A Visual Delight - Inauguration Day Helicopter Lesson

New York City From a Different Perspective
Seconds after watching Obama get sworn in on the TV in the pilots lounge today I had the pleasure of getting a birds eye view of Westchester/Fairfield and Manhattan. My wife’s cousin was kind enough to invite me to an exploratory flight/helicopter lesson.
I had my first helicopter flight in […]

New York City From a Different Perspective

Seconds after watching Obama get sworn in on the TV in the pilots lounge today I had the pleasure of getting a birds eye view of Westchester/Fairfield and Manhattan. My wife’s cousin was kind enough to invite me to an exploratory flight/helicopter lesson.

I had my first helicopter flight in 2005 after speaking at the SPSS Directions conference in Las Vegas. Because the bus via the Hoover Dam would have taken too long we opted for a helicopter flight directly into the Grand Canyon. The flight came with a champagne breakfast. I highly recommend it.

I can’t say which I enjoyed more, the helicopter flight or the Grand Canyon. Today was quite different scenery though. Snow covered NYC. Naturally NYC with its bridges, buildings along with Empire State, Ground Zero, and Statue of Liberty were very interesting to see from this personal view. We also decided to circle Yankee Stadium (old and new). I’ve attached a few shots and videos below.

However seeing nature from this level was just as interesting to me. I particularly liked seeing trees/forests from above as well as the ice flow in the Hudson.

It was also interesting visualizing what Manhattan would have looked like a hundred years ago before they increased the size by diverting the river a bit. Sure makes you think differently about a city when you see it from such a new perspective.

It’s a bit like data visualization software we use on certain projects. Having a different perspective from a new distance/angle can really give you a richer understanding of things.

Too bad helicopter pilot licenses are so costly. Sure beats driving or taking the train to NYC though. And flying to Martha’s Vineyard for a beach day would sure be nice…