Your helicopter day, arranged end to end.
Family sightseeing, a private tour for two, an airport transfer that turns four hours into twelve minutes. You tell us the occasion — we handle the operator, the aircraft and the timings.
Every operator holds a current FAA Part 135 certificate
We check it against the FAA's own list before we put a trip in front of them, and we publish the certificate number so you can check it too. What we verify →
317 operators, 1263 aircraft
Rebuilt from the FAA source file each week, so the fleet we quote from is the fleet that actually exists. Browse the directory →
One price, one invoice, one contact
You pay us and we pay the operator, so you are not chasing several companies over one trip. Our fee is inside the price we quote, and we will tell you what it is if you ask. How we make money →
What we arrange
Most people booking a helicopter are doing it once, for something that matters. These are the trips we handle most.
Family sightseeing tours
The classic first flight — coastline, canyon or skyline, 20 to 60 minutes, everyone gets a window. We size the aircraft to the group so nobody draws the middle seat, and we tell you honestly whether small children will enjoy it.
Private tours for two
The whole aircraft, your route, no strangers. Usually cheaper than people expect on a light single, and the difference between a shared seat and a private charter is mostly about being able to choose when you go and where you linger.
Point-to-point transfers
Airport connections, island hops, getting to a house that is three hours by road and twenty minutes by air. This is where a helicopter stops being a treat and starts being the sensible option.
Proposals, birthdays, anniversaries
Flights built around a moment. Doors, landing spots, timing against sunset, whether the pilot can be in on it. Tell us what you are actually trying to pull off and we will tell you what is possible.
Corporate and event days
Roadshows, site visits, race days and festivals where the ground traffic is the whole problem. Multi-leg schedules, several passengers in different places, and a plan for when weather moves.
Photography and survey
Doors-off photography, property and land surveys, inspection work. These need specific aircraft, specific authorisations and a pilot who has done it before — not just any operator with a free slot.
Not on the list? Describe it anyway — most of what we arrange starts with someone explaining something unusual.
Wherever you're flying from, start here.
Helicopter charter is a local business — the aircraft that flies you is the one based near you. So the honest answer to "do you cover my city" is: tell us where you are, and we will tell you straight away whether we can do it well, or that you would be better served locally.
- ◆ United States Verified data
- ◆ Canada On request
- ◆ Caribbean On request
- ◆ Mexico & Latin America On request
- ◆ Western Europe On request
- ◆ The Gulf On request
"Verified data" means we hold the operator's certificate record and check it ourselves. "On request" means we will source it and tell you exactly what we could and could not confirm before you commit to anything.
Flying from somewhere we haven't listed?
Ask anyway. Worst case we tell you no in a day and you have lost nothing — and we would rather do that than take an enquiry we cannot serve properly.
If we can't get you a certificated operator we are confident in, we will say so plainly and point you at whoever can.
Tell us where you're flyingQuotes are free and carry no obligation.
How it works
Three steps, and no step where we quietly become the seller.
You tell us the occasion
Where from, roughly when, how many people, and what the day is actually for. A helicopter quote is built from block time and positioning, so where you start matters far more than it would for a car — an empty repositioning leg can be half the bill.
We find operators who can really do it
The right certificate, an aircraft that can carry your party over that distance, and a base close enough that positioning does not double the cost. You get names and certificate numbers, not a shortlist of anonymous "partners".
You fly with the operator
You settle with us on one invoice and we pay the operator. The flight itself is theirs — they hold the certificate and every decision about the aircraft, the crew and the weather is theirs. We stay on it for the awkward parts: weather calls, timing changes, a pad that turns out to be closed. What we don't do →
What it costs, honestly
The hourly rate is the number everyone quotes and the least useful one on its own. A short sightseeing loop from a heliport with based aircraft can cost less than a twenty-minute transfer from somewhere with none, because in the second case you are paying for the aircraft to fly to you and home again.
Four things move a quote more than the headline rate: positioning, daily minimums (many operators bill a floor whether you fly it or not), landing and handling fees at the pads you actually want, and crew duty time — a schedule that pushes past a pilot's limits needs a second crew or an overnight, and that is a step change, not a gradual one.
We publish ranges rather than a single figure, because a single figure for "a helicopter" would be a more confident lie. The full cost breakdown →
Most-flown types on US charter certificates
| Airbus Helicopters AS350 Écureuil | 382 |
| Airbus Helicopters H130 | 261 |
| Robinson R44 | 194 |
| Airbus Helicopters H135 | 64 |
| Robinson R66 | 58 |
| Bell 206 JetRanger | 43 |
The aircraft you will be offered is fairly predictable. Every type, with fleet counts →
Questions people actually ask
Is a helicopter tour worth it with young children?
Often yes, with caveats. Most operators carry children happily and will provide headsets, but very young children can find the noise and the sensation overwhelming, and some operators set a minimum age or require a child to occupy their own seat. Twenty to thirty minutes is usually the sweet spot; an hour is a long time for a five-year-old. Tell us their ages when you enquire and we will steer you to operators who do this well rather than ones who merely allow it.
How far ahead should I book?
Simple sightseeing and transfers in well-served areas can often be arranged in 24 to 48 hours. Anything involving unusual aircraft, remote departure points, landing permission at a private site, or several legs wants a week or more. Peak windows around big sporting and social events book out months ahead and price accordingly.
What happens if the weather is bad?
Many light charter helicopters are certified for visual flight only, so low cloud does not delay a trip so much as end it. If your date genuinely cannot move — a wedding, a flight connection — say so at quote stage, budget for an aircraft that can handle marginal conditions, and have a ground plan. An operator who warns you about weather at booking is being honest. Be more wary of one who promises it will be fine.
Am I paying you or the operator?
Us. You get one price and one invoice from helicopter.rentals, and we pay the operator. That is the concierge part — you are not reconciling three suppliers over a two-hour flight.
What does not transfer to us is the flying. The operator holds the air carrier certificate and retains operational control: every decision about the aircraft, the crew and whether the weather is good enough is theirs, and legally must be. Any company that blurs that line is the one to worry about. The full explanation →
Does a certificate mean the operator is safe?
No, and we will not claim it does. A certificate is a floor: it means the operator is authorised and subject to FAA oversight. It says nothing about this month's maintenance decisions or how a company behaves when the weather is marginal and a customer is impatient. What to ask instead →
Tell us what the day is for
No account, no card, no obligation. A person reads every request.
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