Ocean Reef Club, Key Largo
The northernmost Keys departure and the busiest, used by members and homeowners flying up to the city or across to the Bahamas.
Drive time from Ocean Reef
Flight time to Miami
No Runway
Helicopter Charter Florida Keys
A helicopter does not need a runway, it needs a cleared and approved area, so the list of places it can reach is longer than the list of airports. Small islands, resorts and marinas that a fixed wing aircraft has to pass over sit inside that list, and the last leg by road or by ferry falls away with them.
Which surface we may actually use is a question about the place, not about the aircraft, and we confirm the landing point with the operator before you book rather than after. Where an island has water but no cleared ground, a seaplane charter reaches it, and where it has a short field a small plane charter is often the better aircraft. The full island list sits on helicopter charter to the Bahamas and helicopter charter to the Florida Keys.
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Where Guests Fly by Helicopter from Miami
How It Works
How Helicopter Charter Works, from Enquiry to Landing
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01
Tell Us Your Route
Send the date, the departure area and the address or island you want to reach. Passenger count and luggage matter early, so we ask for both at the start.
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02
We Choose the Helicopter and the Pad
A flight planner confirms the aircraft, the landing sites at both ends, permission where a private pad is involved and customs on international legs. You receive options.
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03
Fly on Your Schedule
Meet the crew at the pad, load soft bags and depart. On the day we watch the weather and the site and your planner stays reachable until the final leg is complete.
Departure Points
Helicopter Departure Points in the Florida Keys
Islamorada Resort Pads
Mid Keys pickups at approved resort and private sites, arranged with the operator for each booking.
Drive time from Islamorada hotels
Flight time to Fort Lauderdale
Marathon Airport
Central Keys access with a terminal, parking and space for a second aircraft when a group travels together.
Drive time from Marathon
Flight time to Naples
Key West International
The southern end of the chain, used for return legs north and for scenic flights over the reef and the Dry Tortugas line.
Drive time from Old Town
Flight time to Miami
Duck Key and Hawks Cay
A resort pad pickup for guests staying mid chain, with bags handled on site and no drive to an airport.
Drive time from Duck Key
Flight time to Key West
Routes
Helicopter Routes from the Florida Keys
The five legs our charter desk plans most often from the Florida Keys, each flown as a private departure on your own schedule.
Experiences
Helicopter Experiences from the Florida Keys to South Florida and the Bahamas
Destinations Reached
Destinations Reached by Helicopter Charter
Key West
Reached by Seaplane
The end of the chain and the strongest argument against the drive. A low scenic run over the bridges, the flats and the wrecks, then a landing close to Old Town. Popular as a one way flight with a slower return by road or boat. Key West helicopter charter
Key Largo and Ocean Reef
Reached by SeaplaneThe shortest hop out of Miami and the most used Keys arrival. Club and marina access, the reef on the doorstep and onward legs deeper into the chain that take minutes rather than an afternoon. Key Largo helicopter charter
Islamorada and Marathon
Reached by SeaplaneMid chain stops for lunch on the water, flats fishing and short hops that break up a longer itinerary. Landings are arranged at approved resort and airport sites rather than anywhere on the island. Florida Keys helicopter charter
Bimini
Reached by SeaplaneThe closest Bahamian island to Florida and the easiest international day trip we arrange. A short Gulf Stream crossing, a pad beside the marina and enough on the island to fill a day without a car. Bimini helicopter charter
Nassau and Paradise Island
Reached by SeaplaneA capital arrival close to the harbour, the resorts and the restaurants. Our busiest onward connection point in the Bahamas and the usual staging stop for legs continuing to the Out Islands. Nassau helicopter charter
Naples and the Gulf Coast
Reached by SeaplaneAcross the state in one leg instead of most of a day on the road. Arrivals near the waterfront, the clubs and the golf resorts, with the Everglades and the shallows underneath on the way over. Naples helicopter charter
West Palm Beach
Reached by Seaplane
The northern end of the coast, reached without the seasonal traffic. Used by owners moving between homes, guests joining a boat and anyone with an evening commitment on the island. West Palm Beach helicopter charter
Exuma and the Out Islands
Reached by Seaplane
A chain of cays where a helicopter moves fastest, landing at private pads and resort sites beside the anchorages. Groups can be split across two stops on the same leg and boats met close to the tender. Exuma helicopter charter
In the Air
Flying Low with Glass on Every Side
A helicopter cabin is glass on every side and it flies low and slow, so the reef line, the flats and the bridges are the journey rather than something under a cloud layer. There is no seat with a bad view and nothing to look past, which is why guests who have done the same crossing by boat tend to describe the flight as the part they remember.
The cabin is small and it carries your party and nobody else, so there is no aisle, no stranger on the other side of it and no departure time you did not choose. The Bell 407 takes up to 5 passengers, the Agusta 109 up to 7 and the Sikorsky S-76 up to 9. If the group is larger than one aircraft carries, a second machine or a small plane charter into the nearest field flies the same corridor.
See Routes and Times
Helicopter Charter from the Florida Keys: The Reef Line, the Flats and a Dock Instead of a Terminal
The reef runs the whole length of the chain, a few hundred feet below
The Keys are the one stretch of this coast with a reef along their whole length. It runs outside the chain from Key West back up towards the mainland, and the crossing holds low enough that the reef line, the flats and the deeper blue outside are three different colours from the cabin rather than a line on a map.
Inside the chain the water is shallow and pale, and the Bahamas stay in reach from here on the same day: Bimini and Nassau are flown out of the Keys as well as out of Miami, and which water makes sense is a question for the helicopter charter desk.
