Review: Scenic Tour of Vancouver in a Float Plane on Harbour Air

On August 7, 2018, I had the pleasure of flying on a tour over the city of Vancouver on a Harbour Air float plane. For all of you who don’t know, Harbour Air is an airline that flies scheduled flights, charters, and tours all out of Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre with float planes. Harbour Air is also the largest airline out of Vancouver Harbour, if not the largest float plane operator in the world! They fly Canadian bush planes from the 60s such as the DHC-2 Beaver, DHC-3 Otter (the type I flew on), and the new(ish) DHC-6 Twin Otter (with two propellers). They fly scheduled to places such as Victoria, Seattle, and Nanaimo Harbour. 

We decided to take a 20 minute tour over Vancouver and some neighboring islands, as we figured that we probably won’t get a chance to fly in a float plane any time soon, and it has been a thing that we have wanted to do for a very long time. Overall, I had a fantastic experience: because of the sea plane, but also because of the fantastic scenery over Vancouver. Really, my only complaint was that the flight was too short!

One more thing, I would like to say that the airport/flight centre/seaport/floatport is really, really convenient. It is in the middle of downtown Vancouver, and is fantastic if you want to go to either Seattle or Victoria quickly from Vancouver.

The Facts:

Pre-Flight:

We arrived at the airport at around 10:10 AM, so we had plenty of time to prepare for the flight. I first got some shots of the layout of the airport on water before we went inside the terminal.

Gas Station on Water

Vancouver Harbour Flight Center

Up Close(ish)

We then entered the terminal and headed for the tour check in area. The terminal is right under a little walkway/park and is near the convention center and cruise terminal. Unfortunately, the check in line actually took a bit of time, as multiple flights departed around the same time as ours. What’s really great about this airport is that it is basically all an airport lounge, with large comfortable seats. The small terminal also has restrooms and a cafe where you can purchase meals and drinks. You can also buy memorabilia such as Harbour Air water bottles or mugs in the terminal. On a side note, I think that there was a dedicated area for flights to Seattle on Harbour Air or Kenmore Air (maybe because it is an international flight???). I actually really wonder where passengers from Seattle clear customs?

Harbour Air Terminal

Harbour Air Check-In

There are two “gates” outside of the terminal. I think one is for recreation flights and tours and the other is for scheduled flights. Upon check-in, passengers receive a boarding pass of a certain color (which will be returned). Then, a person calls for passengers with a certain color to go out to a specific gate through the PA. At the outdoor gate, there are multiple pilots waiting. A person calls people with specific types of boarding passes to go out with a pilot to your aircraft, where then you board the float plane. 

At check-in, we were given the option to buy single seats on the plane without having to sit next to someone else for 10 Canadian Dollars. We opted for that option because we figured that since we were on a tour, we might as well get the most out of it by being able to take quality photos while not having to sit next to anyone (our plane was in a 1-2 configuration). We were then given cards, which we showed to the pilot by our plane, and he gave us single seats on the 14 passenger aircraft. It was kind of weird and exciting to board a plane on the water as you would board a boat! I had never been in a floatplane before, so it was really exciting to finally be able to!

Our Float Plane!

A SaltSpring Air DHC-3

A DHC-2 Beaver

View of the tarmac water

A DHC-6 Twin Otter

After getting to our aircraft, we boarded the plane and our captain said that due to the calm conditions and great visibility, it would be a fantastic day to fly and give a tour. We were given a safety video on an i-pad that he put up on a holder in the bulkhead, which I personally thought was surprising. I then took a picture of the cockpit as I was in row 1 and  of the safety card, because I figured that I would not be in a float plane soon. There was no copilot, so in theory a passenger could have sat up front, although we were never really given the option. He then informed us that there were earplugs in the seat back pocket that we could use due to the loud engine, though I personally got used to the engine sound pretty quickly.

Cockpit

Safety Card

The Flight:

After the safety video, the engines started to roar, and we started taxiing to the runway take off zone on the water. It’s really amazing for a first timer to take off out of the water into the air! After take off on the bay, the pilot has to quickly turn left to go over the Lions Gate Bridge so that they don’t hit mountains and residential areas.

Another DHC-3

View of a Marina and the Dock

Taxiing on Water

In the Air

Lions Gate Bridge

Lions Gate Bridge

After takeoff, we got a good view of ships waiting to enter the harbor. We then turned right to go over some islands near Vancouver and to get a spectacular view of Whistler and some neighboring mountains. At a point, I almost thought that we would crash into some of the mountains because the pilot gave us a view so close to the them!

Mountains and Islands

Cargo Ships

Small Vacation and Residential Island

A view of Whistler

Mountains near Vancouver

Bowyer Island

We then turned away from the mountains and headed over Vancouver to get a birds eye view of the skyline. It was pretty fantastic to get a view of our hotel and some of the major buildings of Vancouver up so close!

First View of the Skyline

Marina

Another view of the Skyline

BC Place and the Skyline

Granville Island

Another View of the Skyline

BC Place, home of the Vancouver Whitecaps

We then did a very fast turn over the skyline and started heading back to line up for an approach into the harbor. I got to see a view of the Vancouver Airport in the distance, though I could not really make out any specific airplane of any airline at the airport.

Vancouver International Airport

We then turned and started flying into the area over the bay. The approach pattern requires one to fly over the bay over the Lions Gate Bridge and into the bay. We had to fly over a lot of container ships and do an extremely sharp turn over the bay to line up with the runway area which was perpendicular to the terminal area. 

On a Landing Pattern

A Port

Another Bay View

Lions Gate Bridge

Harbor

Harbor

Cruise Terminal

Port

Paddle Boat

Landing

Another Plane Landing

Landing was very smooth, although I have nothing to compare that to as this was my first float plane flight. Upon landing, the tail went into the water along with the floats and caused some white water. We taxied to the dock while I watched the landing of another Harbour Air plane. I was actually really surprised at the fast rate that planes can take off and land there! We parked next to a ton of other float planes at the pier, and I took some photos of the interior on my way out.

My Seat

Cockpit

Last View of our Plane

A Few DHC-2 Beavers

On the way out, we had a little chat with our really nice pilot about the airline, his job, and such. Apparently, most of the pilots there started out flying bush planes up in the Canadian North before they came to Harbour Air. The way he put it: “If you crash a plane in the North, no one cares. If you crash a plane in the middle of Vancouver, it will be a PR disaster!” We then headed back to the terminal again and then headed out of the Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre after an incredible flight!

Conclusion:

This was the first time that I have ever ridden in a float plane, and it was an amazing experience. Not only because I was in a seaplane, but also because of the spectacular view of Vancouver and the neighboring islands. My only complaint was that 25 minutes in a float plane was way too short. I highly recommend doing a tour over Vancouver if you were ever to visit, as the tickets were not that expensive and the views were unparalleled. Satisfaction rating: 10/10.

Have you ever flown on a float plane? Share about your experiences below!