Yes. The video shows a fully operational helicopter with doors removed, which is standard for aerial photography tours. The aircraft is designed for this configuration, and passengers are secured with harnesses. The main constraint is that you cannot extend your body outside during flight due to extreme wind force.
At a glance
Length
13 min
Channel
DJ Barr
Video from
Jul 2017
Rating
⭐⭐ Great video · 2/2
Best for
Photographers, content creators, and adventure travelers visiting Los Angeles wanting door-off aerial shots
What this video answers
Can you really fly a helicopter with no doors?
How fast does the helicopter fly, and does it affect photography?
Is golden hour really necessary for this tour?
How long is 30 minutes actually in the air?
What's the helicopter company's cancellation or weather policy?
Reads the guide aloud in your browser — free, no account.
What to Expect on This No-Doors LA Helicopter Flight
This video documents a private 30-minute helicopter tour departing from a regional airport near Long Beach, California, with doors completely removed for unobstructed aerial photography. The aircraft circles over Los Angeles beaches and city landmarks during golden hour—the ideal time for photography with soft, warm light. The tour is operated by a company called Adrenaline Helicopters and accommodates small groups on private charters.
This experience suits photographers, aerial content creators, and anyone seeking a premium scenic flight without the typical constraints of traditional helicopter tours. It's particularly valuable if you've been disappointed by previous helicopter rides where seating or viewing angles limited your shots. The video demonstrates real-world conditions: wind speed (100–150 mph), camera handling challenges, and exactly what the flight path covers over LA's coastal and urban areas.
Key Moments
Highlights of the No-Doors Helicopter Experience
Doors-off configuration allowing unobstructed camera access on all sides during the entire 30-minute flight
Golden hour timing (late afternoon) producing warm, soft light ideal for photography
Aerial views of Los Angeles beaches, coastal neighborhoods, and the city skyline at cruising speed
Brief visit to Laguna Beach earlier in the day to scout locations and capture drone footage before the flight
Safety briefing and secure harness setup at the private charter terminal before takeoff
Hands-on confirmation that wind force at flight speed makes extending limbs outside the aircraft unsafe
Practical Details Before Booking Your LA Helicopter Tour
Duration: 30-minute private flight for two people
Cost: $350 total for two passengers (approximately $175 per person)
Booking: Private charter with Adrenaline Helicopters; found through online deal search
Timing: Schedule for golden hour (late afternoon/early evening) for the best light and photography conditions
What to bring: Multiple cameras or a high-capacity device for continuous shooting; expect to take many photos during the short flight
Safety rules: Feet and limbs must remain inside the aircraft despite doors being off; wind force at cruising speed (100–150 mph) makes external exposure dangerous
Logistics: Arrive at the small regional airport with your booking confirmation and allow time for a safety briefing
Common Questions About Door-Off Helicopter Photography Tours
Can you really fly a helicopter with no doors?
Yes. The video shows a fully operational helicopter with doors removed, which is standard for aerial photography tours. The aircraft is designed for this configuration, and passengers are secured with harnesses. The main constraint is that you cannot extend your body outside during flight due to extreme wind force.
How fast does the helicopter fly, and does it affect photography?
According to the video, the helicopter cruises at 100–150 mph. At that speed, hand-held camera work is challenging but manageable with a secure grip. The pilot attempts to extend a hand out the side and immediately feels the force nearly pull the arm back, confirming that bracing yourself against the airframe is essential.
Is golden hour really necessary for this tour?
The video emphasizes that golden hour (late afternoon/early evening light) is ideal for aerial photography because it produces soft, warm tones and reduces harsh shadows over the landscape. The creator specifically mentions booking the flight during this window as a major factor in capturing stunning images.
How long is 30 minutes actually in the air?
The video suggests the flight feels quite short despite 30 minutes of total time. The creator notes that "it goes by so quick" and recommends being ready to shoot continuously. Plan to be aggressive with your camera—fire off shots constantly rather than waiting for the perfect moment, since the window is limited.
What's the helicopter company's cancellation or weather policy?
The video does not mention cancellation policies, weather delays, or rescheduling procedures. Contact Adrenaline Helicopters directly to confirm their terms before booking, especially if traveling during California's variable coastal weather season.
This video is invaluable if you're considering an aerial photography tour in Los Angeles. It honestly shows what to expect—the speed, the light quality, the brevity of the experience, and the real wind force you'll encounter—rather than overselling the romance of door-off flying. The creator's previous disappointments with other helicopter rides make this comparison credible, and the final verdict is genuinely enthusiastic without being fake.
