Experts predict the market for aerial tours in China will grow rapidly in the coming years. (Photo: GT/Li Hao)
Birthday in the skies
For his father's 53rd birthday last November, Zhao Pei, a 26-year-old businessman who lives in Beijing, treated both his parents to a helicopter tour of the city.
Taking a different route, Yang, Zhao and his parents lifted off from near Happy Valley amusement park, flying to the Bird's Nest before looping back.
"We could hear the screams from revelers on the roller coaster [as we lifted off]," said Zhao. "We were only 100 meters from the ground, so I could even make out their excited faces."
Their journey took them northward, above Beijing's central business district and Chaoyang Park. The tour cost 8,040 yuan for the three of them.
"It gave us an entirely different view of this old city," said Zhao. "My father kept pointing different clusters of high-rises and sky scrapers and telling me that when he was growing up, they were all just single-storey buildings."
The most moving moment of the trip, said Zhao, was when they hovered over Chaoyang Park.
It was there, while in a rowboat together on the lake, that his father first confessed to his mother that he loved her.
"My mother asked my father if he still remembered [it]," said Yang. "My father blushed and then they both fell into the reverie of their memories."
Zhao said that in the future, he hoped to do an aerial tour of the Great Wall.
"It would be great to see the historic winding walls from up in the air," said Zhao.
Rollercoaster ride
In addition to helicopter tours, BRSGAC also offers fixed-wing airplane tours.
Lü Chengdao, a 30-year-old film producer took one such tour last month.
The plane took off from Miyun Airport, a base specifically set up by the China National Tourism Administration for low-altitude tours, and landed in Miyun Reservoir, on the outskirts of Beijing.
For five minutes of the 30-minute flight, Lü Chengdao was even handed the controls by the pilot, to experience the thrill of controlling the aircraft himself.
"I could feel a sense of weightlessness for one or two seconds, just like people experience when they're in the space," said Lü Chengdao. "It was really exciting."
Lü Chengdao, who spent 3,800 yuan on the fixed-wing tour, also compared the experience to riding a rollercoaster.
"When we flew above the reservoir and hovered in a circle, the plane tilted maybe 40 degrees," said Lü Chengdao.
"The other passenger [in the plane] was so excited that he just screamed."
Lü Chengdao said he received a lot of comments after posting photos of his stint in a fixed-wing airplane on WeChat. While the experience is exhilarating, Lü said there were also moments of tranquility during the tour.
"It was the first time I'd ever seen a still lake from the air," said Lü Chengdao.
"It is turquoise. The shoreline is very clear. Even though you're in the sky, the lakes are still massive, which really surprised me."
On the horizon
Lü Gang said that interest in their aerial tours was increasing rapidly.
"On the weekend of April 18 and 19, we had more 30 people take our aerial tours each day," said Lü Gang. "Our most popular route is the Bird's Nest."
Gao said that aerial tours were still in their infancy in China. A possible obstacle to its growth in the country was its high cost.
"The industry for low-altitude aerial tours is quite mature in some countries, such as the US, where it is also quite affordable," said Gao.
"The cost of a one-hour long aerial tour in the US is perhaps just half-a-day's wages for someone on an average income."
In China however, said Gao, the cost of a one-hour aerial tour could cost as much half a month's salary. Addressing the issue of cost was the first priority for industry, he said.
Another challenge, said Lü Gang, was publicity.
"A lot of people in China don't know about [aerial tours]," said Lü Gang.
"And a lot of people these days also have concerns about aviation safety, since there have been a lot of headlines in the media about aviation accidents."
Both Lü Gang and Gao however were optimistic about the future of industry in China.
"Before the end of this year, [the government will] open up a lot more airspace for low-altitude flights, which will help propel development of the industry," said Gao.
