When a friend invited me on helicopter ride from Manhattan to Newark Airport, I jumped at the chance.
Blade wants to be the “Uber for helicopters” and has both scheduled and on-demand service in LA, NYC, and Miami. This is a service I had been wanting to check out for sometime, but it was more than that. Despite serving in the US Air Force, I had never flown on a helicopter before!
The helicopter was chartered to Newark Liberty International Airport where I conveniently had a United flight home to LA that evening.
I took a ferry across the Hudson River from Paulus Hook station next to the Hyatt Jersey City hotel to 39th St. From there, it was a short walk to the West Midtown Heliport off 30th St.
The “airport” is simply a narrow helicopter landing strip and two trailers — one for JetSmarter and the other for Blade.
The Blade “lounge” is quite swanky, with dark tones and a bar offering complimentary cocktails.
There is no security checkpoint or even a formal check-in. There were four of us traveling to Newark Airport and being the last to arrive, I was greeted by name by one of the uniformed hostesses. She placed a red band around my wrist which noted my seat number and served as my “boarding pass”. My bags were also tagged.
One great thing about flying private is a more flexible departure time. You go when you are ready. Our helicopter was waiting so even though we were booked to depart at 5pm, we left around 4:50p.
BLADE – West 30th Street Heliport (JRA) – Newark (EWR)
April 28, 2017
A hostess led us outside and helped us board.
The pilot welcomed us onboard and provided a safety briefing. In addition to your seatbelt, life jackets are strapped around you in a pouch. Flight time was predicted to be 8-minutes.
While there is no “service” on a 8-minute helicopter flight, you can take drinks from the lounge to enjoy during your flight. These are collected upon boarding and returned by the pilot shortly after takeoff.
The Flight
Flying a helicopter is certainly a different sensation than an airplane, especially during takeoff and landing. We quickly lifted off and seemed to gently glide along the Hudson, taking in stunning views of the Manhattan skyline on our left side.
Over on the right we flew over the Hyatt Jersey City I had just spent the previous night in:
Moments later we approached Ellis Island and Liberty Island, with incredible view of the Statue of Liberty:
Now came the fun part. As we approached EWR, Air Traffic Control would not give us clearance to land. Runways were too busy. Thus, our 8-minute journey doubled as we circled Newark Airport.
Finally we were given clearance to land on Runway 11 and gradually descended in, gently rocking to the ground before hovering over to the private jet terminal.
Here’s a video of the landing–
The pilot said he had never had to hold for so long. None of us were complaining! We walked inside the terminal and were driven over to the Terminal C.
CONCLUSION
Let’s just say I could really get used to flying helicopters. My first helicopter ride was so much fun and there is certainly no better way to get from Manhattan to JFK or EWR than by helicopter. Remember, Delta partners with Blade if you want to try this service out on an upcoming trip.
Awesome! Thanks for the cool post.
How much $$ ?? Great pics. Thanks for the post.
Not sure. I was a guest of my friend and did not ask questions. I believe a charter is normally $695 and seats are cheap as $195 each.
You started in Jersey City, so you were a 15 minute cab ride from Newark Airport, but instead took a ferry in the opposite direction and then a helicopter? Kind of a waste and it definitely was not quicker.
15-minute cab ride? More like one hour — that’s how long it took me in Uber to get from EWR to the hotel.
Even if it was 15-minutes, I wasn’t going to turn down a helicopter ride.
Great pics!!! Wow!! I love the LH A330 pic from above.
New York Airways used to operate helicopter service between Newark, Manhattan, JFK and LaGuardia. In July, 1963, I went to the South Street Heliport, for the seven minute flight to NY International Airport (Idlewild). It only cost $5.00 or $6.00, and it was my first ride in an aircraft. The airport was renamed John F. Kennedy Airport, (JFK) in the days following Nov. 22, 1963. Less than three years later, in January, 1966, there was a twelve day transit strike in New York City. Fortunately, there were still private buses (Carey Buses), running from Brooklyn to JFK. I took one of those buses to the New York Airways terminal at JFK. For $7.00, I was able to take a helicopter to the top of the Pan American building (which is now the Met Life Building), in Midtown. I remember the loud noise of the helicopter, and seeing the canyons of the skyscrapers, as we descended to the roof of the Pan Am Building. Even then, it was very controversial for helicopters to land there, because of the noise, and the safety factor. In 1977, a New York Airways helicopter crashed into the roof of the Pan Am building , killing several passengers, and one person on the ground. Afterwards, the FAA banned all helicopter flights from landing there. They were confined to the East River heliport. Unfortunately, NY Airways ceased service in 1979, after about thirty years. Their helicopters consisted of two rotors, and held about thirty passengers.
This is the same helicopter that just crashed into the East River – wow
Oh wow, in the back of my mind I thought it was the same and was almost afraid to look…my goodness.