Have you done an air sightseeing tour?
We had! It was an exhilarating experience – seeing a city from above and enjoying the picturesque view. The first time we did it was in New York. And we wanted to do it again in Miami.
Read more: 8 Off-Beat Places in the USA
Concord Aviation
Concord Aviation was one of Wellington World Travels’ sister companies that offered Air Sightseeing Tour, Discovery Flight, and Flight Instruction. It was located at North Perry Airport in Miami, Florida, and had two general aviation airplanes, Piper Arrow and Piper Cherokee.
Piper Arrow was used for flight instruction and for pilot students who wanted to work on their flying hours. Piper Cherokee was used for an air sightseeing tour and Discovery Flight. Discovery Flight, or also known as Introductory Flight, was for people who are interested to be a pilot.
Air Sightseeing Tour Experience
We decided to arrive at North Perry Airport early because we wanted to take photos of the airplane. But our pilot was late and it was because of miscommunication. There was actually a 2-way process for booking the pilot. And we just put his name on the schedule without confirming with him. We didn’t know because there were people assigned for reservations.
Since we were the owners, we didn’t need to show our Groupon receipt or confirmation email to the pilot. I was doing a Discovery Flight. I wanted to experience and feel how it was to fly an airplane. So I did the pre-flight check with the pilot and sit on the right seat. Han and Charles were buckled up at the back.
Flying an airplane was no joke. There were a lot of things to do and check, people to communicate to, equipment to check, weather to update. It was overwhelming. I was lost. I think the pilot expected that already.
Five minutes after takeoff, Han and the pilot heard a weird noise. Of course, me being a novice didn’t hear anything at all. I couldn’t even identify which is a good noise from a bad noise. So the pilot had to land the airplane as soon as possible so we can check it or call for maintenance.
Because we had to land after just 5 minutes, we were not able to take a lot of photos. These are the aerial views of Miami from the B777 airplane when we landed at Miami International Airport.
Even though it was cut short, it was ok. We did see Miami from above. In a full Air Sightseeing Tour, you will have the opportunity to see the entire Miami shoreline, Downtown Miami, South Beach, Miami Seaquarium, Cape Florida Lighthouse, Fisher Island, Key Biscayne, Stiltsville, the Venetian Islands, and more! There are also Sunset Tour and Romantic Tour for those who are planning to propose in the air or just to celebrate a special day.
I admit that the air sightseeing tour is not cheap. However, the experience was worth it. You’ll never know maybe I would try to get a private license in the future 😉
Have you tried an Air Sightseeing Tour before? Share with us your experience in the comments below!
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*Concord Aviation is not anymore operational and we had sold two of our airplanes already.
Author's Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the company in question before planning your trip.
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Will happily visit this place whenever i get the chance, thanks for the insight on every places you`ve suggested
I never knew this was a thing and I live in West Palm, so I will have to look into this! How awesome!!
Hi Julie. Yes! This is a thing! And It’s an amazing experience!
Were you able to go back up after landing? Just wondering if you got a refund since you were only up for about 5 minutes (even if you did use groupon). The shots looks amazing though. I’m a bit wary of small planes but it sounds like you still liked it even if it were only 5 minutes in the air. Thanks for sharing!!
I was also wary of “small planes”. I’m not used to them; I prefer big airplanes. lol. Anyway, that plane needed to be checked by a mechanic. No need for a refund, we just rescheduled it.
This is goalssss….I do want to go for sightseeing someday! Hopefully soon 🙂
Go for it! Thanks for stopping by, Shruti.
What an amazing experience! I have flown a couple times and there is just nothing like that feeling of being up there in one of those tiny planes! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I know right?! I’m still not used to “tiny airplanes” though.? But it was indeed an amazing experience.
Looks like an exciting and a bit scary experience, I’m afraid of highs.
Love the photos ??
Thanks, Vesna for stopping by 😉
This is so cool! I’ve never done a sightseeing tour by plane before, but we did do a helicopter ride over Las Vegas and that was a great experience too!
Oh man! We want to experience a helicopter ride too! That would be cool!
What a great experience (minus the landing too soon bit–bummer!). I would love to do that one of these days. My father-in-law and brother-in-law both fly, but I have yet to ever go up in one of the small planes.
That’s great! Even I am not a fan of small planes. But it’s worth it. When you do, I can’t wait to read your experience!
It’s nice to know the positives are greater than the small enclosed space aspect of it all. 😛 I hope I can get up there one of these days and, yes, definitely share 🙂
Wow, little pilot is ready to fly! Very nice pictures you have and nice trips you have done!
Thank you. Happy to share our experience with you.