乘著直升機玩轉地球

從北美洲到歐洲再到大洋洲，直升機旅行越來越興盛，它帶領游客去感受那些陸地上不能領略的風景：最大的珊瑚礁群，極具歷史風情的中世紀海岸；去最佳目的地享受不同的運動：最適合徒步的夏威夷火山、最適合滑雪的哥倫比亞山脈，這就是直升機旅游的魅力。

Helicopter tour has become an increasingly popular pastime in North America， Europe and Oceania for travelers who want to take views that could not be appreciated on land or to enjoy a sport at the most proper destination. Be whisked away by helicopter to the world’s largest coral reef， to ancient towns， to hike in Hawaii， or to ski in the British Colombia mountain ranges.

Pilot jobs at famous scenic spots have a high retention rate. Most pilots stick to their jobs for 10 to 20 years， and many never change jobs. Chip Kaivin， a pilot at Veteran Helicopters is one of them. With a record of over 10，000 flight hours over Alaska glaciers， he remains passionate about his job. He is always excited when passengers getting off his helicopter saying “This is the best view I have ever seen” or “This is the most unforgettable thing I have ever done”. Take it once， and you will find a new perspective to view the world.

The real charm of a helicopter tour is that it can take you to a wonderland unreachable by other means of transport where you can explore all kinds of amazing journeys： hiking at the crater of a volcano， diving in the middle of the sea， skiing on the uninhabited peak of a mountain， or discovering the secrets of a medieval town. Take a helicopter ride and it promises an experience for life

很多著名直升機景點的飛行員都在他們的崗位上工作了10～20年，并且有人堅持不愿換工作。Veteran直升機公司的飛行員Chip Kaivin就是其中之一，在阿拉斯加冰川累積飛行1萬個小時后，他依然對自己的工作充滿了激情，他說：“人們總是會在從我的直升機走下的時候說，這是我今生見過最迷人的景，做過的最難忘的事”。大家的共識是：只要你進行了一次直升機旅行，今后都將以不同的視角看待世界。

一次真正的直升機旅行，絕不單是坐在直升機里俯視風景，它最絕妙之處是將你帶到其它交通工具無法企及的秘境，去體驗各種奇異的行程。例如在神秘的火山口徒步旅行，在大海中央最潔凈的地方潛水，在人煙稀少的皚皚峰頂滑雪，從天上探尋中世紀海岸古鎮的秘密。這樣上天入地的全面接觸，將會帶給你終身難忘的旅程。

直升機火山徒步旅行

夏威夷被稱為最適合徒步旅行的地方，同時，在夏威夷群島可以以乘坐直升機、徒步、乘船三種方式全面觀賞火山的活動。最接近火山的觀賞方式是“無門直升機之旅”。50分鐘的直升機之旅，帶你觀賞火山的噴發和熔巖奔流入海的壯麗。首先大家會接受10～15分鐘的安全培訓，然后跟著駕駛員登上直升機，扣上安全腰帶和肩帶，戴上防噪音耳機。駕駛員會一帶而過的說一句“放輕松，高興起來”，顯然，大家都無法完全信賴這樣一個需要通過嚴格檢查每個人的體重來分配乘客的飛行器，況且直升機上有各種急救設備、通訊設備，唯獨沒有門。這種驚心動魄的設計，據說是為了讓你可以真實地感受到火山的高溫。果然，當直升機在飛到火山口500英尺高的正上方時，仿佛只要伸手就能真實的觸碰到巖漿，而你如同坐在一個被漸漸加熱的小小容器里。然后直升機會飛往海岸邊觀賞，熔漿入海時激起爆炸，周圍地表不斷地位移坍塌，火山口上方云朵凝聚，海浪拍打熔漿巖的聲音，讓人印象深刻。不斷移動并漸漸凝固的熔巖，像麻繩一樣卷曲在一起，形成各種奇形怪狀的形態，難怪被稱為熔巖雕塑。

