What is a San Diego helicopter tour with Corporate Helicopters like? — featuring EverythingDisneyFamily (Corporate Helicopters)
In this video: San Diego Helicopter Tour
EverythingDisneyFamily · 4 years ago
Will I be scared if I'm afraid of heights or flying?
According to the video, even passengers with significant anxiety about thrill rides—like Lauren, who is terrified of roller coasters—found the helicopter ride smooth and non-frightening. The gentle motion and enclosed cabin seem to ease worry, making it accessible to nervous flyers.
What this video answers
Will I be scared if I'm afraid of heights or flying?
What makes the sunset tour better than other time slots?
How far in advance should I book?
Can I bring a camera or phone to record the flight?
What's the difference between Corporate Helicopters and other operators in San Diego?
What to Expect on a San Diego Sunset Helicopter Tour
This helicopter tour takes you on an approximately 45-minute scenic flight departing from Montgomery Airport in San Diego, operated by Corporate Helicopters. The route sweeps north to south along the California coast, beginning over Lake La Jolla and its surrounding neighborhoods, then follows the waterfront past Torrey Pines down toward Mission Bay and Mission Beach. What makes this particular tour special is the timing: you experience three distinct lighting conditions in a single flight—daylight views of the pristine coastline, the dramatic colors of sunset, and then the twinkling city lights as evening settles in. It's an ideal choice for travelers who want a memorable aerial perspective without committing to a full day of activities.
The video features a family with younger children, and notably, their daughter Lauren—who admits to being terrified of roller coasters and thrill rides—felt completely at ease during the flight. This speaks to how gentle and smooth the helicopter experience can be, making it suitable for families, couples seeking romance at golden hour, or anyone wanting a unique vantage point of San Diego's celebrated coastline. The hosts enthusiastically recommend Corporate Helicopters and specifically praise their tour guide Terry for going above and beyond, suggesting that the quality of your guide significantly enhances the experience.
Key Moments
Scenic Highlights During the Flight Route
Lake La Jolla and the surrounding coastal neighborhoods viewed from above
Extended coastal views along Torrey Pines and the dramatic cliffs above the beach
The transition from daylight to sunset as you cruise southward along the water
Mission Bay and Mission Beach illuminated as city lights emerge after dark
A complete aerial survey that captures the geography of San Diego's most photogenic regions in a single flight
Practical Details Before You Book Your Flight
Duration: Approximately 45 minutes of flight time
Departure: Montgomery Airport in San Diego
Timing: Book the sunset tour to experience daylight, golden hour, and city lights in one flight; this tour works best when the sun sets early (the video was filmed in December when sunset occurred around 4:50–5:30 p.m.)
Tour operator: Corporate Helicopters; the video hosts are not partners but recommend the company based on personal experience
Group composition: The experience appears family-friendly and suitable even for passengers nervous about flying or heights
Camera-ready: Bring a phone or camera; windows provide clear viewing and photo opportunities throughout the flight
Questions Travelers Ask About San Diego Helicopter Tours
Will I be scared if I'm afraid of heights or flying?
According to the video, even passengers with significant anxiety about thrill rides—like Lauren, who is terrified of roller coasters—found the helicopter ride smooth and non-frightening. The gentle motion and enclosed cabin seem to ease worry, making it accessible to nervous flyers.
What makes the sunset tour better than other time slots?
The video demonstrates that a sunset departure captures three distinct visual experiences: bright daylight views of the coastline and landmarks, the warm colors and soft light of sunset itself, and then the sparkling city lights of San Diego after dark. This layered variety justifies the specific timing and makes for richer photography and sightseeing.
How far in advance should I book?
While the video doesn't specify exact booking windows, the hosts' enthusiasm and recommendation suggest that popular time slots—especially sunset flights—fill up quickly during peak travel seasons. It's wise to book as soon as your travel dates are confirmed to secure your preferred time.
Can I bring a camera or phone to record the flight?
The video includes footage and photos captured by passengers during the flight, indicating that phones and cameras are permitted and encouraged. The clear windows and aerial perspective make for memorable photos and videos.
What's the difference between Corporate Helicopters and other operators in San Diego?
The video doesn't compare multiple operators, but it praises Corporate Helicopters specifically for excellent customer service, highlighting their tour guide Terry's dedication to going above and beyond for passengers. This personal touch and professionalism appear to be key strengths.
A helicopter flight scheduled to depart in late afternoon so passengers experience the transition from daylight through golden hour into evening darkness.
