Scenic flight in Rio de Janeiro: panorama, aerobatics or a turn at the controls

At a glance

Three legal formats

In Brazil only an organization with ANAC authorization may fly people for money. For a light aircraft there are three frameworks, and the one you choose decides what you can do on board.

What fits your dates depends on who has slots, so we work it out for each request.

Panoramic flight: what the rules say

ANAC rule RBAC 136 has been in force since 1 July 2020. A panoramic flight under it takes off and lands at the same point with no stops in between. It flies only in visual weather conditions and under visual flight rules. Only pilots with a commercial licence, linked to the certified company and holding a valid medical certificate, may fly it. The company must display its operator certificate where the public can see it at its headquarters and at each base.

Aerobatics

RBAC 91 defines aerobatic flight as intentional manoeuvres with abrupt changes in altitude, attitude or speed that normal flight does not need. For a passenger this means:

• only people who were told about the risks and expressly accepted them may be on board;
• if the pilot plans more than 60 degrees of bank or 30 degrees of pitch, every occupant other than crew wears an approved parachute.

The pilot in command has the final word. We agree the format and programme with the pilot in advance and do not promise particular manoeuvres.

Taking the controls

On an instruction flight you can fly the aircraft yourself. RBAC 91 allows flight instruction only in an aircraft with fully working dual controls, so the instructor has their own set. At Jacarepaguá Airport (SBJR) in Barra da Tijuca, training flights need prior coordination with the airport operator and permission from air traffic control, so the school arranges the slot.

Before take-off the pilot must explain to each person how to fasten and release the seat belt and how to leave the aircraft in an emergency.

Where you fly from and what you see

We name the departure airfield in the proposal: it is where the operator is based. What you see depends on the airfield, the route air traffic control allows and the weather. If seeing Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf or the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema matters to you, tell us in advance and we ask whether the route passes close by. Routes and altitudes are set by air traffic rules and the pilot.

What we check before booking

• the operator’s ANAC authorization for the type of flight;
• the aircraft registration in ANAC’s public register;
• the pilot’s licence for that flight;
• for aerobatics, that the aircraft is certified for it and carries parachutes.

We give no legal opinions and do not promise a “safe flight”: that depends on the operator, the aircraft and the pilot. We check what the documents show and tell you plainly if we do not like an option. More: how we check helicopter operators and how we vet providers.

What to tell us in your request

• Dates, ideally with a spare day for weather
• Number of people
• Format: panorama, a turn at the controls or aerobatics
• Height and weight of each person
• What you want to see from the air
• Whether you need a driver to the airfield

How booking works

1. You send the details above.
2. We check the operator and the aircraft in ANAC’s open data and agree the format with the pilot.
3. Within 24 hours you get a proposal with the price, which depends on the format, aircraft, length and airfield. A flight through us costs no more than with the same operator on booking platforms: our fee is already included in the price.
4. Terms and payment are set out in the proposal; you pay nothing before you confirm. You get the operator’s name after confirmation.

If plans change: cancellation at no cost up to 48 hours before; one date change at no cost with 48 hours’ notice if the operator has another slot; weather stops the flight: new date or full deposit refund; the operator lets you down: a replacement or a full deposit refund.

Prefer rotors? See helicopter tours in Rio. Or try hang gliding and skydiving.