London is a city bursting with things to see and do, but if you’re looking for an entirely new perspective and an adrenaline rush along the way, we have just the thing – The London Helicopter.
Based in Battersea heliport, The London Helicopter offer three main ways to view the city – London Max, London Buzz, London Sights.
Prices range from £150 per seat (for the London Buzz 12 minute tour) to £1500 (for the London Max exclusive private experience) but the experience and adrenaline rush?
Priceless.
Our flight was booked for 11am and we were required to be there to check in and for a briefing at 10:30. The center is situated a ten minute walk from Clapham Junction rail station and next to the Crowne Plaza hotel, so relatively easy to get to.
Upon arrival you are weighed, checked in and then led through to wait in a room right beside the landing pads for your flight. It’s a great holding area as you can watch the other helicopters taking off and landing, the backdrop of the river Thames just behind.
When ready, your group is taken downstairs for a safety briefing – groups are normally of 6 on a shared flight but you can pay to have the helicopter all to yourselves if you wish. Before heading out you are required to place your things in lockers (aside from a camera or phone to take photos- which must be in flight mode) and you are required to wear a life jacket over your shoulders.
As soon as you put on your headset you feel immersed in the experience (and it’s a great chance to imagine any childhood dreams of being a pilot!) 
Take off is surprisingly swift and soon you’re up in the air and taking in the sights of the city. I can’t profess to you just how amazing this is and photos do little justice. The exhilaration you experience from being up in the air in such a personal and unique way is unlike anything I could have ever imagined. The London sights tour covers everything from one end of the city to the other, and you fly past the shard, the London eye, the Olympic stadium and so much more, the pilot giving a tour of all you’re seeing along the way. Heathrow airport is visible in the distance and you really see what an incredible city London is from above. The architecture, the pretty array of houses shouldered with glittering glass tower blocks, so artistically juxtaposed. It’s breathtaking. (View gallery below)
The ride takes 18 minutes although it feels much quicker- and in this time you see everything you could want and more.
Landing is as easy as take off and it’s sad when the experience is over but the buzz stays with you for a long while to follow.
At £200 for The London Sights, this is quite an expensive venture but well worth it as a one off experience and something you need to have on and tick off your bucket list. Exhilarating, exciting and so different from anything else, it is an unforgettable way to experience the city.
Seen in the City magazine were taken on a complimentary London Sights Tour – all views are our own. All photos are copyright of Seen in the City.
