What is a full cockpit Seattle helicopter tour like? — featuring Sam Gilliss
In this video: Epic Full Cockpit Helicopter Tour Seattle 🌲 Hidden Lakes, Rainbow Waterfalls & Space Needle Flyby
Sam Gilliss · 3 years ago
How low does the helicopter fly over the waterfall and lakes?
The video shows approaches low enough to see mist and water spray detail, with pilots maintaining safe clearance above terrain while descending to 800 feet or lower for scenic viewing.
What this video answers
How low does the helicopter fly over the waterfall and lakes?
Is the landing at the grass airstrip safe, and how rough is the terrain?
What's included in the tour cost, and does it include the airstrip landing?
When is the best time of day to book this tour?
Can I sit in the front cockpit, and what's the view like during flight?
Overview of This Seattle Helicopter Flight Over Hidden Lakes and Waterfalls
This full-cockpit helicopter tour across the Pacific Northwest delivers a rare combination of iconic Seattle landmarks and remote wilderness that most visitors never see. The journey begins with a twilight takeoff from Seattle and includes close-up flybys of the Space Needle, approaches to hidden alpine lakes inaccessible by car, a 300-foot rainbow waterfall surrounded by mist, and a landing at a secluded grass airstrip tucked deep in the Cascade foothills. The entire route showcases the dramatic contrast between urban skyline and pristine backcountry terrain.
This experience suits adventure seekers, photographers, and travelers who want to cover extraordinary ground in a single flight without spending days hiking. The video shows both the aerial sightseeing and actual piloting during approach and landing, giving you a genuine sense of what the experience entails—including real wind conditions, technical radio calls, and the confined spaces pilots navigate. If you're willing to spend a morning or afternoon in the air and want proof-of-concept visuals before booking, this tour offers that transparency.
Key Moments
Main Sights and Moments on This Pacific Northwest Flight Route
Twilight takeoff from Seattle with the city skyline as backdrop and altitude climbs over suburban foothills
Rattlesnake Lake and Seattle's drinking-water reservoir with submerged town foundations visible beneath the surface
Hidden grass airstrip landing in a confined valley surrounded by forest, with pre-landing reconnaissance and actual touchdown
300-foot rainbow waterfall approach with mist and sunlight creating visible color spectrum over the Cascades
Epic Space Needle flyby and return flight over Seattle's downtown and Green Lake at low altitude
Remote mountain lakes and peaks that require helicopter access to view
Practical Details Before Booking This Seattle Helicopter Tour
Duration: Approximately 40 minutes total airtime based on video chapter markers, though check with operator for full booking-to-landing duration
Route flexibility: Pilots adjust the exact routing based on real-time wind conditions and weather—the video shows wind socks checked before landing and tailwind calculations affecting ground speed
Landing airstrip: The hidden landing site is a grass strip in a valley with tight clearance and wires nearby; not all tours include a landing, so confirm this is part of your booking
Weather dependency: Wind speed determines landing approach direction and feasibility; the video shows wind-related flight planning and mentions earlier conditions as a factor
Fuel load: Tours with three passengers and full fuel tanks mean reduced climb performance at high altitude—expect slower ascent over mountain passes
Photo opportunities: Bring a camera or phone; the video captures both rainbow waterfalls and city night lights, so early morning or late afternoon flights offer different lighting
Frequently Asked Questions About This Seattle-Area Helicopter Tour
How low does the helicopter fly over the waterfall and lakes?
The video shows approaches low enough to see mist and water spray detail, with pilots maintaining safe clearance above terrain while descending to 800 feet or lower for scenic viewing. The exact altitude varies based on wind and safety margins, but the footage demonstrates close enough proximity to capture rainbow detail and individual peaks reflected in alpine lakes.
Is the landing at the grass airstrip safe, and how rough is the terrain?
The video documents an actual landing with pre-flight reconnaissance, wind-sock checks, and approach planning for headwind landing direction. The grass strip is confined with trees and wires around it, requiring precise piloting. Once landed, the airstrip appears to have basic facilities like a porta potty, suggesting regular use and maintained conditions, though the exact ground texture is not shown in detail.
What's included in the tour cost, and does it include the airstrip landing?
The video does not specify pricing or what is included in different tour packages. You'll need to contact the operator directly to confirm whether the hidden airstrip landing, waterfall approach, and Space Needle flyby are all part of a single tour or optional add-ons, as some scenic flights may skip the landing to reduce flight time.
When is the best time of day to book this tour?
