Aerial Views of the High Peaks - via tour planes

[mavs00]

This is an info gathering thread, not intended to debate the merits of planes over wilderness areas. THANKS.......

I'm talking about those little tour planes out of Lake Placid that take you up (for a fee) and buzz you around like a tourist so that you can get some nifty aerial shots (like -THIS- one).

Okay, So I know that they are annoying to many of us hikers as they fly-by us on the summits. But they do have there uses .

I'm specifically looking for:

1) If anyone has done it, did you happen to get any shots looking down into the Southeastern cirque of Basin Mt (see photo below), and if you did, will you share them with me, please

2) If you did take one of these plane trips, but did not get any photos (of Basin), do you have info on the outfits that I could link up with to do this type of aerial recon (so to speak), and how much it is. I've heard of the tour plane outfits themselves, I just never looked into them before.

Feel free to let me get in touch with me, I'm looking for aerial beta on several other areas too . Thanks, and as always, gratefully indebted for the assistance.

Mavs00

This is Southeastern Cirque of Basin Mt.

 

[Rivet]

I haven't take a flight, but here is an outfit...

Adirondack Flying Service

 

[Rick]

Tim, in '95 after I finished the NLP Trail, my wife and I flew in a cessna 172 Floatplane out of Long lake taking the arial tour of the high peaks. We flew with Helms Air Service The trip lasted about 30-45 minutes and was a blast. I think it was about $75 for both of us.
The plexiglass side windows were so scratched up, I didn't bother to take any pictures I also figured that holding a camera lense at an angle to the plexiglass to take downward viewing pictueres would be worthless (This was before I had a digital camera)
I found it was kinda difficult to ID Peaks while flying, because it is so hard to gauge what direction you are going in and the views from an air perspective are so different than what you might normally be used to, when you think of a peak.

 

[mavs00]

Rick, I've heard that too (hard to identify peaks). I'm willing to bet that the Cirque on Basin is among the easier to identify, it's one of the most dramatic. I just wonder if its not on the ordinary flight path, can we get a deviation to make it so?

The plexiglass side windows were so scratched up, I didn't bother to take any pictures I also figured that holding a camera lense at an angle to the plexiglass to take downward viewing pictueres would be worthless (This was before I had a digital camera)

True, but I've seen some really nice ones too. Thanks......

 

[Rick]

Tim, I recall the pilot asking us if we wanted to see anything special - I wanted to overfly the Cold River Valley and check out the Sewards (Which I had just climbed a month prior) - My wife just wanted to see mountains, so he agreed to take us on a loop out along the CR valley to the Macyntires (Wright Algonquin Iroquois) and then loop straight back to Long Lake.

He wanted around $50 more to fly out to Marcy and Giant - More than we wanted to pay. I am sure that cirque would show up nicely, though.It would have helped if I had a topo map along with a good view of his instruments (I was sitting behind him)

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Back in '71, a friend took me up for a flight around the mountains. During a turn, the door swung open. I said, "Gene, the door just opened." he said, "Close it."

Then he said, "You drive for a while." (he had given me a few minutes of instrution.) I couldn'T tell if it was a big mountain in front, and a small one behind, or visa-versa, so I didn'T know if I was going up or down (I didn't think of using that instrument with the bubble in it). I got sick, but for4tunately, didn'T throw up until after we landed. Imagine hiking, and having some clown in a plane puke on you from a thousand feet up?

Anyway, with those memories, I'll NEVER go up there in a small plane again. Even though we met a guy, who offered my son & I a free flight.

 

[grasshopper]

Mav's
How about some close up eye view.Looks just like shot I have from on pyramid.this summer on one of my runs of great range I looked for a way into vally.I believe that this is very doable from off of saddle back summit.there is a slide that starts from open rock summit 100 ft south of true summit.That rock is really the headwall of a long narrow slide that misses the big rock slab on the right side of the cirque you are looking at.I've been looking at doing this for a long time.When you posted report of ampatheater bushwack I was like hey why didn't they go into this cirque!those slides have really grown over the last ten years see pics in old mcmartin book.she has pic looking at that ridge from far end of gothics just before you head over to the cable.When do you want to go this winter?camp near ore bed go up finger slide of gothics then over to saddleback and down into cirque and explore,camp one night in cirque then head out.
Run me out in the cold rain and snow (GD) or sunshine daydream

 

[mavs00]

Grasshopper, you got a PM.

Thanks for the replies. Keep em coming.

 

[JeffAndrews]

My mom had always wanted to see the source of the Hudson, but she has never been much of a hiker. So this past July we took one of the sightseeing flights from the Adirondack Flying Service.

It was a lot of fun. We went in the early evening on a week day so luckily there wasn't anyone on the peaks. (I was conflicted about the whole thing, because I know some people hate the planes).

We flew by Wright and Algonquin which was really interesting as I had just climbed them for the first time two days before.

The pilot had asked us what we wanted to see, and though he thought it strange that my mother was so interested in a "mud hole", he actually banked the plane slightly to give her a better view of Lake Tear of the Clouds.

We then did a loop around the high peaks area. I only took 7 pictures and none of them seem to be of Basin. But you are welcome to them. If you are interested I'm happy to send them to you.

 

[Mr. X]

Here is a good one.

 

[mavs00]

Called the guy from Adirondack Flying Service...... He was nice. $115 bucks, he'll take the whole family up for 30-35 minutes. I asked if he could get me in a good position to take a couple good photos down into the cirque.

He said, and I quote, "Sure, no problem, we'll just fly you right over it and turn the plane on it's side and you'll be staring right down into it"

Ummm, that probably won't be necessary sir......... Probably go in late spring once the ice and snow are off the walls. Probably hit Panther Gorge, the Cirque and Gothics to. Hope to be able to get at least one framable pic out of the deal ................

 

[wayward son]

I took a few rides on those scenic flights originating from Lake Placid over the years during the summer, fall and winter seasons (especially spectacular!). As I recall, each flight took us between Marcy and Haystacks, in essence right over Panther Gorge, and then paralleled the NORTH side of the Great Range. Two years ago, I took my dream flight from 7th Lake up to the High Peaks and back, about an hour and a half trip I think. Absolutely wonderful! This was thru Paynes' Air Service from 7th Lake. Cost I think was over $300. Pricey, but for me worth it. By the way, the total cost is the same weather it is just one person or a full load. Have fun!

 

[wayward son]

I also found out thru personal experience, that it is very difficult to take photos or videos and still try to take everything in. I was usually so busy taking pitchers that I missed much of what I was flying over! For myself, if I ever take another flight, especially over a new area, I might just leave my photo gear at home and just enjoy the scenery.

 

[Warren]

"Climbing in the Adirondacks" has a shot of the cirque, small, in B&W and taken from the air. Perhaps contacting the author would yield a source for a good print of it?

 

[iceclimber]

aerial photos

I have a bunch... get a hold of me if you are looking for them and I'll give ya the link

 

[mavs00]

Got some good stuff, some really amazing stuff. Just what I was looking for stay tuned for results.................. If I make it

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As an aside, I got other tasty pics donated as well. He's a cool one of Gothics North Face, courtesy of ADKBen from my forum......

Anyone wanna go skiing