然后直升機可以帶你來到當下最適合徒步旅行的地點。為什么需要直升機呢？因為火山噴發形成的熔漿每天都在改變位置，開始徒步旅行之前，需要臨時確認當下火山熔漿的走向，有的地方沒有直升機就無法到達。國家火山公園是徒步冒險之旅的出發點，沿著被稱為“火山口之鏈”的山路徒步前進，有150英里的徒步道，穿過雨林和河水，來到火山口前面，走在一片片焦土上感覺就如行走在金星表面，無數的蒸汽不斷地從龜裂的地殼中冒出。有的旅客選擇傍晚出游，到達火山口時夜幕剛剛降臨，與白天煙霧繚繞的情景完全不同，夜晚不斷噴發的熔漿在黑色星空下顯得極為壯觀。

Hawaii Volcano Hiking

You can view volcano activities on the Hawaii islands by helicopter， ship， or foot， but an “open door helicopter tour” can take you closest to the volcanoes. The 50 minute ride can take you to view both volcano eruptions and lava spills into the sea.

You will receive 10 to 15 minute safety training before you follow the pilot onto the helicopter， buckle up at waist and shoulder， and put on noise canceling earphones. The pilot would ask you to relax and enjoy. But apparently it is difficult to trust a vehicle that need to arrange passengers by weight and is equipped with all kinds of first aid and communication equipment except doors. It is said that the thrilling design is to help passengers feel the real temperature of the volcano. At 500 feet above the volcano crater with lava seemingly at arm’s length， you would feel like sitting in a heating container. The helicopter then follows the flow of the lava to watch how lava spills cause explosions， terrain changes， and condensing clouds. As you watch the lava flows and solidifies into twisted trails， you would understand why the forms it left behind are called lava sculptures.

After the tour， the helicopter could drop you off at a proper place for hiking. Why helicopter？ Because lava flow is always changing， you would want to be sure where it flows before you set foot on the ground， which sometimes could only be done by a helicopter. Most hikers would start from the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park， follow the “Chain of Craters Road” onto a 150km hiking route， and arrive at the crater after going through rainforests and rivers. Walking on the scorched land with steams coming out of cracked surface is like walking on the surface of Venus. Some travelers would start out towards nightfall， as erupting lava looks even more grandeur against the dark sky.

Amalfi海岸的直升機古鎮度假

直升機不但可以帶你領略完全不同的大自然，也能讓你領略城鎮風情文化。意大利的Amalfi海岸是富裕人群喜歡選擇的旅行地點，也是度蜜月的勝地。這條海岸線布滿很多意大利中世紀風情的海邊小鎮，乘坐直升機可以將它們一覽無余。遠望過去藍色海洋與綠色山脈相連，仔細一看，城市與巖石一起鑲在山和海的相連之處，勾勒出海岸的輪廓。飛行員將直升機稍微降低一些，就能看到拜占庭人和羅馬人留下的建筑痕跡，穹窿頂的建筑、某個延伸到海中的巨大巖石上的堡壘，厚實巨大的墻體，色彩統一。

在Amalfi海岸進行直升機旅行，一定要住在Ravello，因為在這里可以住一住有百年歷史的“宮殿”，并且“宮殿”還有直升機停機坪。比如Palumbo酒店就是12世紀的Confalone宮殿改造的，在這樣一座北非、希臘、羅馬混合式古代宮殿中，享用自動調溫的浴池、土耳其桑拿浴、按摩浴等，然后直接從酒店開始你的直升機古鎮之旅，不用擔心門口有狗仔等著你，一切設施都是以服務名人、富豪的規格設置的。難怪酒店工作人員說，在這個酒店隨時可能偶遇某個好萊塢明星。在這里，直升機不僅是交通工具，也是一種私密度假的生活方式。

住在Ravello還能在半個小時內到達旁邊充滿歷史魅力的小鎮Amalfi，這里的教堂因其黑白相間的拱形門廊而聞名，很多人都會迫不及待去教堂右邊的Andrea Panza點上糕點再加一杯格蘭尼塔，這就是歐洲最著名的甜點店之一。

Amalfi Ancient Town Vocation

Apart from wonders of nature， you can also take a helicopter to experience ancient town culture. The Amalfi coast in Italy is a favored destination for well-off travelers and honeymoon goers. Scattered along the coastline are Medieval Italian towns， which can be viewed in full from a helicopter. Up high， the ancient towns and the rocks they reside on connect the green mountains and the blue ocean. Pulled closer， traces of Byzantine and Roman architecture could be seen on the domed buildings or castles perched on huge rocks.

