I’ve been visiting Las Vegas periodically now for over a decade. Very early on, I established a rule – each trip I should venture to try something new. Sometimes, it’s a simple one – a new hotel, a new restaurant. Sometimes, it’s more adventurous – driving to further out destinations like Seven Magic Mountains or the Hoover Dam, driving the Red Rock scenic route.
One of my most recent Vegas trips included one of those more adventurous scenarios – I took an aerial tour of the Las Vegas Strip and downtown in a Maverick Helicopter. If you spend enough time in Las Vegas, you’ll see and hear the tourism flights doing laps around the area, and it had long been on my list to do one.
Maverick’s home base is down at the southern end of the strip, with the dropoff right on Las Vegas Boulevard and on the edge of airport property at Harry Reid International Airport. This makes it an easy place to get in, get weighed, board the helicopter and go.
In the case of this adventure, my friend and I both redeemed for free trips through the myVEGAS Slots app – you earn loyalty points just for playing the app, and then can redeem for experiences including the helicopter tour. It’s not easy to get these experiences because spots are limited, but we were able to successfully secure our tickets.
The build-up to the ride is longer than the ride itself – the flight to do a lap from their home base at the airport to downtown and back only takes about 10 minutes – there’s music that plays in the helicopter and the flight lasts exactly three songs.
I was lucky enough to be given a front row seat – there are two rows in the helicopter, and people are placed in various locations to ensure a weight balance. It was a challenging weather day with thunderstorms and wind, and we weren’t sure if the flight was going to take place, but it did, and I’m so glad we did it. We also benefitted from a night flight, which saw the Vegas strip lit up in all its glory.
He told me the second row can be tougher because you don’t have as much of a view, but in his case he said it was actually quite good given he was the only one in the back. So keep that in mind when taking the flight.
After we were done, my friend, who had done it before and made sure I got the front row seat, told me it was the bumpiest ride he had done so far. I was a bit surprised because I didn’t find it all that bumpy, which means most people will probably find the experience enjoyable.
As Vegas experiences go you’re paying $10-15 a minute for the flight, but it’s one of those things I think everyone should consider doing once. Maverick offers other experiences, including ones that take you to the Grand Canyon, so if you’re looking for something more robust they’ve got options.
I was delighted to finally get a chance to see Vegas from the sky (and not while quickly landing at the airport). It’s an activity I’d definitely consider doing again in the future.