The video begins with a twilight takeoff and ends with night city lights over Seattle's downtown and Green Lake, suggesting that early evening offers good lighting for both natural scenery and urban skyline. Morning flights may offer clearer mountain views with less wind, while sunset approaches capture the Space Needle and city landmarks in golden light—check with the operator about seasonal daylight hours.
Can I sit in the front cockpit, and what's the view like during flight?
The video is shot from the pilot's perspective and shows views from both front and side angles. It emphasizes "full cockpit" access, suggesting you ride up front rather than in an enclosed cabin. The front seat offers direct views of the windscreen during takeoff, approach, and landing, plus unobstructed sightlines to lakes and waterfalls during low-altitude passes.
This video is genuinely helpful because it doesn't hide the technical reality of helicopter flight—you see real wind corrections, radio calls, fuel management, and the precision required to land safely in a confined space. That transparency builds trust and sets realistic expectations.
What stood out most was the hidden town foundations visible beneath Rattlesnake Lake and the actual landing footage, which give you proof that remote access is real and safe. If remote lakes, waterfalls, and Space Needle views matter to you, and you want a single morning or afternoon experience that covers all three, this tour is worth booking now because seasonal availability and weather windows fill up fast.
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.
Take to the skies in this epic helicopter adventure across the Pacific Northwest! 🚁
Join me and a very special guest on a scenic flight tour that includes:
✨ A landing at a hidden airstrip tucked away in the wilderness
🌊 A 300 ft rainbow waterfall surrounded by mist and sunlight
🏙️ An unforgettable Space Needle flyby over Seattle’s skyline
🌲 Remote hidden lakes that land lovers can only dream of seeing
This is more than a flight — it’s a journey across the Great Northwest’s most stunning, secret, and iconic sights.
🎥 Want even more behind-the-scenes footage and perks?
Join here → Exclusive Access
👍 Don’t forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and COMMENT your favorite part of the flight!
Clickable Video Chapters:
00:00 – Seattle Helicopter Flight Intro & Twilight Takeoff
00:45 – Meet the Special Guest on This Northwest Air Tour
14:50 – Scenic Northwest Helicopter Flyover of Remote Lakes & Peaks
23:20 – Hidden Airstrip Landing in the Pacific Northwest Wilderness
27:00 – Helicopter Over 300 ft Rainbow Waterfall in Seattle’s Mountains
38:10 – Epic Space Needle Flyby | Seattle Helicopter Skyline View
39:15 – Return Flight Over Seattle Skyline & Night City Lights
Which moment was your favorite — hidden lakes, rainbow waterfall, or Space Needle flyby? Drop it in the comments ⬇️
Video transcript for “Epic Full Cockpit Helicopter Tour Seattle 🌲 Hidden Lakes, Rainbow Waterfalls & Space Needle Flyby” Accessibility
A full written transcript of this video, provided for accessibility. Select any timestamp to jump the video to that moment.
foreign [Music]
yeah thank you
you think they're my pleasure turn right forever yeah Seward right yep yep we'll do a nice easy pickup and then we'll go straight from here right into our takeoff profile yep
all right my friend you have the control and I'll just gonna be right here if you need me I got the controls picked up nice and easy take your time no rush yep
is good nice holding right here
right here just keep her climbing yeah [Music] [Music] [Music] Jeff funny man
everybody's shore on Amazon at least not yep stay back there all right [Music] passenger ain't going tonight
2900 and I'm not trying to be a little above it's actually better if we had to Auto yeah trip enough altitude get to one side of the other
that park right over there yep
threw it out [Music]
foreign [Music]
[Music] get a good top of rain here today anyway yeah
we're pulling in a little more powder yeah 21 inches now because we're we're running fast with fuel right now for them that's true that'll get better [Music] I don't think we're gonna Crest any mountains or anything
[Music] all right [Music]
like a lake in the damage area but yeah so I would just make a call 447 from you know Charlie South End like Samantha eastbound 900 yeah [Music]
I forgot my own calls back well that'll be ingrain in your head I don't think you're bowling Romeo actually might have John maybe he wants to take it out of that uh no but I flew a bunch uh before that well guess what you're not gonna be flying anymore [Music] that's the the Amazon bird it is now
yeah so there are starters are 900 or 909 miles out so if anything goes wrong with that bird might someone blows it up again Amazon's gonna probably throw it a bit yeah wow yeah they've wanted their own dedicated birds so they can leave it where they need to leave it so they finally set up the engine went
out and they were short of a week they're like that's it either we'll find something oh no did it [Music] again so the last time I did this I went out this way you can go anywhere we can track I-90 and kind of go up over the Foothills it's up to you yeah let's hear The Following command you do what you
want let's try to find out because all right [Music] what's wrong oh
we're coming up on Issaquah right here yeah he's got this guy you got this guy here got rider attack over here yeah and then we'll kind of keep an eye on Tiger Mountain yeah you ever done any of that paracetic uh I'm flying I don't lie without it Stacks are pretty uh pretty peaceful it
does look pretty cool how about a fan of the guys that have those little Motors on there and uh I just don't like those things I've watched too many lighters lights and aircraft guys like that he ended up in Arlington [Music] I've gotta so this is known as the Issaquah Island
once a giant piece of forest area now a giant Hill wow I wonder what the casino's building or casino floor Casino
or they already had one I don't remember so I want to just do a little sightseeing let's hook this Ridge we'll come around this way yeah kill your sister Rattlesnake Lake kind of a cool spot I don't know people climb the rock base or they just take a trail and get up there but
yeah we'll kind of go out there we'll do a UE and go back in yeah 19. yeah we probably got 25.
