CHELAN, Wash. — You'd have a hard time finding anyone with a faster, more scenic commute in Lake Chelan, than helicopter pilot Dale England.
A few years ago, England began a way to share his view and show off some of Chelan's great wineries by offering helicopter wine tours.
"The helicopter makes it more personable," says England of Lake Chelan Helicopters. "We'll meet them here say. And then we'll fly to two other wineries that we're able to land at."
On this tour, how you get to the destination is as much fun as where you're going.
"We'll fly to one, land, people get out they can do their wine tasting. They can stay 30, 40 minutes at the winery. They aren't on a clock. So it's really a relaxing, easy tour."
Each winery England lands at offers a chance to meet the makers while your ride waits for you to return. On our trip, we flew to:
- Tsillan Cellars, 3875 Highway 97 Chelan, WA 98816
- Lake Chelan Winery, 3519 Highway 150 Chelan, WA 98816
- Atam Winery, 750 Kinsey Road Manson, WA 98831
"When I first talk to people about it, they're thinking we can spend 20 minutes here, 20 minutes there and what they find is when they start visiting with people they want to just visit and you know it’s an enjoyable time."
For his riders, the helicopter wine tour is an experience they won't soon forget. But for England, it's another day spent sharing his view up in his beautiful office.
"Favorite part of doing the job is being able to see the beauty of the valley and to be up in the air."
Chelan, WA was voted Best Wine Region to Visit in 2019's Best Northwest Escapes.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.