What stands out most is the transparency about limitations: you can't extend your feet or body, the flight is quick, and the price is refreshingly reasonable. The golden hour timing and door-off configuration do deliver the promised photography advantage. If you're in LA and want a legitimate aerial experience, this tour merits serious consideration.
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.
Vlog 161 - June 21, 2017 - EPIC PRIVATE (No Doors) HELICOPTER Ride over LA | Flying with doors off | Laguana Beach Drone Footage | Los Angeles HELICOPTER Photography Tour
Welcome to Travel VLOG number 6 of the California Road trip series. This vlog is a special one because we charted a private helicopter and flew over the Los Angeles Beaches and city. We brought are cameras along and captures some stunning pictures of the city. This was the ideal situation for a photographer because we went up during golden hour and best of all our helicopter had no doors. These were ideal situations for arial photography. In this travel vlog we also explore more of Los Angeles this time we go to laguna beach and of course bring the drone along to capture drone footage of laguna beach.
I Hope you enjoy this Vlog - please thumbs it up if you liked it and subscribe for more videos (New Vlogs Uploaded Weekly).
ABOUT ME: I was born on March 06, 1992 in Nicaragua. I currently live in New Jersey, USA. I am an open-format Mobile and Club DJ. I enjoy making VLOGs about my Life as a DJ and my Travels around the world. I hope you find my videos entertaining. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
Video transcript for “Epic LA Private HELICOPTER Ride | NO DOORS HELICOPTER Photography Tour over Los Angeles” Accessibility
A full written transcript of this video, provided for accessibility. Select any timestamp to jump the video to that moment.
[Music] yo what's happening guys what is going on welcome back to my channel welcome back to the Vlog and welcome to day number six of the Vlog we out here today is supposed to be the first day of VidCon and like I mentioned to you guys VidCon was the main reason that we came here to California but unfortunately we
took too long to buy tickets we booked our flights like last year and we never bought the VidCon ticks we just kept putting it off oh we'll buy it next week we'll buy it next week we'll buy it next week you know folks there's a saying that says Tomorrow Never Comes and tomorrow never did come the day when we
went to go and actually buy the tickets uh they were sold out L myself and Linda we went to Anaheim the Anaheim Convention Center where VidCon is happening and uh we couldn't even get really through it there's so much cars going into the convention center today we're going to hit up lagona beach and
then later today we've booked something pretty cool that I think you guys are going to like or well I'm going to like it I'm just going to go ahead and say it we are going on a helicopter ride yeah helicopters you know I love flying [Music] we waste so much money at Starbucks i' say probably on average around 50 bucks
a week yeah yeah between the two of us though between the two of us so like 25 each a week at Starbucks I hits bad and I always get the same thing a grande ice mocha latte no whipped cream whipped cream is for children and only two pumps of mocha I'm not a big fan of sweet stuff two pumps is just right you guys
want some have it try ooh delicious [Music] welcome to lagona beach this is a super super fancy Beach and best of all no tourist looks like mostly locals and check it out look at this place look at how fancy even their Beach is fancy Linda I know you can't see it from here but the houses behind there are like
stacked up so it's like going up a mountain you can see it kind of over there it's pretty cool with the Oceanside view what do you think about Laguna Beach it's pretty I like it look at those Surfers over there killing it
[Music]
[Music] oh [Music] [Music] okay guys we've made our way down back
to the airport or well Long Beach Airport they have a bunch of different airports and uh we're at a smaller Regional Airport it looks like um I did see planes taking off so it is a legit airport and uh like I said we are going on a helicopter ride woo I'm really excited guys uh I
love flying so you guys know ever since I was a little girl I always wanted to be a airplane pilot then my dreams came crushing down and I they told me that minorities can't be airplane pilots so it's true anyways today we are going to go on a helicopter ride it's supposed to be doors off this is my third time going
on a helicopter ride every time I booked helicopter rides it's been very very disappointing the first time they made me sit in the middle so it was just literally me going up and down it was it was like taking an elevator ride it was horrible the second time I did get a window seat but uh I really didn't have
a good view a good angle it was in Vegas both times this is my first time flying in La they offer helicopter rides in New York City which I've always wanted to do but they're like $500 and I always wanted to do the doors off one today is supposed to be no doors doors off we found a cheap deal online or well Linda
found it online she did a good job looking for it we're supposed to be flying all around La we have a 30 minute flight I'm going to try to get as many pictures as possible um it's private and it is private my fingers are crossed guys my fingers are crossed that it it's it's my dream helicopter ride that I've
