An aerial night view of Futian CBD from the helicopter. Li Jingchuan
Shenzhen Eastern General Aviation (Heli-Eastern) has launched a helicopter night ride, welcoming residents who will stay in Shenzhen for the Spring Festival holiday, Shenzhen Evening News reported yesterday.
Heli-Eastern began operating the first low-altitude helicopter sightseeing night tour in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area at the end of 2020. Great efforts were put into planning the route and adjustments have turned the tour into a mature tourist project.
The helicopter takes off from the heliport of Heli-Eastern on top of the Greater China International Trade Plaza in Futian, and flies over the mangrove seashore to Shenzhen Bay. Sightseers are able to view iconic buildings and areas in Shenzhen along the route, including Futian CBD, Ping An International Financial Center, Chegongmiao and Window of the World.
Exclusive aerial views are composed of the seascapes and a distant view of Hong Kong on one side, and magnificent cityscapes on the other.
The operating altitude of the helicopter will be kept below 300 meters, which is an ideal altitude for aerial sightseeing.
Chen Qibin, marketing director of Heli-Eastern, said the view from the air is like reading a 3D map of the metropolis packed with skyscrapers, traffic and neon lights.
The helicopter performing the low-altitude sightseeing tours is the EC135 (Airbus Helicopter H135), a twin-engine civil helicopter manufactured by Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter).
This kind of aircraft has been widely used in many fields worldwide due to its outstanding performance. The two engines of the EC135 is a guarantee of increased safety, and its noise level is relatively low. The tour over the city is less likely to disturb residents living along the flight path.
Also, two highly qualified and experienced captains who have more than 1,500 hours of flight experience each will pilot the helicopter to ensure flight safety.
Interested people can purchase tickets via the WeChat official account of Heli-Eastern or its official website. Heli-Eastern has also offered parent-child, family and couple packages to give out discounts to the public over the holiday.