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| - A pilot from Stratus Helicopters maneuvers around the Cincinnati Riverfront showing the Skyline as viewed from the South above the Ohio River. |
"There's no door on your side, is that gonna be ok?" Why wouldn't it be? I figured he meant there was only a door on one side of the aircraft and I'd be up against a solid wall, but as he checked our seat belts - I realized there was literally nothing between me and the atmosphere except for my camera.
View 224 Views of Cincinnati Locations in a larger map
Last summer I had been meaning to go on a helicopter tour from the Newport shore, but never got around to it. I convinced my friend Greg to come with me and we booked an afternoon flight. At $45 a person for a 6-8 minute tour, the price was kind of steep, but the experience is pretty unique. I've been in commercial jets and shot photos from smaller planes before, but had never been in a helicopter which would be getting us much closer than any plane could.
We made an appointment, showed up, paid and were escorted to the helicopter as soon as it landed with the previous tour departing. We were shown to our seats, strapped in and gently lifted off. Aside from the glass bubble and instruments in front of you, there was nothing on the side. We flew up over the river, watching the water ripple from the rotor of the aircraft and then headed for a quick pass around the city. Since we were only doing one lap, and I didn't want to drop another $45 to go again, I mashed on the camera shutter like it was a machine gun to make sure I got the shot I wanted and only brought one lens.
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| - Headed towards downtown Cincinnati. |
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| - A barge crossing under the Roebling Suspension Bridge. |
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| - West Side highway mess. |
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| - West End. Union Terminal can be seen in the center. |
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| - Approaching Clifton. |
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| - University of Cincinnati. |
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| - Looking North. |
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| - Interstate 71. |
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| - Looking East. Columbia Parkway at left. |
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| - Northern Kentucky. |
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| - Coming back to Newport. The B and B Riverboats "River Queen" is the boat seen at the bottom. The one at the top is one of the Water Taxis that takes passengers from The Beer Sellar to the ballpark. |
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| - Heading back towards downtown. |
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| - Big Mac Bridge. |
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| - Returning to Newport. |
For info on the tours, check out the Stratus Helicopter website
here.