foreign
okay back there yeah I don't think I've ever heard of Rattlesnake Lake yeah apparently that's where uh Seattle some of Seattle the waters and the Watershed
so I get it yeah I guess I don't remember what the name of the lake is back here it's uh that's the actual water oh you know reservoir for Seattle yeah yeah we can gain a little altitude be able to actually see it okay pop this up a little a little bit
passenger 600 going to the 18. not look at it yeah so I didn't know until today but I guess at one point in time there used to be an actual town and it's underneath this Lake oh you're kidding yeah sure how that'll happen but all right
and so it's coming up it's gonna be here right in front of us just to the right yeah oh okay so that's Rattlesnake Lake I guess huh and occasionally I've seen some people have on this Ridge here there must be a way to hike up to the Rock base there oh this rock base right here right there oh a couple
people here today and then kind of buzzing over this Lake now we can do a nice gradual Loop yeah but yeah if we get enough sunshine you can look down you can actually see there's this like old pillars and foundations for where the town needs to be under the water wow see a lot of stumps that's for sure
that's actually uh yeah part of the building oh you're getting cast those are like uh some of the foundation parts or pile on them yeah you can kind of see some of them under there all right pop it up to 2000. there you go Ah that's the lake I was thinking about yeah that's it that's the reservoir yeah
again look at this crazy flat Plateau yeah that's kind of weird it is yeah so this is actually Seattle's Reservoir right here no boats are people uh wow beautiful yeah all right [Music] yeah wow yeah we'll just keep coming
around we'll just shoot right in between these two and then curve back around yep you got it yeah I didn't know any of this stuff was back here I didn't know that either so yeah apparently uh not allowed to hike back there you're not allowed to go in there at all oh you
did it so I don't want anybody here it makes sense that's where everybody's water is coming from yeah [Music]
that's the one that's still weird to me that thing is so close it's flat looks like somebody came in there and literally bulldozed that thing and cropped it yeah hahaha so off this way yep following us around here's I-90 again or in front of us
yeah I won't tell you where it is see if you can spot it I went right on top of it before I even knew it was there so am I looking for an airstrip or fine it's a it's it's a grass strip grass strip that's pretty confined because it's in this little Valley there's trees all around it nice I like it already
hey oh that's up on the hill man it's up here a little further there it is huh yeah I know it's not that far out
catching some wind a little bit you might have to be here slow back a little yeah yeah you know maybe 90 80 knots yeah so much feedback we're pushing her pretty hard yeah those would be a good way to look so yeah now look here at 99. yeah exactly 99 knots on the ground speed isn't pretty tough yeah we are
so that's good we know we're gonna have you know 102 or a 90 indicator so we definitely know we got a Tailwind right yeah so we do come into this place we're going to be taking off we're going to approach from the yeah from the East coming up with coming to the West yep so just keep piggyback at 90. good
for our eyes field for Penny systems but they should be well above us yeah true all these old Railways have been turned into Trails yeah I guess if you're a
mountain bike you'd be pretty excited yeah okay nice clean water down there yeah
is there anything weird oh not up here
back a little yeah you got a lead arm don't you I do I keep touching forward I always do it's a hard habit to break too hell shut up dude yeah that's it right there
I never knew that was there either all right so that's gonna be our spot so we'll start our high Recon now oh there is a wind sock there and found it today oh really yep oh right there slowing yourself back just so you can get a good little view on it and everything yeah I'd say this altitude's plenty good
we're probably you know 500 feet like a normal pattern altitude at this point yeah so we're on our kind of our downwind leg let's say so if you look there's like a little porta potty there by that Brown Trail right right next to it is an actual windsock believe it or not yep so we'll see what that windsock
doing earlier was pointed straight out so yeah yeah all right so got wires over here yeah wires here way way out a while but yep wind sucks not as bad as it was earlier but it's definitely you know our head went so we're definitely going to be landing the West yeah okay all right so let's just continue our
down one leg let's get ourselves a good approach Vector set up out here yeah do our pre-lantic checks so the lights are all out these are all in the green it was looking good carpet is definitely out of the yellow perfect right out a little bit more yeah draw it on just a bit I'd probably go out here
