ZEELAND, Mich.-- At first glance these sweeping views look like the opening to a Hollywood production, but it's no feature film. This is the view of West Michigan’s lake shore from one of the only places offering helicopter tours over Lake Michigan.
“I think we take for granted that the lake is here,” said Tim Roberts, the pilot of the tours of of Blue Sun Air in Zeeland.
Roberts has been flying helicopters since 2004, and he showed us the lake shore from a whole different point of view.
“Being able to go the lake in a helicopter and see a greater distance than you could just standing at the lake shore itself, it's just a phenomenal opportunity.”
The helicopter has an intimate experience as you sit elbow to elbow with the Roberts. The helicopter can only do tours with a max of two people aside from the pilot.
“I think it’s a really nice opportunity for a couple to come out.”
The ride includes a ceiling to floor view of the vast scenery in front of you.
Roberts said his idea for the tours started out slow, but now the calls are rolling in every day. Unlike big cities like Las Vegas or Los Angeles that offer sky tours to tourists, Robert’s clientele is a different breed.
“Very few of my clients so far have been tourists. Most of the people that have called me are just local people that have either never flown in a helicopter or just want to go up and see their local area from a helicopter,” said Roberts.
If you’re interested in booking a tour you can book it through theirwebsite. The tours run for $225 for two people for a half an hour, and $450 per hour for two people.