If you want to enjoy a helicopter tour here， Ravello would be your ideal place to stay. You can stay in one of its century-old “palaces” with helipads. Palumbo， for example， is adapted from a 12th century palace called Confalone. In this palace of mixed North Africa， Greece and Roman origin， you can enjoy a temperature controlled bath， a Turkish sauna， or a massage bath before you embark on you ancient town trip without worrying about paparazzi ambushing you outside the hotel， because every facility here is installed to meet the needs of celebrities and the wealthy. No wonder hotel staff claims that you may bump into a Hollywood Star anytime in the hotel. At here， helicopter is not only a vehicle， but a private leisure lifestyle.

Within half an hour ride from Ravello is Amalfi， a historical town known for the decorative black and white arches of its cathedral. To the right of the cathedral is Andrea Panza， one of the most famous dessert shops in Europe. Many travelers would rush to the shop for refreshments and a cup of Granita.

哥倫比亞山脈滑雪之旅

加拿大英屬哥倫比亞省南部的山脈是非常有名的夏天登山地點，更是著名的直升機滑雪地點。首先，這里的雪是最細膩最干燥，最適合滑雪的，并且全年有98%的時間都可以進行滑雪運動。另外，加拿大發達的直升機滑雪服務聞名世界。在直升機上，你會發現，為了保證安全，不同直升機的飛行員之間會用通訊設備時不時地說上幾句話，并且不斷地與地面工作人員保持聯系。透過玻璃從直升機上往下望，連綿起伏的山脈被冰雪覆蓋，很少坐直升機的人會驚嘆在大自然面前的渺小感，并且能清晰感覺到只有一層薄薄鐵皮的直升機隨著氣流起伏。為了安撫游客的情緒，飛行員會告訴大家，他們都熟知山間飛行的各種技巧，并且負責管理他們的公司也一直對各直升機隊提供頻繁而全面的直升機檢修等服務，所以游客可以安心地隨著直升機在巨大的雪山前乘風破浪。

哥倫比亞山脈還受到很多歐洲滑雪愛好者的喜愛，直升機能夠帶滑雪者去到很多沒有修建公路的樹木滑雪道。更有趣的是，曾經的森林大火留下的焦黑小樹樁如今成了飛行員安全飛行的路標。據一個歐洲游客說，雖然他在阿爾卑斯山脈上有過各種瘋狂的滑雪經歷，但他還是想到遙遠的加拿大滑雪。因為，在歐洲，有樹木的滑雪道是被禁止并且被認為是超常規的。他說其實在樹木滑雪道上能夠感受更多的精彩，因為被燒毀的森林留下的場地積雪更穩定，大火還創造了巨大的樹間距，在這里進行大轉彎的障礙滑雪回轉是最完美的，身后白雪飛揚，仿佛使他將工作壓力都拋在了身后。

British Columbia Skiing

The mountain range at the south of British Columbia， Canada is a renowned destination for hiking and skiing. Skiing is available here 98% the time of the year and its dry and smooth snow is the best for skiing. Canada is also known for its helicopter-skiing services. During flight， helicopter pilots would communicate regularly between each other and with the ground to ensure safety. Viewed through a helicopter window， you would find yourself belittled in front of the continuous snow-covered mountain range and feel the turbulent air flow outside the thin layer of metal of the helicopter. To reduce your anxiety， your pilot would tell you that they know all the techniques to fly among the mountains， and that the company has kept frequent and comprehensive checks of its fleet.