give yourself a good quarter mile or so before you turn around you back these lines yep all right Holly it's going to be a little bit of a steep turn okay so go ahead and start your descent start your turn yeah okay we'll give it a little left pedal we can sharpen up this turn just a little bit don't slow all
the way down oh about 70 knot attitude here we go we're coming around and nice and tight yeah all right let's level it out right there all right slow down that Collective coming down
while we're way down we're getting kind of steep approach well now we're getting better there we go all right so now you get more to a normal approach yeah all right here we go keep that forwarders just a little bit in there get past the obstacles here
yeah I'm gonna clear them just fine down left or right until rotor stay right in the middle there you go right down the throat looking good yeah yeah [Music] nice beautiful yeah so this kind of a confined Landing right yeah it is yeah it's got a tight
tight turn around tight area yeah there's still coming in [Music] go I'm gonna take her all the way down yeah all right so let's just do a quick little clearing turn to make sure nobody's behind us I'm sure they are but if you gotta just do a left pedal turn real quick get ready to catch it because we got a
pretty fierce and win it's gonna whip us around I'm fighting it right now yeah all right let her come around nice okay get ready to catch that right pedal there it is there it is all right we're a little clearer clear all around before I pedal again all right all right you should have
Bonnie around normal takeoff I'll take off it is nice kind of cool huh yeah my bad kind
of just hiding up here interesting take out a little bit of this car yeah [Music] I'll get her get our power down that's probably our Max anyway yeah I think it's crazy yeah it's just because we got a lot of fuel running pretty heavy
and there's three of us all right you can take your sister over the falls yeah let's do it gotta do that Mike is being this low over the wall I don't want to hack anybody up um small City traffic department we have Charlie about three and a half
12 westbound crab over to the left a little sort of let's see start watching out to your right side there we're going to be going right over there yeah see it right here with my shoulder yep so here we'll take it nice and wide real
quick oh go away yeah traffic fever 684 is just coming over the highway
good rainbow too don't get that every now no [Music] all right about this altitude here got the control yeah sorry I mean it's still wet Spirit would give your sister a good shot there oh it's all good
[Music] yeah I think I got a good shot guys three mile finals will Runway three four Frontier traffic report over westbound [Music] pushing the traffic Beaver 684 just coming over to Green Lake foreign do that 110 I tell you that's your magic
number I think it is it I'll slow it down a little bit there you go that'll get rid of that shake that wobble there you go yeah you can bring it back down a little
if you want to yeah I don't mind being a little lower three years just a lot of times yeah Frontier concrete access support x-ray shark yeah it really does actually it does I mean I get better than being right on the water Cascade Mountains over here boat right up to the stadium
all right so we're gonna come down just a little bit let's get down to about 800 yeah that's good the little baby descent here just kind of keep us down at this altitude yeah
[Music] get more traffic looking at 447 Romeo Charlie is over University Washington Stadium Westbound from Ballard okay so right now we're just monitoring if anybody's taking off Lake Union yeah they should be going that way not this way good
yep and again you don't have to make this call but I'll make another call when I get to this bridge that way once again in case we miss somebody there no this is where we're at yeah
like nobody out hold on so kind of give me a heading ring right out here we're gonna go we're gonna go to full full tour deal today got it we're gonna go out we're gonna kind of go see where there's that little Plateau trees down here kind of that point yeah
there's our beautiful Green Lake once home of two Cayman alligators when I was a kid oh no kid really yeah nice yeah everybody was like there's alligators everybody's like no there's no alligators are green like it's too cool it's too cool uh the wildlife guy came out and trapped
him ended up finding them out okay cabin or kind of the pissed off cousin definitely helps a little deep beer to the right just a little bit I got you going over like a gold guard is there a car key yeah we're gonna kind of pop out there see if I can find it there's a little Ravine we can kind of drop in and we'll
turn out we'll run the shoreline and then we'll pop back in right here wow yep you got it
yeah so this is still Ballard right uh this is yeah in fact that's Ballard High right there as far as you're not from the area it's the large yucaima yeah good one I don't know we'll kind of go this way yeah
so I think there's this little goalie out in front of us here yeah we're just gonna exactly that takes you down the car key yeah we're gonna Veer left follow that goalie and then just rock the shoreline here a little bit all right so much better not being in the sunshine yeah that's a little better
