Experience Penrith: Journalist Ally Hall takes to the sky with Sydney Helicopters

Ally Hall and Pete Blackburn prepare to take the sky. Photo: Melinda Jane.

It’s safe to assume most of us are used to seeing the same things every day. Your commute to work, your regular grocery store, your local park. It all begins to look and feel tedious and uninteresting.

But, when you’re looking for all those familiar landmarks from the sky, those colourless routine stops turn into an exciting ‘Where’s Wally?’ of destinations that reignite the spark for your hometown.

At least, that was part of my experience when I lifted off with Sydney Helicopters.
I recently ventured to Nepean Aerospace Park in Castlereagh to check out one of the biggest fleets of helicopters in Sydney, and strap into one.

I joined experienced pilot Pete Blackburn in a Bell JetRanger – one of the choppers that had recently returned from Taree after assisting with flood relief.

Emu Plains from the sky. Photo: Melinda Jane.

We embarked on a 30-minute flight for a unique aerial perspective of Warragamba Dam, Lake Burragorang, and the Sydney Catchment with commentary from Pete throughout.

I did have some jitters before take-off, but that was replaced by adrenaline as I listened to the main rotor blade come to life. It felt like my heart was matching its speed as it began spinning at a sluggish pace and built up to become an invisible force.

When we lifted off the ground, I felt weightless, and from the right-side window, I was floored by the views which extended well beyond where I thought possible.

“It’s a little bit overcast, but at this time of year the air quality is clear, and you can see for miles,” Pete explained through the headphones.

Ally Hall on board. Photo: Melinda Jane.

“Without even travelling that far, we can see Mount Gibraltar down towards Mittagong, we can see Mount Hay out towards the west, Mount Solitary, and even up to Mount Yengo up to the north.”

I’m ashamed to admit it took being 2,000 feet above sea level to truly realise the amount of stunning scenery on Penrith’s doorstep.

We followed the Nepean River, flying over recognisable destinations, until we reached endless wilderness.

From 1,000 feet above the mountains, it looked like the Nepean River must have painstakingly carved its way through the landscape to make this place its home.

The Nepean River from the sky. Photo: Melinda Jane.

Upon looking at my face, Pete asked if I’d ever been in a helicopter before. I think he knew the answer before I said, “No”.

“The smile on people’s faces and the joy in people who have never experienced flight before is amazing,” he said.

“To do it in the local area where people get to see areas they’re familiar with from the sky and see things in their backyard that they wouldn’t even know existed. A good example is Kanangra Walls or the Catchment.”

One highlight was the light hitting the rockfaces lining mountain summits at the Catchment. The bright colour of the rock broke up the blue from the sky and water, and the green from the dense bushland.

Breathtaking views. Photo: Melinda Jane.

I feel incredibly privileged to have seen these views from the sky with commentary from Pete. It’s an experience unlike any I’ve had before.

“In the JetRanger, we were doing close to 150km/h, but you wouldn’t be aware of that speed. It’s just like a magic carpet ride – it’s a floating feeling,” Pete described perfectly after the flight.

If you’ve dreamt of experiencing that feeling, bite the bullet and book a flight with Sydney Helicopters. It’s an experience that I’ll be talking about for a long time to come.

Visit https://www.sydneyhelicopters.com.au.

Ally Hall

Ally Hall joined the Weekender in 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She's a graduate of the University of South Australia and has previously worked as a Video Journalist with Southern Cross Austereo and as a News Reader with Australian Radio Network.

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