British Columbia skiing is quite popular among European ski enthusiasts， because they can take helicopter to tree ski trails unreachable by highway. Interestingly， a charred stump caused by a forest fire has become a landmark for pilots. According to a European tourist， despite his many crazy ski experiences in Europe， he still wishes to ski in Canada， because tree trails， which he find thrilling， are banned in Europe. To him， it is more exhilarating to ski on tree trails， because snow on the burned ground is firmer， and forest fire has created a huge space between the trees， making it a perfect obstacle course. Making big turns here help him throw behind all his pressure from work.

澳大利亞大堡礁的浪漫潛水

這是世界上最大的珊瑚礁群——大堡礁，在大堡礁的游客主要都住在Hamilton島上，從Hamliton乘坐直升機起飛，途中會有海風中的顛簸，有時候還會飄起小雨，直升機艙的觀景玻璃，使你感到自己仿佛毫無保護地飄曳在大自然中。穿越風雨后，眼前的礁石區尤其是Hardy瀉湖區有著令人驚喜的平靜和安寧。而之前緊張感，更增加了進入礁石區后豁然開朗的感覺。飛躍著名的Heart礁時，腳下的礁石不斷變化，與海洋組成了各種圖案，深淺不同的藍色組成了天然光譜帶。原來珊瑚可以創造出如此驚人的美麗。

在滿足了視覺的貪婪享受后，直升機可以帶你來到水質最好的起降點，與大自然親密接觸。在這里穿上潛水衣，到水下觀賞跟各種真實的生命變幻組合而構成的繽紛色彩，盤踞在珊瑚上的碩大紅色、寶藍色海星，身體扁平五顏六色的熱帶魚，都圍繞在身邊，這是一個充滿了童話色彩的海底王國。

大家可以根據自身情況定制不同的直升機潛水項目，可以選擇浮潛、水肺潛水、專業潛水和頭盔潛水，沒有潛水經驗的游客一般都選擇前兩項。在潛水地點，偶爾會看到有直升機懸停在水面上方4米處，然后穿著潛水服的游客從上面一躍而下，當大家得知這些人也是一般游客并且只經過了一天的訓練時，都無不佩服他們的勇氣。

除了火山、海島、雪山、城鎮以外，還有很多景色是只有直升機才能觀賞的。比如維多利亞大瀑布，這個橫跨5600英尺的大瀑布坐落在贊比亞和津巴布韋的邊界，只有在直升機上才能看到贊比西河是如何布滿和潤澤著地面的一切，最后匯聚在一起從巨大的巖石上墜下的。還有一些布滿摩天大樓的城市，例如香港、東京，在直升機上才能夠看到它們驚人的豪華。

Great Barrier Reef Diving

Most travelers to the world’s largest coral reef stay on Hamilton. Taking off from the island， a helicopter would take you through wind， turbulence， and sometimes rains， making you feel like floating unprotected in the nature. By the time you reach the reefs， especially Hardy Reef， you will be embraced by a surprising serenity and tranquility. As the helicopter fly past the Heart Reef， the reefs gradually change color， forming a natural spectrum. It is only by helicopter can you see what beauty the reefs could create.

After a feast of your eyes， the helicopter would drop you off at a place with the purest water where you can have an intimate contact with nature. Put on a diving suit and swim under water to explore a world of colors coming from various life forms. Gigantic red or blue starfishes and colorful flat tropical fishes would swim around you as if in an underwater fairyland.

The helicopter-diving tours can be tailored to your individual needs. You may choose skin diving or scuba diving if you are not experienced， or professional diving and helmet diving. Sometimes you may find passengers in diving suites jump off helicopters hovering 4 meters above the water and marvel at their courage when you learnt that they are also travelers who have only received one day’s training.

Apart from volcanoes， islands， towns， and snow mountains， there are many more sceneries that could only be appreciated on a helicopter， just like the 5600-feet wide Victoria waterfall between Zambia and Zimbabwe， or the luxury views of metropolitan cities such as Hong Kong and Tokyo.