yeah I think this is a spot right in here I don't think there's any houses in the goalie so this is kind of how we get into here without hacking anybody off really yeah
yep exactly don't ask me where this is I just kind of know it's here this is car geek that park right there is parking Park all right well there you go see you know more than I do hug the shoreline oh the shoreline my friend just keep your ears feet up there you go that's perfect right there okay
got it that's good you get more here on the uh Charlie is uh Southbound on the shoreline portal Marina
and then we'll just kind of keep an eye out to the right make sure we're not cutting anybody off here yep that's a pretty good-sized Marina that is thank you pepper raised Boat House
oh it's right there oh good got it and he's basically just follow the channel get back down to 800 yep that works I ain't got more traffic
[Music] yeah with the history of the old locks 1917 they were originally built still working yeah we were just out there actually
there was always seem to fill it when I transition from water to land yeah we're getting out of the coastal Sea Breeze thing going yeah here I always forget this is an inner background yeah
a bit more traffic look 447 Romeo Charlie interview Park uh for the beetle Apple just kind of unnecessarily ride the shoreline but I ride this tree line we'll get over to the needle there yeah
I'll give you a good little orbit around the needles because it's okay that's a big papa papa turn left at Alpha Four hold short the runway one forward left yep it's getting pretty easy I can see it on the water yeah yeah we were getting pushed pretty good
back there we go Charlie uh we'd like to do one quick work around the needle that is remember 447 Romney trolley Boeing Tower Roger approved as requested and then the woman survival approve ment [Music] um
all right so put your sister's on the right side yep we're gonna give you a shout out to your side oh cool okay so we'll just hold this power we don't want to be too low here we got it okay we're watching out for any traffic taken off on the lake just a quick check here yep
all right just kind of feel along I'm gonna get us a good decent orbit here yeah yeah a little red puddles collect it just a little bit [Music]
coming about yep over there on just a little bit start dropping yeah it'd be 500 feet by a Center Line you know all right controls [Music] well did you get a good picture I did
all right 500. I'm just hold it here's the shoreline [Music] yeah 80 70. that's fine yeah plenty of speed here like I said we're not in a huge rush ltf bars are there watch over this big crane yep
[Music] the game oh there was a game earlier wasn't there I don't think so not today oh there's a ton of people there earlier I don't know what was going on I heard some kind of basketball or something I don't know
well there you go you got the extended uh you got the a b and c tour today hahaha all three kill one coming in I don't like that it's like a wind blowing let's put it
yeah exactly they're still on one four of the other SeaTac land and one four yeah all right so we uh let's stay 500 feet through here you're good yeah you got it [Music] okay okay now now we go to the West Channel yep thank you
[Music] Roger some people let them know some people don't I don't know that's the first time I've heard that call I do my due diligence I've had them tell me to switch before but yeah I don't think you can ever over communicate no there's a ridiculous
point but that just also tells them hey we're here we're on the west side now yeah all right so South closed I don't yep I think so yeah that's what it was when we called so you can start slowing it back a little yeah got it and I'll usually just tell them I'm at
the bridge just because we haven't heard from them yet we want to make sure we get cleared through our stuff we Tower 447 Romeo Charlie at the bridge after seven around me and Charlie Roger wins three zero zero at seven proceed to spot a clear land [Music]
yeah there's no other traffic though if you want to circle the wind to the north that's approved yeah we're fine of course so yep okay yeah it did change but we got the option we're finally we'll discussed straight then we're already here yeah just be prepared for a Tailwind trip yeah exactly
[Music] so we called out utilizing uh our surroundings right it was as soon as I came around that corner from uh the marina I knew something was going on and watching all those waves come in the new Amish I knew we were Tailwind again all right slow that way down oh there's never stay loose stay in our pedals
[Music] we'll probably try doing a right tail uh turn into our parking space that way we're We're Not Gonna flip around so bad not fighting is so hard yeah exactly there we go looking good good start side stepping in yeah
40 knots 200 feet power let's hold on for a minute yep there's my ETL
I think we'll have to kind of do a little air attacks a year go now we could lower down yeah all right so yeah let's try this let's try the right pedal term when we get to
our spot okay that'll help because we definitely got a good point kicking it and we sure do [Music] [Music] [Music]
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