Up, up and away with village's helicopter tour
A view over suburban Minhang District from the Robinson R44 helicopter
A village-sponsored helicopter tour route has begun operation in Gexin Village, Pujiang Town.
It is the first and currently only chopper-tour program introduced by a village in Shanghai.
The CloudFlying chopper touring route uses R44 models produced by the US Robinson Helicopter Co, a widely used civil helicopter model around the world. The aircraft has four seats and a carrying capacity of 1,090 kilograms.
Two professional pilots, each with a China civil aviation commercial pilot license and an accumulated safe flight duration at above 600 hours, are responsible for the trip. Guards give safety information before takeoff.
As the first rural aviation route in Shanghai, it offers multiple routes to cater to the diverse needs of tourists.
For example, they are able to have a bird's-eye view of Shanghai Disney Resort, the "flower sea" in Zhoupu Town of the Pudong New Area, Pujiang First Bay, and Minpu and Xupu bridges, among others.
"I was looking forward to the air trip," said a tourist surnamed Zhou. "The pilot introduced each scenic spot to us during the trip. As a Pujiang resident, I felt happy to look at my hometown from a new perspective."