been waiting for all this time my fingers are crossed fingers are crossed all right guys we got everything we need we got the cameras we got the booking reservation right there can you guys hear the helicopters I hear them now ooo how cool is that just bought it just bought it check out my private airplane
guys what do you guys thing finally my years of hard work have finally paid off Hi how are you good fuzziness one oh it's a wind muff just like when the wind hits it I've never seen one on a little yeah it looks weird what do you guys think about this Lobby this is the lobby waiting for
the helicopter and no tourist hey he we finally made it this is actually a company that uh they Charter planes or well people fly into here and this is where the important people fly into it's pretty cool hi nice to meet you bar we spoke on the phone oh yeah hey nice to meet you Tom hi hey
Brandon nice to meet you Brandon you guys ready yeah this initial there we'll give you guys a sa brief before we actually awesome go between your legs there and get that strap that's hanging down there just pass that around your left there we go
you guys want to snap a couple pictures before we actually get in the helicopter yeah that' be cool yeah absolutely [Music]
[Music] [Music]
[Music] [Music] awesome thank you that was awesome you enjoyed it yeah I loved it pretty
cool that was awesome little scared I took so many pictures just a little bit thank you so much I really appreciate that was awesome thank you so much that was insane I loved every minute of it it was a little bit too quick well it goes by so quick but you better believe I was going like Rambo firing off shots left
and right the only thing that I didn't like it was just one thing they did not let us stick our feet out of the helicopter it was doors off but um he said that they were going to be flying too fast they were flying really fast I stuck my hand out and man I felt like I almost broke that thing it it almost
took me back so I never did that again he said we were doing about 100 150 M hour so it was pretty quick just imagine going 100 mph and then sticking your hand out so that's why he didn't let us it was really great experience I loved it it can't recommend it enough if you're ever in LA or if you live in LA
you got to do that no door and it was really reasonable price for two people private flight $350 for two people so it wasn't that much a theelen helicopters I think it's the name of the company adrenaline is like the experience that I guess that they call it and I loved it I am so
happy with the way that went okay we made our way down to this Denny's we're going to go meet up with uh another one of my viewers yo what's up what's up man nice meeting you man say what's up to my Vlog man man it's good to finally meet you brother Linda went with the grilled cheese and my milkshake that damn you
went in on that mixure you want a second one I went with breakfast for dinner that's how we do it shout out to the homie DJ Tex he's in there cooking it up for us hey he hooked it up he hooked it up I've told you guys a thousand times every time we travel we don't really book anywhere to stay we kind of play it
by ear and whatever town we are in that's usually where we stay we use this app called hotels tonight if we know where we're staying like the city that we're staying in advance we usually book and we usually book Hiatt that's why you guys see me stay at hi I'm a big rewards collector miles and points collector and
uh my go to hotel is Hyatt so anytime we can stay at a Hyatt we we usually prefer Hyatt but uh sometimes Hyatts are expensive when we don't have a place to stay we usually use the hotels tonight app sometimes you find like $65 hotels because it's last minute booking if the hotel has a couple rooms available and
it's like late at night and they want to book them up this is the goto app to get cheaped in like right now there's no cheap deals because Linda's trying to stay in Beverly Hills tonight help me pick guys this one looks nice look at the prices for Beverly Hills $600 $300 oh look at this one it's solid usually
we pay like a 100 bucks I think the best score that I ever had was a $50 one it was in Utah I think it was yeah it was in Utah and it was right outside of Zion National Park yesterday we stayed in a horrible Hotel it was stinky I think it was $100 one more time thank you so much man I really appreciate it well guys you
know life it moves pretty fast and today was what starting route to 2888 Pacific Coast Highway today was no exception today was a long day guys I probably didn't Vlog much we hit up lagona beach and then we hit up uh the helicopter ride which was awesome you got to try ITP and then we came down to Denny's to
meet up with the homie DJ Tex really nice guy he hooked us up with uh some food some food and the food was actually really good yeah it was yeah he even hooked Linda up with dessert oh yeah love cheesecake yeah they gave her some cheesecake so DJ text thank you so much I really appreciate it that was really
nice to him to invite us out here that's going to do it for this Vlog guys I hope you guys enjoyed it as always feel free to leave any questions comments and concerns down below always appreciate it love talking with you guys hit that Thumbs Up Button before you leave and if you're new around here and this is the
first time you're watching one of my videos why don't you subscribe for more videos like this one and don't forget to turn on that Bell see you guys in the morning for day s peace [Music]
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