My Canyon Spirit helicopter tour was part of a 2200 mile motor trip including Zion, Bryce, Monument Valley and Page. The decision to view the Grand Canyon by air instead of hiking did not disappoint. The weather for my 9 15 am flight was clear and calm and fellow passengers included a father/son from Germany and a senior couple from Wisconsin – all of whom were very excited for the flight. The most amusing part of the trip was when our handsome pilot, John Paul, told us his favourite parts of the Grand Canyon after piloting the Canyon trips for a mere 5 days. As the audio briefly cut out all we heard was he had flown helicopters for 5 days ! Too funny! (he formerly worked at the Las Vegas location) The journey was smooth and gentle – like a flying couch – which is critical to those of us who suffer from motion sickness. The temperature inside the helicopter was perfect – having been baked on stifling flights over Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and Canmore, Alberta, Canada, I was pleased the pilot confirmed our comfort level several times. The views are spectacular: full of colour and texture. Some passengers are interested in photography, others are content to soak up the views. The richness of any experience is determined by what you bring to it – asking a few questions of the pilot who flies tourists over the Canyon every day brought a whole different perspective to the Grand Canyon experience. For those of us not paying in US dollars its pricey but as a once in a lifetime flight it was worth it. (And for ‘balance’ reasons I got to sit next to the pilot – it was tough but someone had to do it)