we booked a helicopter tour directly with the owner Robin Petgrave, drove for an hour from our hotel to the "take off" location, then waited almost 2 hours for the pilot, who never showed up. We texted and called Robin and he assured us again and again that the pilot was on his way. We finally had to leave to catch our flight home from Los Angeles.Robin himself was busy receiving an award from Ebony magazine for his professional achievements! He offered us a refund and promised to credit my visa -- which he eagerly processed via phone and charged immediately when we booked. After politely texting and emailing him several times over the past six months, i have finally realized he is a total scam artist has no intention of refunding our $500 payment. I strongly recommend that you avoid any contact with this company. MY next move will be to contact the Better Business Bureau and Ebony magazine to advise them of this scam.
I really enjoyed the helicopter flight over LA. We were picked up from our hotel in Malibu and driven to Bob Hope Airport (Burbank) where we met our pilot. The tour took us across the San Fernando Valley, the over the Hollywood Hills giving us a close up of the Hollywood sign. We then flew over Dodgers Stadium then circled about 100 feet over downtown LA. Heading south we headed towards King Quay the turned north to travel at 100 feet above the water up to Santa Monica. We finished the flight with a tour of the celebrity mansions in Brentwood and Beverly Hills. A great trip with some great photos.
Booked a helicopter flight with champagne through a reputable travel agent in the uk and expected more than the rip off we got. We did not even get helicopter as that would have been charged extra, we were take up in an old plane. The "champagne" was cheap red plonk, and we had to wait 15 minutes for them to find a corkscrew. As it was we were charged us$ 70 for pick up and fuel charge which was not mentioned on the original voucher. The pilot did not speak to us as the communication system was not working. Our safety briefing by the pilot before we set off was "if you smell smoke tap me on the shoulder, this is how you open the door if you need to jump out". I don't know now how we had the courage to get in that thing, but it was either that or nothing, and we had already paid an extremely high price. I am surprised how this company gets any business.
We had been to Hollywood on a long weekend and we had a memorable trip. We loved the locals and the non-stop city. As we had more time with us, we went ahead and booked LA tour trip with Celebrity Helicopters.Chief Pilot Robert C Petgrave is a happy go person, with a great attitude and genuine interest. He showed us all the items we discussed and was kind enough to take us to the places we liked the most. He was very friendly to us and so was his kid. It so happened that his kid was crying and he had to take him with us. It was like a family of four traveling together. We really enjoyed the trip. Will sure come back for a night tour over LA.
Where to begin? I was told to call a specific number, ask for Robin, and wait patiently to be picked up from the airport. So I did. The initial story was, he was an employee for a local radio station and was to transport me to the station to ‘claim my prize’. I was on a ‘goose-chase’, if you will. A goose-chase my boyfriend sent me on that very morning. I flew in from Texas to California, alone (this was part of my hunt). Robin had me convinced he was only the ‘transporter’. He played the role very well and before I knew it, he was piloting his way, in a helicopter, through the skies of Los Angeles California, with me by his side. Yes, I was initially terrified when my escort and I were playing in the helicopter and he decided to turn it on. For some, very odd reason, I stayed in the helicopter (despite the fact that I wanted to jump out because I thought my escort was only a transporter), but I stayed. Long story short, Robin pretended to be my transporter and I believed it all. Our helicopter ride was quite the experience (my first ever). When we landed, I saw my boyfriend standing there in a tuxedo and I, instantly knew, Robin was in on his plan. My boyfriend then began talking to me and before I knew it, he was down on one knee and I said YES! Everything was recorded from the landing to the proposal (by Robin’s very good friend, AJ, who did a beautiful job on the video BTW). Robin played a very crucial and unforgettable role in the proposal. He is very personable (as evident by my willingness to board a helicopter with a ‘total stranger’, at the time). If you are not looking for an unforgettable experience, don’t call Robin. If you’re looking for prim and proper, talk to him and let him know (I’m sure he could play the part). He is an amazing person and I had the time of my life with him. I will definitely be seeing him again and I highly recommend him to anyone and everyone.
As a tourist from Germany in L.A. I got a plane flight above L.A. with Celebrity Helicopters for my birthday. I was already looking forward to it but a day before the flight my flight was rescheduled for the next day - right at the time when I was flying to San Francisco. When I asked them to please refund my credit card charge everything seemed very straightforward and I was sure that they are refunding my money as soon as possible - my flight should have been on the 17th of January and so far I have not seen any money refunded. They are also not answering any E-Mails. I think they just expect that someone from abroad will not put any effort in getting the money back as the person is on another continent anyway. Very dubious company and I would suggest you to never ever book a flight at Celebrity Helicopters.
Ich hatte über DER-Tour einen Flug am 21.4.11 gebucht. Statt der vereinbarten Abholung um 10 Uhr kamen Sie um 12:15 und dazwischen erfolgte eine Lüge nach der anderen (das Wetter, der Stau, usw). Wir waren dann genervt und mit dem PKW weg und so behaupteten sie gegenüber DER, sie seien um 10:45 dagewesen und hätten uns vorab informiert. Zum Glück hatten wir die schriftliche Aussage des Concierge und das Protokoll der Telefongesellschaft. ich würde das nächste mal vor Ort und auf empfehlen des Hotels buchen. In Hawaii hat das super geklappt.
Pre-booked from UK phoned when arrived in CA and arranged flight for next day. Collected from Hotel in Huntington Beach and taken to airfield. Very friendly staff, pilot was waiting for us on our arrival. Marvelous 25 minute flight in light aircraft along beaches and other focal points. One of our best flights. Very good value for money. Will certainly do another flight next time in L.A
Trip was booked for Sunday 31ST MARCH.phoned the day before to be told " THE HELICOPTER WASN'T WORKING BUT THEY COULD PROVIDE A PLANE" then 10 minutes later that was cancelled..Re-scheduled for pick up at 9AM WEDNESDAY 3RD finally collected at 11AM Robin gave some guff about the original driver had to take his kid to hospital.. Original package was t-shirts and souvenir photos that never happened.no helicopter again instead a small plane [LOVELY PILOT JIM] followed by champagne after as an apology AGAIN NO CHAMPAGNE....YOU WOULD BE WISE TO GIVE THIS MOB A WIDE BERTH.....
During a short stay in LA wanted to do something special which would stay in the mind for a lifetime. There are several options in most big cities for the Heli-tour experience and shopping in advance from the UK I had to weigh up the offerings but the fact that this experience included a pick-up and return to our hotel by Hollywood Boulevard made it very attractive.We arrived in LA, made final confirmations by phone and were picked up in the morning and driven to Compton Airfield where this business shares the site with the LAPD. After a quick check on weight, yes its kind of crucial to make sure the bird is going to fly safely, we boarded the 4 seater and took off for our selected 30 minute tour. The route took in all the sights, The Olympic Stadium, Hollywood Bowl, Dodgers Stadium, Staples Centre and nods toward the homes of the stars. Three stand outs for me were the site where the 60’s TV series had the Batmobile emerging from its Bat Cave; Flying through – yes through not just past – the skyscrapers of downtown LA; and the pinnacle to hover level with and just yards in front of the iconic Hollywood sign. All that for about £100 ($150) a head – memories don’t come much better than that