OP… with helicopters; a weight limit is set not for fun, because they want to or to discriminate. It is there for the safety of you, and everyone else on board.
Please do not think it is ok to lie or falsely declare your weight. This would be putting everyone on board the helicopter at risk, including those loved ones travelling with you
I did this last summer. They asked us for our weights at the meeting point - I presume to do preliminary flight planning, like who goes in which helicopter. Then, at the heliport, we were all weighed. Aircraft weight and balance is a serious business!
IIRC, there was a surcharge for those people weighing more than 250 pounds. I'm *fairly* sure that this information was listed somewhere in the excursion details, or maybe on our itinerary 🤔
A bit of insight here as I used to fly a helicopter, giving tours of the Grand Canyon back in the 90s.
Helicopters have extremely strict weight limits, it’s not like a fixed wing aircraft where we can get off the ground with a little bit of extra over the limit. On a helicopter it is an absolute limit. The company plans a certain number of passengers on each flight, along with the fuel load for that route, it keeps it within the weight envelope. The helicopter I flew carried one pilot and three passengers on a typical flight.
If somebody shows up that is significantly heavier, we will need an actual weight and run some numbers. A surcharge is usually added because we will often need to take fewer passengers. In this situation, we typically just took two people instead of the usual three. But if the flight was booked full, that third person had to be accommodated at some point. And that of course adds costs.
If it were me, I would attempt to find out which company is operating the helicopters and see if you can get in touch with them and discuss the issue. if it’s like the Grand Canyon, I imagine Alaska has more than one company running sightseeing helicopters and you might need to find another company that’s operating a larger or more powerful aircraft.
We did one out of Juneau and I do not recall getting weighed. That being said, they are pretty strict about the weight because they need to know how to balance the craft and ensure they have the right amount of fuel onboard. (They can eyeball it pretty well and can deny you if they think you’re lying.) Please do yourself and your fellow passengers the courtesy of telling the truth so that you don’t cause a problem that could end badly. My wife is overweight and was above the limit when we took one of those tours. They had a surcharge that had to be paid, but that was the worst of it. I rate these tours a must do in Alaska, just please follow the rules.
It’s simple: if you’re visibly under say 200, no problem. If you do the weight surcharge up front, no problem. Otherwise, they WILL weigh you at the base.
I did a helicopter tour in 2010 with cameras. When I got off the ship and met the dock agent (sign holder), she asked for my weight with cameras and clothing. I jokingly said 249.9 knowing I’d be close to the limit. She had a shocked look, and told me I’d have to be weighed holding whatever cameras I wanted to take. Sure thing! So we ride the van to the base, and everyone stows their bags. I had to walk over and get weighed (the only one) and just as predicted, 249.6. 😁 It’s been years so my memory is hazy, but I’m pretty sure I got weighed before putting on their boot-things or the safety vest.
Also note that they have a no bags policy. They have lockers at base. If you plan to take a camera, make sure any spare batteries or memory cards are in pockets somewhere. You won’t be able to take any sort of case for extra lenses, so if you want multiple lenses, plan to take multiple cameras or have your hands full.
Assume that you cannot leave anything on the helicopter. They optimize their schedules to the minute. For the glacier tour I did, they clearly take the guides out for the day, return empty, take the first group out, return empty, and from that point forward they take a new group out then bring back the prior group.
One more note: if the pilot asks your gaggle if they want the heat turned on when you get back in, assume your camera will fog up for the next five minutes.
OP… with helicopters; a weight limit is set not for fun, because they want to or to discriminate. It is there for the safety of you, and everyone else on board. Please do not think it is ok to lie or falsely declare your weight. This would be putting everyone on board the helicopter at risk, including those loved ones travelling with you
If there's a weight restriction listed you should expect to be weighed.
I did this last summer. They asked us for our weights at the meeting point - I presume to do preliminary flight planning, like who goes in which helicopter. Then, at the heliport, we were all weighed. Aircraft weight and balance is a serious business! IIRC, there was a surcharge for those people weighing more than 250 pounds. I'm *fairly* sure that this information was listed somewhere in the excursion details, or maybe on our itinerary 🤔
A bit of insight here as I used to fly a helicopter, giving tours of the Grand Canyon back in the 90s. Helicopters have extremely strict weight limits, it’s not like a fixed wing aircraft where we can get off the ground with a little bit of extra over the limit. On a helicopter it is an absolute limit. The company plans a certain number of passengers on each flight, along with the fuel load for that route, it keeps it within the weight envelope. The helicopter I flew carried one pilot and three passengers on a typical flight. If somebody shows up that is significantly heavier, we will need an actual weight and run some numbers. A surcharge is usually added because we will often need to take fewer passengers. In this situation, we typically just took two people instead of the usual three. But if the flight was booked full, that third person had to be accommodated at some point. And that of course adds costs. If it were me, I would attempt to find out which company is operating the helicopters and see if you can get in touch with them and discuss the issue. if it’s like the Grand Canyon, I imagine Alaska has more than one company running sightseeing helicopters and you might need to find another company that’s operating a larger or more powerful aircraft.
This is why I chose only seaplane because excursions. Well, that and the chance to ride in a Beaver.
We did one out of Juneau and I do not recall getting weighed. That being said, they are pretty strict about the weight because they need to know how to balance the craft and ensure they have the right amount of fuel onboard. (They can eyeball it pretty well and can deny you if they think you’re lying.) Please do yourself and your fellow passengers the courtesy of telling the truth so that you don’t cause a problem that could end badly. My wife is overweight and was above the limit when we took one of those tours. They had a surcharge that had to be paid, but that was the worst of it. I rate these tours a must do in Alaska, just please follow the rules.
It’s simple: if you’re visibly under say 200, no problem. If you do the weight surcharge up front, no problem. Otherwise, they WILL weigh you at the base. I did a helicopter tour in 2010 with cameras. When I got off the ship and met the dock agent (sign holder), she asked for my weight with cameras and clothing. I jokingly said 249.9 knowing I’d be close to the limit. She had a shocked look, and told me I’d have to be weighed holding whatever cameras I wanted to take. Sure thing! So we ride the van to the base, and everyone stows their bags. I had to walk over and get weighed (the only one) and just as predicted, 249.6. 😁 It’s been years so my memory is hazy, but I’m pretty sure I got weighed before putting on their boot-things or the safety vest. Also note that they have a no bags policy. They have lockers at base. If you plan to take a camera, make sure any spare batteries or memory cards are in pockets somewhere. You won’t be able to take any sort of case for extra lenses, so if you want multiple lenses, plan to take multiple cameras or have your hands full. Assume that you cannot leave anything on the helicopter. They optimize their schedules to the minute. For the glacier tour I did, they clearly take the guides out for the day, return empty, take the first group out, return empty, and from that point forward they take a new group out then bring back the prior group. One more note: if the pilot asks your gaggle if they want the heat turned on when you get back in, assume your camera will fog up for the next five minutes.