Helicopter Flights Hertfordshire 20 prices and offers 2025

A strange performance took place at Elstree Aerodrome in Hertfordshire in May 1958. The stage was the lawn outside the restaurant, the audience was the diners enjoying their lunch and the star of the show was a tiny one-person rotocopter. Unannounced, a man unpacked and assembled this rudimentary helicopter in under 3 minutes, sat on the small seat and carried out a demonstration flight to everyone’s surprise and enjoyment. This machine was little more than an engine in a backpack with a propeller sticking out of the top and some landing gear protruding from the bottom and, though designed for military activity, it was never approved by any air force due to obvious safety concerns. Full size helicopters, on the other hand, are safe and reliable flying machines used for military and civilian purposes around the world And now available to you, right here, the experience of a flight in a whirly bird.

Where to fly in a helicopter in Hertfordshire?

If you’ve ever looked up at the sky and seen a helicopter passing by, you’ve probably wondered what it’s like to travel in one. Or maybe you've been in one before as a passenger and want to take a turn at the controls? Well you’re in luck. Elstree Aerodrome is located on the edge of London in this county and it’s home to several schools which offer flight experiences, lessons and courses to people with no previous flying experience, as well as helicopter hire for licenced pilots. It’s the closest facility of its kind to the capital and, set in the green and pleasant land of Hertfordshire, with the towns of Watford, Borehamwood and St Alban’s nearby it’s a convenient and charming place to take to the air.

Kinds of experiences available

• Trial lessons (Pilot for a day): If you want to know what it’s like to pilot one of a helicopter, this is the right choice for you. You’ll have some instruction on the ground before climbing into the cockpit alongside your pilot. They’ll take responsibility for getting you airborne, talking you through what they’re doing all the time, before you get your hands on the joystick - correctly called the cyclic stick - and your feet on the pedals and take control of the flight. There are 30 and 60 minute lessons on offer, which refers to the time in the air so put aside at least 2 hours for a trial lesson.

• Rides & Tours: Maybe you’re not so bothered about controlling the flight and are more interested in getting a birds eye view of the surroundings. If so, you can sit back and let an expert pilot take you on a ride around the local area. Hertfordshire and neighbouring counties are home to numerous film studios, including the Warner Bros Studios at Leavesden outside Watford where the magical world of the Harry Potter books was brought to life, and you can fly above them and catch a glimpse of the film sets. The London skyline to the South is another attractive sight from the cockpit of a helicopter. Tours can last from 30 minutes to 80 minutes depending on the route.

• Courses: One of the previous experiences could be enough to convince you to become a helicopter pilot, and so you’ll be looking for some classes. It’s best to buy them in bundles of flying ours, the most popular being 10, 25 or 60 hours, the last of which will be enough for you to earn a pilot’s licence.

• Hire: Own a helicopter for a day! This is for the pilots among you who are, for whatever reason, without their own. You can rent a helicopter from Elstree airport and enjoy it for a full day. Suggested itineraries are return trips to Norfolk, Cornwall or Le Touquet on the Northern Coast of France.

What kinds of helicopters can you go up in?

Robinson is one of the most trusted names in helicopter engineering. They’ve been around for decades and produced tens of thousands of good quality, reliable machines. The standard model comes in two sizes, the two-seater R22 and the four -seater R44. Both are available at Elstree and both are guaranteed to give you a safe and enjoyable flight - the main difference is that in the R44 you can take some extra passengers. Another tried and tested one that you can pilot is the Bell 206 Jet Ranger which has been used for civilian and military purposes around the world.

But you don’t have to settle for the traditional models - you’ll also find some more cutting edge technology at Elstree Aerodrome. The Guimbal Cabri G2 is a modern helicopter with an innovative “Fenestron” tail rotor which gives it a unique feel at the controls. While some pilots prefer the more familiar handling of Robinson or Bell helicopters, there’s a lot to be said for the responsiveness of the Cabri, and, on top of that, the sleek design is a winner in our books.

Requirements to do this activity

Flying a helicopter is complicated, high-risk and should only be attempted by adults with some knowledge of flying, right? Wrong! Take off and landing certainly take some getting used to, but the basic control in the air is fairly easy to pick up and, as it’ll be the experienced pilot doing the tricky bits and keeping an eye on the novices, this is a safe way to experience flight. The schools at Elstree Aerodrome welcome children as young as 10 years old to take part in a trial lesson, and no prior experience is necessary.

If your 10 year old son or daughter has heard that they can pilot one, just tell them to wait a minute whilst you fetch the measuring tape, as you need to make sure that they’ll be able to reach the pedals before bringing them to Hertfordshire! They need to be 5 foot, or 1.52 metres tall to go on this ride. There’s a maximum height as well, this time it’s for adults, and that’s 6 foot 3, or 1.9 metres. This is to make sure that you can get into the cockpit comfortably, and get out safely. While you’re finding the measuring tape you should dig out the scales too - if you weigh more than 90 kilograms you won’t be able to fly one of the smaller helicopters, like the R22, and the weight limit on the larger ones is 120 kilograms.

If all that’s got your head in a spin, it’s time to make a booking for a whirly bird adventure!