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January 11, 2000 - Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour
I was still about a half hour early for check-in at the airport with
Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters,
and since I was the only person signed up for my flight, they upgraded me
to the Imperial Tour. This was a one hour flight, versus the 25 minute tour
I paid for. So, I experienced the deluxe tour instead of the least
expensive tour I
paid for, thanks to Papillon.
They already had a Spanish couple booked for the Imperial Tour. I have a
feeling another reason for the switch was because President
Clinton was visiting Hopi Point on the West Rim, and the Imperial Tour is an East Rim tour
- avoiding airspace that was undoubtedly restricted. While waiting, I
spotted 3 Coyotes at the tree line on the far side of the heliport. They
were smaller than I expected - the size of medium sized dogs.
Looking north over the lip of the
eastern Canyon from the Cocnino Plateau |
Looking north east at Marble
Canyon |
Vishnu Temple and Freya Castle on
the right side, looking west from Cape Royal area |
Looking north along Colorado River
near Desert View, with the flat top of Cardenas Butte in the foreground |
This was my first helicopter flight, and I liked it. It was much bumpier
than I expected, so I had to switch my digital camera from "auto" to
"manual". Manual mode gave me Best Shot Selection, which helped
to salvage some otherwise shaky shots (most taken at 1/60 or 1/125)
while the helicopter pitched, rolled, and alternately floated or sunk.
The air currents, especially along the North Rim, were strong...much to
the concern of the Spanish woman sitting next to me!
Cape Solitude east of Cape Royal,
Colorado River |
Either Jupiter Temple or Siegfried
Pyre ??
east of Cape Royal |
Looking east toward Desert View,
with rock striations clearly visible in the Canyon beside the Colorado
River |
Colorado River, the Canyon floor,
looking southeast from the North Rim |
Point Imperial, North Rim |
Mount Hayden and Point Imperial,
North Rim |
We went in an anti-clockwise direction, east over Coconino Plateau and the Desert View
region, then looped across the Colorado River to Point Imperial, the
highest peak at Grand Canyon at 8,803 ft. Then we cruised along the North Rim westward to
a point
east of the village, then back over the forested Coconino Plateau and back to the airport.
I'm still not convinced of the safety of helicopters, but I saw some
country I most certainly would not have seen otherwise. I took a photo of
Air Force One on the apron at Grand Canyon Airport before driving back
to the hotel.
 As
I mentioned previously, President Bill Clinton was visiting the Grand
Canyon the same day I was touring around. Here is a shot of Air
Force One, the jetliner he was taking back to Washington, D.C. Note
the cluster of Huey helicopters hovering just off the ground around the
aircraft. I guess that means the President of the United States is a
V.I.P! |
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