Mesa to Sedona by Helicopter, Part 2

Another video from the FlyingMAir YouTube channel.

Join me and fellow helicopter pilot Dave as we fly from Falcon Field in Mesa, AZ (FFZ) to Sedona, AZ (SEZ) along the Salt and Verde Rivers and through the Verde River Valley. I’ve cut this hour+ flight into multiple parts, each highlighting a specific area of our flight. In this video, we begin just north of the confluence of the Salt and Verde Rivers and detour for a close look at the fountain at Fountain Hills. From there, it’s over Rio Verde and back along the river for a low-level flight over the autumn colors and Bartlett Dam. The video ends over Bartlett Reservoir, where we’re continuing along the lake and river beyond. Along the way, you’ll hear our in-cockpit conversation about what we’re seeing and more.

Dave is an airline pilot who is working through his helicopter ratings. At the time of this flight, he was a private helicopter pilot; he got his commercial helicopter rating a few weeks later. Dave and I split the cost of this flight; I flew to Sedona and he flew back.

Many, many thanks to channel members and Patreon patrons. It’s your membership dollars that made this flight in Arizona possible.

NOTE: This is the 1080 HD version of this video. A 4K UHD version without the Member Wall is available to channel members at the Sponsor and Funder levels.

Mesa to Sedona by Helicopter, Part 1

Another video from the FlyingMAir YouTube channel.

Join me and fellow helicopter pilot Dave as we fly from Falcon Field in Mesa, AZ (FFZ) to Sedona, AZ (SEZ) along the Salt and Verde Rivers and through the Verde River Valley. I’ve cut this hour+ flight into multiple parts, each highlighting a specific area of our flight. In this flight, we begin on the ground at Falcon field, make a Gecko 2 departure across the runway, and hookup with the Salt River, where I drop altitude and point out numerous wild horses in the river. Along the way, you’ll hear radio communications with Falcon tower, our in-cockpit conversation, and us working through an intercom issue. At the end of this video, we’ve just turned up the Verde River and are making a detour to take a closer look at the fountain at Fountain Hills.

Dave is an airline pilot who is working through his helicopter ratings. At the time of this flight, he was a private helicopter pilot; he got his commercial helicopter rating a few weeks later. Dave and I split the cost of this flight; I flew to Sedona and he flew back.

Many, many thanks to channel members and Patreon patrons. It’s your membership dollars that made this flight in Arizona possible.

NOTE: This is the 1080 HD version of this video. A 4K UHD version without the Member Wall is available to channel members at the Supporter and Funder levels.

Helicopter Tour of the Los Angeles Area

Another video from the Flying M Air YouTube channel.

Join me and fellow helicopter pilot Skyler as Skyler pilots my helicopter around his home turf, the Los Angeles area, to give me an aerial tour. We depart Whiteman Airport, pass through Burbank’s airspace, and tour several points of interest from the air — Universal Studios, the Hollywood sign, Griffith Park Observatory, Dodgers Stadium (where the cars were lined up for COVID vaccinations), and downtown Los Angeles — before landing at Hawthorne Airport (home of SpaceX). I’ve got in-cockpit audio for most of the flight (after resolving a camera issue while Skyler was flying) so you can hear various airport towers as well as other aircraft making position calls on the Los Angeles helicopter common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF). I’ve added a few still photos I took along the way, too.