Papillon Helicopters is renowned for it\’s Grand Canyon South Rim trips. I was responsible for the family\’s canyon trip this year. Naturally, I booked with Papillon. Here\’s a quick report on my excursion:

There had been six of us. We remained at El Tovar in Grand Canyon Village, which is located in the borders of the National Park. I highly recommend this particular hotel. It may be pricey, but it is worthwhile as you are seconds out of the rim\’s edge.

I believe you can make plans with Papillon to be picked up. If not, you can organize a pick up at the transportation desk within the Bright Angel Lodge. I leased a Chevy Tahoe regarding our excursion. I loaded the bunch inside and completed the 10-minute drive to Grand Canyon National Airport.

The airport is located just outside Tusayan. You cannot skip it. There\’s lots of activity. Helicopters as well as airplanes arrive and go away from it frequently. The Papillon terminal is the biggest. I parked the SUV and got us checked in (incidentally, the coffee there is great!).

The atmosphere is very friendly. I met lots of fellow travellers from Germany, Canada, and also the United Kingdom. The lobby is comfy. We had been up late last night so I slipped in a power nap. I awoke to my sister yanking on my jacket and informing me it was time to fly.

Choppers hold up to six people (if you weigh more than 275 pounds you might be requested to purchase what they call a \”comfort seat.\”). Since this was family, I upgraded each of us to the EcoStar 130, which features 25% additional cabin room, theater-style seating, as well as a 180-degree wraparound windshield for far better views.

I additionally reserved us on the prolonged flight. Papillon Helicopter\’s standard South Rim heli journey is 30 minutes. That\’s a lot for most people. I estimate that what you can see in half an hour would take several days on the ground. Yet I wanted more (it isn\’t every day you fly the canyon), therefore I went with a excursion that provided us between 45-50 minutes of airtime.

Take off was extraordinary. Our helicopter, nose forward, roared from the tarmac and made a low-altitude trip over a forested wilderness, which hosts the biggest stand of Ponderosa Pine in the world. In 10 minutes, we said bye to the edge and found ourselves front and center in the Dragoon Corridor, the broadest and deepest section of the Grand Canyon.

It was an incredible sight. The Colorado River was beneath us. So was the Temple of Ra. The spires and buttes were surreal. There wasn\’t a cloud on the skyline. Our pilot described that our visibility was about 140 miles compared to 30 for folks on the ground! The helicopter powered on to the stately North Rim. Right here we turned back, taking in Hopi Point as well as Grand Canyon Village while we made our descent.

Papillon documents all flights employing cameras on the outside and inside of the heli. I suggest you purchase a copy of your getaway on DVD. I did so. The quality was great. I made copies for everyone. They loved it. Undoubtedly an excellent reminder of our chopper excursion.

Papillon Choppers Grand Canyon South Rim excursion gets two thumbs up from us. This had been a trip of the South Rim. I\’m pleased we did the extended flight. The additional airtime was worth the cost. Our guide was great and amused us with facts and anecdotes of the region. He made the destination come alive for us. This had been certainly a trip highlight for my clan and me. We\’ll certainly be carrying out this air excursion again.

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