Helicopter Rides in the Grand Canyon

woodstock

woodstock

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Hi all

are these still legal? I don't mean an overfly, I mean actually flying down into it? For some reason I seem to remember reading somewhere that they were not...

planning a trip to Vegas pretty soon, thought I'd look into this if they were.

thanks!
 
Don't believe anyone is allowed down into the canyon at least in the National Park area. The indian reservations have their own rules.

Commercial operators above the rim and below GA. There is a special VFR map for flights in the area.
 
Beth:

Make sure you arrange and pay for the aerial trip before you go to Lost Wages. If your luck is anything like mine was a couple weeks ago, you won't want to spend anything extra for awhile after a couple nights in the casino. :)

Don't take your ATM card; no personal checks and nothing that can be hocked! Bring an amount of cash or travelers checks that you agree to mentally treat as already lost.

Every time you see a large hotel/casino, think of what they were able to do with the money from LOSERS--includin me. Don't build hotels/casinos on winners :no:

Do go to Belaggio for lunch in the garden area if you get a chance. Find something to do when bored besides gamble :yes:

Have a great trip!!

Best,

Dave
 
ejensen said:
Don't believe anyone is allowed down into the canyon at least in the National Park area. The indian reservations have their own rules.

Commercial operators above the rim and below GA. There is a special VFR map for flights in the area.
Click to expand...

I had the opportunity to fly the canyon before the restrictions were in place. A friend went with me in a rented C177 and we flew well below the rim in some places (I was a bit less cautious back then). We also stopped at the Grand Canyon airport for lunch and a quick trip to the rim on land. I'm sure glad I made the trip as I obviously will never be able to again.
 
The Bride and I will be heading out on the 30th for a week.....here is the plan for the helicopter ride she booked.

-----
The Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and the Black Mountains are beautiful by helicopter. Then touch down on the canyon floor, and enjoy a champagne brunch.

Duration:
Approx. 3 1/2 hours
Available:
Daily
Departure time and location:
6:30 AM; from the lobby of your Las Vegas Strip/downtown hotel
Return time and location:
Approx. 10 AM; same as departure location
Inclusions:
  • Roundtrip transportation to/from every major downtown/Strip hotel
  • 1 1/2 to 2 hour flight
  • 30-40 minutes on the canyon floor
  • Champagne brunch
----------
 
woodstock said:
Hi all

are these still legal? I don't mean an overfly, I mean actually flying down into it? For some reason I seem to remember reading somewhere that they were not...

planning a trip to Vegas pretty soon, thought I'd look into this if they were.

thanks!
Click to expand...

Make sure to let me know when your in the area. I can fly you over the canyon in the mooney :)

Michael
 
I don't know how the FAA has set the flight restrictions over the Canyon since I left, but here's what I've been able to find out.

The only flights allowed below rim level and only at certain flight levels (IE, rotary wing at 6000' MSL, fixed wing at 7000' and don't quote those altitudes. They were used for explanation purposes only) are pre-determined tour flights and only on designated flight paths that were previously set up with the FAA and NPS. GA and transient aircraft must fly only in certain "corridors" and at a flight level well above the tour routes.

I lost 3 close friends who were very good pilots in that crash in 1986. One of which was my CFI. Those of us who knew these pilots have come up with what appears to be a legitimate cause, but without formal declaration of a cause, we'll never know if we were right or not. After this accident, the NTSB and FAA adjusted the flight levels for the two types of tour aircraft and scrunched more aircraft into a smaller airspace. Recipe for disaster, IMHO, but they did it anyway. There was never a cause officially determined by the FAA and NTSB last I have heard of. The flights to the bottom usually are designated only for maintenance to park equipment (I flew with my father many times to the bottom and fished in the Colorado or Bright Angel Creek while he fixed the telephone systems for the NPS) and river rafting support flights.

The website that was previously mentioned about the Grand Canyon airspace is very informative and does show the adjusted flight levels that were incorporated after the 1986 accident. Thanks for that link, by the way.

I forgot to mention that any tours you may take over the Canyon with one of the commercial tour companies is a tour worth taking. The view and sights are unbelievable and I never tired of taking those space-available flights that were available to local residents. With the right pilot and on the right helicopter tour, you'll nose in to the cliffs and see cliff dwellings, fly through a couple of rock formations and generally have the time of your life!
 
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thanks everyone! this is the annual Anderson family trip (and friends). last year we had 9 of us, this year at least 7 and possibly more. it's like herding cats but is a blast.
 
I'll be flying to Vegas next week, and the highlight of the trip for me is flying over the Grand Canyon. East to west you have to go to 14,500 for an unrestricted path, but you can fly lower in designated north-south corridors.

The minimum altitudes are lower on the northeast part of the canyon and just a beautiful. As mentioned, the commercial operators are permitted below the rim on specific routes, but us regular folks are not.

If you do take a tour, it might be worth carrying along the Grand Canyon chart, available for under $4 everywhere but the GCN Airport, where they charge $8.

Nothing much in aviation is a scary as trying to enter the pattern at GCN. On a busy summer day, there's a s-load of traffic, and of course no radar, and you can barely get a word in on the tower freq. Still, it's well worth it.

Might be more fun to go to one of the local airports and get an instructor to take you over that way. Then you can do the flying.

Jon
 
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