What a custom tour means
The default NYC sightseeing flight is roughly the same loop every operator runs: Verrazano, Statue of Liberty, Battery, Midtown skyline, Central Park, back south down the Hudson. That route is the default for a reason — it covers the highlights efficiently.
A custom tour is different. You tell us what you actually want to see, and we plan the route around that. Maybe you want to see your apartment in Brooklyn from the air. Maybe you want to circle the Bayonne Bridge for a specific photo angle. Maybe you want to come up at sunset for the gold-hour light on the Freedom Tower. We build the flight plan around your priorities.
Things people commonly add
- Statue of Liberty close approach — closest legal pass at the Hudson River exclusion altitudes.
- Governor's Island and Battery Park — the lower Manhattan skyline from over the harbor.
- Freedom Tower / One World Trade — best angles are mid-morning when the sun catches the glass.
- Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge — flown north up the East River side (in coordination with ATC).
- Central Park — from above, the park reveals patterns you can't see from the ground.
- Yankee Stadium / Citi Field — popular for game-day flyovers (we can't enter restricted airspace, but we can hold close enough for the photo).
- Coney Island and the Jersey Shore — south of the Verrazano, with views of Sandy Hook and Long Beach Island.
- Hometown overflights — your house in NJ/NY (within VFR/airspace limits — we'll check during the route planning call).
How long is a custom tour
Most custom routes fit comfortably into 30 to 45 minutes of air time. The flight itself is one hour total — start to finish at the airport — including pre-flight briefing, taxi, climb-out, route, descent, and shutdown. If you want longer, we can build a route that lasts 60+ minutes of air time.
Aircraft and crew
Piper Cherokee PA-28. Single-engine, four-seat, well-maintained to industry tour standards and the FAA's stringent maintenance requirements. A certified flight instructor handles the controls, but if you want to take the yoke for a few minutes during the flight (with the CFI alongside you), that's an option on any custom tour.
What it costs
Custom tours are priced per air-time minute. The simplest way to get a quote is to call (347) 727-0050 with the landmarks you want to see — we'll come back with route options and a price.
What's not included
Pooling. No strangers in the cabin. The flight is yours and any guests you bring (up to three total passengers on the PA-28). Your photos. Your party. Your route.
Ready to plan one?
Call (347) 727-0050 to plan the route, or drop your email below and we'll come back with three sample itineraries based on what you want to see.