Did you know that Bristol is one of the most famous names in British helicopter design? The Bristol Aircraft Company, founded in 1910, was a pioneer of helicopter development in the Second World War and into the second half of the twentieth century. Many of the groundbreaking models, including the Sycamore and the tandem tutor Belvedere, are now available to see in the International Helicopter Museum in Weston-Super-Mare. This museum is the best of its kind in the country and is a must visit destination for every aviation enthusiast, and anyone else, who finds themself in this part of the country. But if you’re anything like us, visiting museums like this will give you the irresistible urge to experience for real. Luckily, the curators at the Helicopter Museum don’t have to worry about frustrated visitors attempting to climb into the exhibits and fly them, because they run pleasure flights right from the museum, and you can be a passenger!

This region is in a unique location in the country, and it looks even more special from the air. The city’s docks and engineering wonders are an unforgettable sight, the Channel has beautiful beaches on the near side, remote islands in the middle, and Cardiff on the far side, and the rural landscape of Somerset opens up beneath the helicopter in the other direction. And it’s not just the Helicopter Museum that acts as a sightseeing heliport, you can take to the air and fly through the skies at other locations, including Bath Racecourse.

What can you see on a helicopter flight in Bristol?

• Bristol City: For centuries, was one of the most important port cities in the British Isles, and the legacy of that industrial past can be seen in many landmarks. Among the piers and warehouses, you can see Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s great ship, the SS Great Britain - the largest passenger ship in the world when it was completed in 1845. Another of Brunel’s achievements is the Clifton Suspension Bridge which spans a distance of 412 metres across the Avon Gorge, 100 metres above the river. It’s only fitting that you enjoy these engineering landmarks from the cabin of a helicopter, a modern engineering marvel.

• Bristol Channel: Is the point where the most significant river in the Southwest, the Severn, joins the sea. It separates Bristol and the coasts of Somerset and Devon from South Wales, where the cities of Cardiff and Swansea are visible against the imposing background of the Brecon Beacons. There are a handful of islands in the channel: Steep Holm and Flat Holm which aren’t far from Weston-Super-Mare, and, further out towards the Atlantic, Lundy Island. Looking down on this waterway from above, you can watch all kinds of boats, from large cargo ships to small pleasure craft, travelling up and down the channel.

• Somerset: Whether you take off from Bath Racecourse or the Helicopter Museum in Weston-Super-Mare, the first thing that’ll you’ll get a glimpse of is the beautiful Somerset countryside. There are three ranges of hills with protected status in the county - the Mendips, the Quantocks, and the uplands of Exmoor. One of the highlights of a tour around Bristol is the largest gorge in the country, Cheddar Gorge, which is famous for a cave system where remains of humans that date back to 12 thousand years ago have been found. The nearby town of Cheddar is, of course, famous for its cheese. Your tour can also take in the world famous sites of Bath and Glastonbury, worth a look at any time of year for its mystical hilltop tor, but especially in June when it hosts the best music and arts festival on Earth.

Options for organising an experience

- All of the sights and more that we’ve listed above and more are yours to see if you organise a sightseeing tour pleasure flight around the city. But there’s not a single set itinerary for a tour, you can personalise the route to include what you want to see and last as long as you fancy. The shortest option is a quick, 6 minute, buzz along the Somerset coast. This is perfect for anyone who’s curious about flying in a helicopter but doesn’t know what to expect. If you want to see more of the city and the surrounding area, a 15 minute flight is better, because in this short time you’ll complete a loop of 25 miles. Finally, if you want the whole panorama of Bristol, Bath, and beyond, you’ll want to organise a 30 or 45 minute flight, which includes speeding through the skies and hovering in place to observe the points of interest.

- But helicopters aren’t just for aerial observation, they’re also a means for transport. If you’ve got somewhere important to be or the surrounding area, you can ensure that you arrive in style by touching down in a helicopter. It could be a birthday party or a wedding, or even Glastonbury Festival, you can be the star of the show if you make your entrance in this way.

Requirements to do this activity

There are several models of aircrafts that are waiting to take you on a flight above the city, all of them with large windows for aerial observation and comfortable seats. It’s the number of seats which might influence your decision when it comes to choosing. The Robinson R44 is one of the most popular commercial helicopters in the world, and it can take 3 passengers into the air, alongside the pilot. Next up is the B206 Jet Ranger, another common sight at helipads, which has 5 seats in total, 4 for passengers. Then there’s the Eurocopter AS350, which can take 5 people and a pilot, and it’s bigger brother the Eurocopter AS355, with one extra seat.

This activity isn’t just for the rich and famous, all kinds of people can enjoy the sights and sensations of this experience. As long as children are big enough to sit in their own seat and be strapped in correctly, they are welcome aboard. In terms of fully grown adult passengers, you’ll be asked to supply the weight of all of the people in your group in order to calculate the payload of the flight, and its viability.

Can you think of a better way to discover this area? We can’t, so you should make your booking today!