14-04-2025
Rainbow Air Helicopter Tours emphasizes safety after New York City crash
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) — Rainbow Air Helicopter Tours offers panoramic views of Niagara Falls and attracts tourists from across the country and world, but Thursday's deadly helicopter crash in New York City has raised concerns about helicopter tours.
Safety has never been more apparent after the crash in the Hudson River, which killed a family of five who were on vacation from Spain and a pilot while they were on a tour around the city. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
Since 1995, Rainbow Air has offered tours in the restricted airspace around Niagara and Horseshoe Falls, with safety being its main priority.
'Flying over a natural wonder like Niagara Falls, there's only one place in the world where you can do this,' said Patrick Keyes, Rainbow Air's sales and marketing manager. 'We're lucky that we have that opportunity to fly in that short airspace with Canada and give people the panorama view that they want. They love it and we want to continue doing that. The only way we can continue to do that is if we're operating in a safe manner.'
Keyes said ensuring people's safety is a top priority.
'It's everything. Safety is what drives our entire experience,' Keyes said. 'We are very conscious in making sure we do every required check by the manufacturer and the FAA and by the company. We have our own standards and we meet or exceed those standards. If we don't, we're not gonna fly.'
While businesses in Niagara Falls prepare for this year's upcoming tourist season, Keyes said Rainbow Air is committed to keeping them safe.
Rainbow Air's team consists of pilots who have various military and medical evacuation backgrounds, according to its website, along with professional mechanics and maintenance workers who maintain the aircrafts every day.
'To have state of the art machines that are greatly maintained, full-time mechanics, people that have known these machines for a long time, it gives us a great step up,' he said. 'It's not something that everybody can do, but we're fortunate that we have the commitment from our ownership.'
Keyes added that professionals at Rainbow Air work every day to ensure a safe flying experience.
Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work.
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