Papillon Choppers is famous for it's Grand Canyon South Rim tours. I had been in charge of the family's canyon getaway this year. Obviously, I booked with Papillon. Here is a quick review of my excursion:

There had been six of us. We stayed at El Tovar in Grand Canyon Village, which is situated in the boundaries of the National Park. I highly recommend this particular hotel. It can be expensive, but it is worth every penny as you are seconds out of the rim's edge.

I believe you are able to make arrangements with Papillon to be picked up. If not, you can arrange a pick up at the transportation desk inside the Bright Angel Lodge. I hired a Nissan Armada for our getaway. I loaded the bunch inside as well as completed the 10-minute drive to Grand Canyon Airport.

The airport is situated just outside Tusayan. You cannot overlook it. There's a lot of activity. Choppers and planes arrive and depart from it often. The Papillon terminal is the biggest. I parked the SUV and got us checked in (incidentally, the coffee there is delicious!).

The atmosphere is extremely friendly. I met plenty of fellow passengers from Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The lobby is comfy. We had been up late yesterday so I slipped in a power nap. I awoke to my sister yanking on my jacket as well as telling me the time had come to fly.

Helicopters hold up to six folks (if you weigh more than 275 pounds you might be requested to buy what they refer to as a "comfort seat."). Since this was family, I upgraded each of us to the EcoStar 130, which features 25% more cabin room, theater-style seating, and a 180-degree wraparound windshield for better views.

I additionally booked us on the prolonged flight. Papillon's typical South Rim heli flight is 30 minutes. That's plenty for most people. I estimate that what you can see in 30 minutes would need several days on the ground. But I desired more (it isn't every day you fly the canyon), so I opted for a trip that gave us between 45-50 minutes of time in the air.

Take off was extraordinary. Our helicopter, nose forward, blasted off the tarmac and made a low-altitude trip over Kaibab National Forest, which hosts the biggest stand of Ponderosa Pine in the world. In ten minutes, we said bye to the edge and found ourselves front and center in the Dragoon Corridor, the broadest and deepest portion of the Grand Canyon.

It was a fantastic sight. The Colorado River was below us. So was the Temple of Ra. The buttes and spires were surreal. There were no clouds on the skyline. Our pilot explained that our field of vision was approximately 140 miles compared to 30 for folks on the surface! The chopper powered on to the stately North Rim. Here we turned back, taking in Hopi Point and Grand Canyon Village as we made our descent.

Papillon documents all flights using digital cameras on the exterior as well as inside of the heli. I suggest you buy a copy of your getaway on DVD. I did so. The quality was great. I made duplicates for everyone. They loved it. Undoubtedly a great memento of our heli excursion.

Papillon Choppers Grand Canyon South Rim excursion gets two thumbs up out of us. This was a trip of the South Rim. I'm glad we did the extended trip. The extra airtime had been worth it. Our guide was excellent and entertained us with facts and tales of the region. He made the location come alive for us. This was definitely a trip highlight for my family and me. We'll definitely be doing this air excursion again.