Montgomery Airport
The airport in San Diego from which this helicopter tour departs.
Torrey Pines
A scenic coastal area north of San Diego known for dramatic cliffs and pine forests that are visible from the air during this flight.
Mission Bay
A large bay in central San Diego popular for water activities and recreation, visible from the helicopter as a lit area after sunset.
This video is genuinely helpful because it shows the full scope of what a sunset helicopter tour delivers—not just one moment, but three distinct phases of light and visibility that transform the familiar coastline into something fresh and spectacular. The hosts' candid enthusiasm and their mention of a nervous flyer's positive experience provide real reassurance for hesitant travelers.
What impressed me most was how the video captures the actual visual progression (day to dusk to city lights) rather than just describing it, and how the hosts' personal recommendation feels earned and unsponsored. If you're in San Diego and want a once-in-a-lifetime aerial experience without overcommitting your time, this tour absolutely delivers, and I'd recommend booking it.
Years on the front lines of helicopter tour coordination — not as a travel blogger, but as the person responsible for making every guest experience go right. Managed 2,000+ cruise guests weekly as Shore Excursions staff aboard the Pride of America in Hawaii
Personally coordinated with helicopter tour operators to confirm age, weight, and safety requirements.
In this video we talk about our San Diego helicopter tour back in December 2019. If you are planning a trip to San Diego we definitely recommend this!
Video transcript for “San Diego Helicopter Tour” Accessibility
A full written transcript of this video, provided for accessibility. Select any timestamp to jump the video to that moment.
[Applause] [Music] hey guys welcome in how are you everything disney family coming at you and uh welcome back everybody today we're going to do kind of we're going to tell you a little bit about this helicopter tour that we took over
san diego through corporate helicopters and we had a fantastic fantastic tour guide uh in terry terry was his name and he went above and beyond and kudos to terry if you guys ever decide to use this company um reach out to him yeah so we did this this tour a little while ago it was back in
december of 2019 um who knew that that would be our last vacation before the world's shut down um but we had such an amazing vacation and this helicopter ride was definitely one of the one of the highlights a couple days ago i was talking to one of my friends and she's actually going
to they're doing like a las vegas disneyland california like las vegas california trip and they're talking about taking a helicopter ride over the grand canyon um when they're in vegas and she was saying that she thought her kids might be scared and i said oh we did that in san diego and lauren had the best time
like she was not scared at all coming from lauren who is like terrified of roller coasters and and thrill things but she was not afraid of the helicopter ride at all so um i shared some of our videos with my friend and i thought this would be a good idea to do a video on this and
share this with all of you and especially coming up on the cusp of going on a trip to san diego and i thought it was only fitting to kind of share this with everybody so we're going to attach a couple photos and some videos of what we experienced and uh it was in the video you can hear lauren even
yell out for the uh that she saw at target so funny that we went to the night before yeah and she was so excited to see it from the aerial view yeah so we did the sunset tour with corporate helicopter what is it called corporate helicopter okay so we did the sunset tour and um we left the airport and then they kind
of went over it's actually montgomery airport yeah yeah um so we went over lake la jolla and saw all of that area and then flew like along the water and then like maybe to like mission beach area and that's when then we yeah it was pretty cool we did like torrey pine like we could see torrey
pines and all up and all that coast and well not up and down we just went down we came from the town you know from the north and then came down and then it was getting pretty dark when we were over like mission bay so you'll see that in the video um so that was pretty cool because then not
only did we see it like in daylight sunset which was amazing but then we also got to see like the lights the the city lights so it was kind of like we got all three of these gasoline do you remember how long how long it was so we had i guess i'm not sure the time frame on the actual length of the tour i think
it was probably around 45 minutes so here we are at 450 standing outside of the helicopter this is california time this was when the sun was setting early too well and the other time change could have us messed up um so then the last picture 850 it wasn't a three-hour tour no it's gotta be something with the time
change that three hour tour oh or maybe you sent me yeah was it 5 30. no look it's 5 30. so it was like probably 45 minutes yeah um super cool definitely definitely recommend we're not partnered with them or anything like that this was just something we just wanted to share with you guys and we thought was an
awesome awesome experience so yeah if you have a trip coming up to san diego um definitely look into it and it's just one of the the fun things that we did on a trip in our past on a whim yeah so guys uh if you guys haven't guys give us a subscribe if you can if you haven't already give this video a like and stay
tuned uh in just a couple seconds because we're going to pipe all these videos and some pictures in and sit back and enjoy and we'll catch you guys next time [Music] [Music]
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