magnificent city. And FINALLY, I had a chance to do it this past Saturday. So we promptly arrived at the Manhattan heliport prior to our reservations. I am not going to lie. I love flying, but did not know what to expect from a helicopter, as I am sure it's different from flying on an airplane. Yes, the jitters were setting in a bit. So after checking in (oh, and be sure you know what your helicopter touring company is, as there are several in this heliport), we were given a video on safety to watch just like they do on airplanes, and we waited shortly for our flight. After having a lifevest strapped on to our waists, we were escorted to our helicopter. Once there, they took our picture right in front of our ride. Nope, did not purchase it. With all the blades of that chopper still on, it was not a good one! After the pictures, we were boarded onto the helicopter. Now, I don't know why they crammed 4 of us in such a small helicopter, but I must say it felt a bit crammed like a sardine can. Hence, no 5 stars! Regardless, off we went. The ride was smoother than I thought it would be. The view...amazing. Nothing short of an extraordinary ride up the Hudson and back, from the Statue of Liberty, to Central Park. I highly highly recommend this to everyone. You must do it at least once. Now, I want to do it at night! read more

I was charged $348 for a city lights tour which was a wedding gift for my brother and his wife. They had to re-schedule due to COVID19 and were told by the representative that they would be able to receive credit to rebook or could receive a full refund. So I called to confirm since I was the one who purchased and the representative told me that he would send my request for a refund to their accounting/billing department. A few weeks later, I never received a refund so I called back and the representative had been laid off. He provided me with another email who has not responded in nearly a month and the number on their website is also non working and does not take messages. Shame on them for acting in such bad-faith. I would of course gladly accept credit to rebook once the pandemic dust settles but they are literally not even responding to me and have robbed me (and my brother and sister-in-law) of $348. read more

We went to Liberty on an overcast day; with a slight drizzle. We asked if the weather would compromise our views of the city; we were told emphatically they would not. We couldn't see many of the buildings due to flying so low as a result of the clouds and the drizzle made it impossible to take any pictures. The 18 minutes seemed like 8 minutes and hundreds of dollars later, we were wondering what we had just done. Even on a good day, it would be a rip off; we took the Red Bus tours around the city, much better!! read more

While on spring break vacation to NYC, we booked a helicopter ride to get a full tour of the city. Our reservation was for 11am on Monday, and we arrived at the recommended 30 minutes prior. We were greeted and sent into a long line outside, and were eventually told that they were running 45 minutes behind schedule. This was extremely problematic for us due to our 9/11 memorial museum reservation being at 12. Knowing we wouldn't make the 9/11 museum reservation, we told one employee and asked if there was anything they could do. All they recommended was to come back later or to reserve for the next day, so we reserved a ride for 4:45pm on Tuesday. On Tuesday, we called around noon to check in about whether they were running on time, and were told they were 45 minutes behind. We arrived around 4:30, knowing they were behind. We waited outside for about 45 minutes, and were then escorted inside where we sat and waited for another 45 minutes. At this point, we had waited 1hr 30 mins since our arrival at 4:30. In the end, the ride was exciting and the views are spectacular, but this can easily be argued to not be worth the 1hr 30 min wait. read more

Not happy with the wait here. We were told to be here at 1 pm for 1:30 flight. It's 1:56 pm and we've been told it's going to be another 20 min. We've got little ones and this went from being an exciting for flight to being extremely annoyed by the delays since we are departing New York later today and don't have the luxury of time to wait. Will update after the flight. read more

Been to NYC 10+ times now and it was 100% worth it to take the helicopter tour, an awesome adventure and different perspective to see the city. Our pilot, Scott, was very friendly and helped put any nervous passenger's minds at ease, kept it light, funny and fun! Bought our tickets on citysights and that was definitely the way to go. Included the helicopter ride, 4 different bus tour routes which are also a great way to see the city, and an easy way to get around town with the hop on hop off option, also included a ferry tour. If you're on the fence on whether it's worth the money to do the helicopter tour, DO IT. Absolutely worth it. read more

This is a 40 minutes line what you need to stand. Even if you have a reservation for a specific time. Never ever liberty helicopters. read more

Great way to see New York. The experience was great. The pilot was nice and funny. Downside the reason I'm giving it only 3 stars is because they aloud a 1 month old baby and a 9 month old baby to come in the helicopter. My boyfriend brought myself and his father. We paid a lot of money for this and all I heard the entire 15min was two kids screaming their heads off. I wish they had an age range and why would parents do that in the first place? Common sense the helicopter is loud and they couldn't even put the head phones on the children as they were to big. They should really consider an age range on the flights. The screaming ruined it for us. They could at least had given us the souvenir photo for free (20$ vAlue) after We had to hear all that screaming. I told the staff working and they just laughed and said have a good day. I will not return with mg parents when they come to visit. read more

If you don't mind waiting in line for half a day, these are the guys to choose. However you book, call the operator before you go to confirm your time, otherwise they bounce you to the rear of the line...no matter what "confirmed" time you got from your booking! Also, the cost is NOT $149.99, it is really $180.99 once you add the $31 "security" fee! Otherwise a quick tour which was pretty much as expected. read more