Description: All over the Myrtle Beach area you will find advertising for $20 helicopter rides. And there are several companies out there. Nick wanted to go so we headed over to the airport in North Myrtle Beach to give it a whirl (pun intended).
There are 7 tours ranging in price from $20 to $179 depending on distance. They go from 3 miles to 54 miles. They have your intro tour, basic tour, Cherry Grove tour, Little River and extended Little River tour, and the Ocean Isle tour and Grand Tour being the premium tour. The later 2 give you a grand tour of the Myrtle Beach area and beyond. Nature Lovers may want to look into the Little River and Extended Little River tour which will take you 20-30 miles out into the stunning marshlands and is your best bet for wildlife viewing. The most popular is the Cherry Grove Tour that takes guests 12-13 miles down the magnificent coast.
Nick and I located the building, parked, and went on in to see if we could get a tour. We mentioned the $20 tour and we are taken over to a large aerial view of the flight area. As one might guess, they are going to try to get you to take something other than the $20 and they make it very easy for you. The $20 tour basically takes you up and around the airport. Needless to say we opted for the next tour which is the basic tour for $39.99. This 8 mile tour take you up over 700 feet and briefly takes you over the ocean, down towards the Barefoot Landing where we can spot the House of the Blues, over a golf course, and back to the airport. It takes all of about 10 minutes.
Before we take our tour, Sean escorts us to the back where we watch a 20 minute safety video. Then we wait around forever and finally Sean comes back and takes out to Brandon who is waiting in the helicopter. You can bring your camera with you but you can not take pictures until you get into the helicopter. If you want one with the helicopter, they will be glad to take one for you..at a charge of another $20. Oh and ladies, everyone has to get weighed where they call out your weight to everyone within ear shot! We meet Brandon and we hop in the waiting helicopter and I crawl in the front. We don our headphones which allow us to hear our guide as he gives us an overview and gives us a narrative as we make our way back to our little circle.
Up to 3 passengers can go up at one time. They do take groups, but groups will be divided up. There is a 300 pound weight limit. There is no age limit but any children under 2 years old must ride on adults lap. There is free parking. You can book on line. They are very upfront about reminding you about tipping.
Recommendation: Not recommended.
Website: www.executiveheli.com
They are on Facebook, Twitter, Trip It, Travel Muse, and Duffel.
I would be more inclined to recommend this is this tour was the $20 tour. I just didn’t find the views that awe inspiring and in fact I enjoyed the views the Skywheel gave much better and for a whole lot less. For a quick trip that costs a couple $80 and doesn’t give you much you much bang for your buck. With other tour options such as parasailing or Segways, I just think these give you more for your money.
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