What a charter removes is the waiting at both ends. A scheduled arrival ends at a terminal and starts a queue. A helicopter charter ends where the party is going, and on a day trip that difference is usually the difference between an afternoon on the sand and an afternoon in transit.
Helicopter Charter Florida Keys: Planning a Private Charter Across Florida and the Bahamas
A helicopter day is planned backwards from the destination, not forwards from the clock
A helicopter changes the shape of a Florida itinerary because the arrival point is an address rather than a terminal. A morning departure from Miami, Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach can put a small group at a club in Key Largo, on the waterfront in Naples or beside the marina in Bimini without a long drive at either end. That is the whole argument for the aircraft and it is why our helicopter charter desk treats the landing site as part of the route plan.
Most enquiries begin with a destination rather than an aircraft. If the plan is a day out, day trips, a scenic flight or a sunset flight is usually the right frame. If the plan is a stay, we look at Key West, Islamorada, Nassau and West Palm Beach first, then work backwards to the departure pad that saves the most ground time. Where a helicopter is not the best answer we say so and offer seaplane, small plane or private jet alternatives instead.
Landing sites are the part clients rarely see. Airports and private terminals are straightforward, while resort pads, private property and yacht decks need permission, an assessment of noise and obstacles and in some cases the operator's own approval. We confirm both ends before the day and brief an alternative. International legs add paperwork: our team files the Bahamas arrival, confirms the port of entry and sends travel documents and baggage guidance in advance. Soft bags matter on a helicopter and we will tell you early if the load plan needs adjusting. The weather and delays policy sets out how visibility, wind and site conditions are assessed.
On the ground we can add chauffeur services, meet and greet, catering, yacht transfers and dock pickup, so the flight is one part of a single arrangement. Groups travelling together can use or several linked legs and clients flying regularly move to a corporate account. To begin, send the date and the two ends of the trip to the charter desk or and a flight planner will reply with options.
Helicopter Charter: We Take Care of Both Borders
A flight inside Florida files nothing, and a Bahamas day files both borders
A day that stays inside Florida has no border in it. There is nothing to file, nothing to carry and no port of entry: the aircraft leaves from here and lands where you asked for.
A day that crosses to the islands is a different matter, and it is the half most guests never see. The manifest goes in before the aircraft moves, the departure is filed on the American side, the aircraft clears at a Bahamian port of entry, and the only thing the helicopter charter desk asks a party for is a name and a passport number.
What is left is ours rather than yours. We file both borders when there are two, confirm the port of entry and brief you on travel documents and baggage before the day. Weather gets its own call early enough to move a departure rather than lose it.
Private Helicopter Charter: The Whole Aircraft, One Manifest and the Same Crew Home
The helicopter waits where it dropped you, because nobody else is on the manifest
One party, one aircraft, one manifest. Nothing on the schedule belongs to anyone else, so the departure hour is yours and so is the return, and a party that wants to stay another two hours says so on the day rather than in a booking system.
The same crew flies both legs. They know where they put you down, they know what the weather was doing when they left, and the flight home is not handed to a different aircraft at a different field.
Every departure point on this coast works the same way, not just this one. Parties leave from Miami, from Fort Lauderdale and from West Palm Beach depending on where the day starts, and the helicopter charter desk arranges the rest.
Questions
Helicopter Charter Questions, Answered
Where can a helicopter land in South Florida and the Bahamas?
Landing sites include airports and private terminals, hotel and resort pads, approved private property and, where the vessel and the operator permit it, a yacht deck. Every site needs permission and noise rules, obstacles and local restrictions decide what is possible on the day. Our flight planners confirm the exact pad before departure, brief an alternative and tell you clearly when a request cannot be approved. Where a pad is not available, we use the nearest suitable site and arrange ground transport for the last few minutes.
Do I need a passport for a helicopter charter to the Bahamas?
Yes. The Bahamas is an international crossing, so every passenger needs a valid passport and any visa their nationality requires and children need their own documents. We file the inbound and outbound paperwork, confirm the port of entry and send a document checklist once the booking is confirmed. Guidance by nationality is set out on our travel documents page and the charter desk reviews your party before the day so nothing is discovered at the pad.
How much luggage can I bring on a helicopter charter?
Helicopters are weight and volume sensitive, so luggage is planned rather than assumed. Soft bags load far better than hard cases and the usable allowance depends on the aircraft, the passenger count, the fuel required and the conditions on the day. We agree your allowance before the flight and will tell you early if the plan needs adjusting. Golf clubs, dive gear and pushchairs can usually be carried when they are declared at booking.
What happens if weather stops a helicopter flight?
Helicopter operations depend on visibility, cloud base and wind as well as the state of the landing site, so a departure can move even on a bright day. We watch the forecast from the day before, contact you as soon as a change looks likely and offer a revised time, an alternative site or a different aircraft. Where a trip cannot be flown safely it is rescheduled or refunded according to the terms of your charter agreement. Safety decisions rest with the operator and the pilot in command.
Can a helicopter charter be booked for the same day?
Often yes for Florida legs and sometimes for the Bahamas, but an international crossing needs customs notification and a confirmed port of entry and a private pad needs permission, which both set a practical limit on how late a booking can be made. Aircraft availability in season is the other constraint. The fastest route is to send the date, the two ends of the trip and your passenger count to the charter desk and a flight planner will tell you within a few minutes what is possible.
Can I bring a pet on a helicopter charter?
Yes, pets travel in the cabin with you. The one thing we ask is that you tell us at the enquiry, with the type of animal and its weight, so the seating and the load plan are right from the start.
Charter Desk
Request a Helicopter Charter Quote from the Florida Keys
Send us the date and the two ends of your trip. A flight planner replies with routing, aircraft options and the arrival plan.
- 24/7 support
- Fast response
- No obligation
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