These are trying times to run a small air tour business. People are worried and don’t want to expose themselves to COVID-19.
Recently, wife Joan and I stumbled on an air tour business that has found a way to ease customer worries about this dreaded virus.
We left our home in Florida in June and traveled to Maine for the summer to escape the sizzling heat and debilitating humidity of the Sunshine State. This northern state seems to have found a way to tamp down the virus and it has one of the best records in the country. We do feel safer here than back in Florida. Even with that said, we are still careful.
As we entered Maine we quarantined until we could get a negative COVID-19 test. It was not easy to find a place to get tested, but when we finally did, we had our negative results in two days. That was fantastic! We do realize that was only a picture at that time.
We still want to be careful, but we also wanted to find some fun and interesting things to do. That led us to take a day trip to Mount Desert Island in Maine and visit Bar Harbor, Northeast Harbor, and some of Acadia National Park.
As we approached the area in the car, we saw a large roadside sign for Acadia Air Tours at Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport (KBHB) advertising rides in a glider, biplane, helicopter, and a couple of other aircraft.
It was a great day to fly. Sunny with a temperature around 78°, low humidity, and a light breeze out of the southwest, so we pulled in. We always are on the lookout for a local general aviation flight. To find one that took us over Acadia National Park was icing on the cake.
As we pulled up to the gate, we talked about our concerns how we might protect ourselves from the dreaded pandemic. If things didn’t look right, we would not take any chances and drive on.
We soon discovered we had little to worry about. This outfit had thought of everything.
As we entered the property the signs reviewed the Maine COVID-19 rules about wearing a mask and social distancing and even included a large bottle of hand sanitizer.
Masks are required on the property, in the office, and in the planes. This applies to customers as well as all the folks at Acadia Air Tours. You might go as far to say, “no shirt, no shoes, no mask, no flight.”
We talked to Holly Allen, Senior Vice President of Operations, who explained the various tour packages offered in different aircraft. We decided to take a helicopter flight over Acadia National Park.
We then had a discussion of how they totally disinfect the aircraft after each flight. All seats and cockpit areas the customer might have touched are sprayed and wiped down with alcohol. The head sets are also cleaned off with alcohol, as well as the microphones.
The microphone muffs are removed and replaced with a fresh one from a plastic bag where they had been soaking in alcohol. This is critical because you need to keep the microphone very close to your mouth to talk on the intercom.
And, of course, masks are worn during the flight by the passengers as well as the pilot.
We were lucky enough to have as our pilot Mike Allen, Holly’s husband. Mike grew up in this area and comes from a family of fishermen and sea captains. He knows the area well and kept us entertained with descriptions and stories that made us smile.
He is the chief pilot at Acadia Air Tours with 20 years of flying many different airplanes, logging 3,000 total flight hours. During the last few years Mike has gravitated into helicopters and admits he enjoys flying the yellow Robinson R- 44 helicopter more than any of the company’s fixed-wing aircraft.
Probably the aircraft that catches your eye is the big yellow open cockpit WACO biplane sitting on the ramp. It makes you think of the barnstorming days of the 1930s, but while it looks like a classic, this plane is a more modern version of the WACO.
Other airplanes in the fleet are a Cessna 180, an AirVan 8-passenger plane for small groups, and a glider. The Cessna 180 is also used as the tow plane for the glider. They have four full time commercial pilots on duty to take people up.
Flights are generally scheduled by phone with the office, but you may be lucky enough to find a flight you like and can afford by just stopping in like we did.
And it’s well worth the effort. When you get up in the air over Acadia National Park and see the ocean, green hills, and mountains, you get a whole new perspective of the grandeur of the park.
Despite the tough times they are going through with COVID-19, we noticed several couples going up on flights and reservations coming in on the phone while we waited our turn.
I sense some glider discrimination here. The rest of their fleet was described in detail, but the glider was just “a glider”. Those of us who fly unpowered aircraft would be interested to know the make and model.
Also, to the commenter who criticized the businesses Covid protocols. Please post your credentials. I’m certain they must include a PhD in epidemiology for you to make such a statement.
The above is obviously from an anti-masker. It appears this organization is following the guidelines of the Maine CDC and are trying to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. They should be applauded for opening up and being part of the economy while protecting their employees and customers.
Lots of feel-good look-good gestures, but really from a scientific standpoint they have no idea what they are doing. They are just guessing at what will produce “good optics” and somehow stay in business. What a sad and pathetic situation we are all in.