Why take a boat when you can take a bus? More to the point, why take a bus when you can take to the skies? The helicopter is the latest contraption to be hauled into service, taking tourists on joyrides over the local terrain as if this were the Grand Canyon. Run by FAS Aviation, the tours depart from the helipad that sits between the Breakwater flagpole and Marina Mall and, for Time Out Abu Dhabi, it’s our first time in a machine that hovers – though we’ve dreamt about it since the halcyon days of Airwolf.
After a brief safety instruction, we’re whisked out onto the Tarmac to watch our chopper arrive. As it touches down, we run out with our heads bowed, just like we’ve seen in the movies. In truth, there’s very little chance of us getting scalped by these lofty blades, though they play havoc with our haircuts and for the remainder of the day we resemble a disheveled Amy Winehouse.
The helicopter seats six passengers and one female pilot. Yes, we know her sex should be irrelevant, but Elizabeth Peebles tells us that it gets a mention more often than you’d think. ‘People generally don’t realise that I’m their pilot until I officially introduce myself prior to take off,’ she laughs. ‘The typical question is “Are you really the pilot?” to which I answer, “Are you really my passengers?”’ Jokes aside, Elizabeth has a calming manner. We get to sit up front with her, like the grown-ups we really aren’t, and she offers us a pair of serious-looking headphones that allow us to communicate with one another, and to hear her chatting with air traffic control. Very cool indeed.
Lifting off over the flagpole, we zip down the corniche, hop over Mina Port and swoop low over Saadiyat Island. We circle what currently exists of the new Louvre gallery – a large, stunted pyramid with an Arabian motif at its zenith, a nod to the glass pyramid at the centre of its Parisian namesake. It’s good to see that so much work has already been completed, and it reminds us of our first sighting of the Yas Marina Circuit, back in the days when it was little more than a dust track.
Following the new road through the mangroves, what hits home the most is the vast personal wealth that many of the island’s inhabitants must have accumulated. There are outlying estates with private helipads galore – luxury hideaways that we’ll only ever set foot in by way of lucky invite. Elizabeth tells us that it isn’t unusual to see dolphins and turtles in the beachy shallows.
We zip down the motorway to the F1 circuit, hovering over the vast logo that adorns Ferrari World, waiting for clearance to cross over the flightpath used by the heavy aircraft landing at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Elizabeth maintains friendly chatter while the scratchy voices in the distant control tower ensuring that we don’t get mown down by a wayward 747. ‘The airwaves are like a family,’ she tells us. ‘The more you fly, the more familiar the voices get. In our own way, we feel as if we know each other personally.’
Clearance received, we descend low over Khalifa City (there’s still a lot of work to be done, in case you thought it was nearly finished) and pass by the cricket stadium en route to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which is even more impressive from the air. Zayed Stadium is equally breathtaking, though maybe because Elizabeth chooses this landmark to demonstrate the chopper’s agility – a steep bank in a metal airbus is one thing, but in a hovering glass bubble… it took some time to loosen our grip on the handrail afterwards.
The final stretch takes in some of the islands off Al Bateen, before coming in low over Emirates Palace and approaching our final destination. It strikes us that, as thrilling as Elizabeth’s job must be, in some ways it’s not too dissimilar from taxi driving. In which case, we’ve only one more question: ever had anyone famous in the back of your flying machine? ‘Here in the Middle East, I’ve mainly been flying royalty,’ she explains. ‘But back in Las Vegas…’ Can’t imagine Brangelina taking a bus too often, can you?
Flying tours of Abu Dhabi with FAS start from Dhs490 per person. For more info, call 02 444 0007 or visit www.falconaviation.ae.
