Located about 90 minutes south of Salt Lake City, Zion National Park offers the marvels of Utah’s natural monuments. Tourists from around the globe catch amazing views of the park from the ground, but Zion Helicopters offers a unique experience for people to view the canyon approximately 1,000 feet above ground in a state-of the-art, turbine helicopter.
The Buzz sat down with chief pilot Nick of Zion Helicopters to discuss some his flight experiences over Zion’s National Park.
The Buzz: How you got started the helicopter touring business?
Nick Allred: We started the business about six years ago in the city of Hurricane, Utah, which is located about 30 minutes from the entrance to Zion’s Canyon.
I’m the chief pilot for the company, and I’ve worked for both the old owner and the new owner as well. The change in ownership in our company has brought a lot of great things in our company, and a lot more capability as well. Before we changed ownership, the previous owner was more focused on giving people rides in the local area—instead of giving them tour rides through Zion’s National Park
Things have changed considerably in the company since then, and we focus more on giving tours instead of a five-minute ride around town. Meaning that were not giving people a quick ride, and it’s more about showing the beauty of southern Utah, and giving them a more comfortable ride (as far as the helicopter is concerned), and in a more professional manner.
Today, we have more certifications through the FAA. So, we can really give people the experiences like they get in places like Las Vegas, which is well known for the helicopter business. We’re more personal—we fly a small aircraft, so that you’re not crowded in with seven other people that you don’t know. We can also have the option of catering to small groups, so if you want to go up with your husband or wife, or just a few people, we can do that too. We can rent the helicopter out by hour, and we do charter service as well.
The Buzz: Do people have any safety concerns about flying in a helicopter?
NA: We’re very safety conscious and we want to give people a great experience. For instance, we fly a turbine engine (instead of a piston engine), allowing more power and more reliability. Our aircraft is about a year and a half old, and our pilots are safety conscious. We don’t make aggressive turns or maneuvers. We can’t control the weather or the wind, but we can always choose not to fly.
The Buzz: Do you get a lot of wind in the area?
NA: The pioneers named it Hurricane Valley because they were shocked by the wind when they first arrived. We usually get the wind through the spring, and the fall. Sometimes, we get wind in the winter time as well. During the summer, we like to fly in the morning due to the winds in the afternoon. If you really want a smooth ride, you can fly first thing in the morning, but if you want amazing views of Zion’s National Park that show the sunset in the evening, then you might have to get thrown around a little bit (laughs).
The Buzz: What are your peak seasons in Zion National Park?
NA: We’re in the high desert, but the weather changes very rapidly. When we fly up by the national park, we depart from our location in Hurricane—it can be 100 degrees, but when we fly into the national park, the temperatures are in the 80’s.
We fly year-round, but June, July, and August are the busiest times for the national park. It’s the hottest time of the year; it’s an amazing place to visit, but it’s really hot, especially during the summer months.
We fly in an air-conditioned helicopter with leather interior and heating for the winter time. So, we make it as comfortable as possible. Once we get into the higher altitudes, sometimes we’ll turn the air conditioner off and take in the air from the outside.
The Buzz: It’s also nice to see the snow-capped mountains in the winter as well. That contrast of red sandstone and white snow is really beautiful.
NA: My favorite time of the year to fly the helicopter is in the winter because I love the smooth air. We also get the snow storms and the snow-capped mountains during this season. We can also see the deep reds of the mountains.
The Buzz: Do you give a guided tour and do some speaking while flying the helicopter?
NA: The tour is completely guided the whole time, and I always encourage people to ask questions. Our pilots are very well trained about the area. I have eight years of flying helicopters in the southern Utah area, so I know the area very well. We give a guided tour explaining what people are seeing, and the history of the area. We’re not geologists, but we fly over the volcanic area in the park and provide an explanation of what happened. We also go into lower altitudes where you can really start to see some of the newer formations.
We offer several different tours. We have short tours (or 10 minute flights) in the valley. Our most popular tours go through the national park. Our shortest tour is about 30 minutes, and our longest one is about an hour. Most people go for the hour tour. We haven’t heard anybody say it isn’t worth the price, and they’re always blown away. We also have an interactive map in the office that explains exactly where the tour goes.
The Buzz: Can you tell me about some unique experiences people have had while flying over Zion?
NA: A lot of people like to fly during the summer, but the most memorable experiences have been during the winter, mainly because of the difference in climate, as well as the presence of more snow and moisture in the area.
I remember one particular day—I think it was last November. It was a really cloudy day. There were a lot of storms going through, but I had a window of opportunity to take a flight up. You could see waterfalls everywhere, with low clouds surrounding the cliff edges. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The waterfalls had a 1,000-foot drop, and there was water falling all around.
Any time we do a sunset flight, the lightning is perfect. Right when the sun changes (around 8:00 p.m.), the light hits Zion around West Temple—the tallest part of the park—really lights up. It’s a great time to do photography flights. There was a time when we pulled into a hover and sat there in a hover at 8,000 feet, and watched the sun set. It was an awesome experience.