This place absolutely rocks - definitely come here for the flight lessons!…read more I came here for an introductory helicopter flight lesson on a whim and was extremely impressed from beginning to end. The quality and detail involved in the instruction here is superb - you feel like you're being given all of the information you need, from the basics to more complex properties of the helicopters. There was no point where I felt like the information was overwhelming or over-simplified: it seemed like the right mix of education and beginner's instruction. As for the flight, it's a blast! While I was far from talented at piloting the helicopter, I was given quite a lot of control over time, and I felt increasingly comfortable as time went on. I felt safe and monitored the entire time - even when a lot of wind blew the helicopter around, the instructor was available to make things right quickly and effortlessly. Needless to say, if you have the time and the money, give this place a shot!

My boyfriend surprised me with a helicopter tour for my birthday. This was our first helicopter…read moreride and we had an amazing experience. We had Seth as our pilot, and he was great. He was very personable and knowledgeable. He pointed out various landmarks and places that we would be interested in seeing. He took the time to explain everything and throughly check the vehicle, it made us feel very safe and comfortable. Seth answered all questions, and even cracked a few jokes. I would definitely recommend them for celebrating a special occasion or just a romantic date. Make sure to ask for Seth by name you won't be disappointed!

We spent a full day at River Riders, splitting our time between the Harpers Ferry Waterpark in the…read moremorning and the Aerial Adventure Park in the afternoon. It was a great combination for both the kids and adults. The inflatable waterpark kept the kids busy for the entire session. El Jefe, the large slide, and Thor, the climbing tower and slide, were our favorites. I strongly recommend booking one of the first sessions during the summer. We went early when it was less crowded, and it became noticeably busier later. In the afternoon, we completed the green and blue aerial trails. Both were a lot of fun, and the progression from one to the next worked well. Overall, River Riders is an excellent choice for families or groups looking for an active full day near Harpers Ferry.

I am posting this review to urge prospective guests to exercise extreme caution and to call on…read moremanagement to address severe safety oversights. Despite having prior rafting experience and maintaining strong physical fitness, this individual tubing trip presented hazardous conditions with virtually no on-water safety support. ​Key Issues Observed: ​No Helmets Suggested or Required: Helmets were not recommended, suggested, or provided for navigating rocky rapids. I capsized and hit my head on submerged rocks--a dangerous hazard that warrants clear guidance and mandatory head protection. ​Zero Rescue Personnel: No river guides or safety kayakers were stationed along technical sections. When participants were pinned against rocks or stranded in strong currents, there was no staff to assist. ​Inadequate Instruction & Extreme Strain: Relying solely on arm paddling through boulder gardens offers minimal control and quickly causes physical exhaustion, even for fit individuals. ​Equipment Failures: Some tubes were punctured by sharp rocks, leaving guests stranded in turbulent water with no emergency extraction protocol. Commercial river outfitters have a basic duty of care to provide essential protective gear, clear instruction, and active supervision. I strongly advise making sure these safety practices are in place before booking unless you have experience and are comfortable without the precautions.

Wanted to do something different for my husband's birthday celebration so I came up with a day of…read moreactivities and one of them included a helicopter ride. Booked Charm City Helicopters for a private 20 minute tour of Baltimore. Booking: The company is in transition to updating the booking system so I had a hard time booking initially via Google Ads but was able to book instantly when i went direct to the website. After I booked, I received a phone call confirming my booking where I talked to a lady and then also an automated text message and email. Pretty easy! Communication: They send automated text messages leading up to the Helicopter tour. Some of the messages are action items like entering your weight and reminders to sign waivers. One recommendation would be to include the waiver in the text message because it went to spam in my email so I couldn't find it and it held us up a bit when we were ready to fly. If a text message is sent about signing the waiver we should probably create a url for the waiver and add it to the text message. Also if you respond to the text message it doesn't go anywhere since it's not monitored and only for output. Arrival and Rules: Masks are still required for passengers which initially didn't seem awful but the pilot doesn't wear a mask and also the Helicopter was HOT and we were required to wear the mask the entire time. No air conditioning in the helicopter (@ least the one we were in that was black and tan didn't have any). The views were gorgeous but it made the ride uncomfortable on a day where it was 90 degrees. Ride: The pilot was great and delivered an entire history lesson during the flight. We are Baltimore natives but learned a few pieces of history while on tour. The ride was smooth and he let us know every time we could expect any extra vibration. This was a memorable experience. I would recommend for sure but caution if you choose to do it in summer with the current mask requirement. Wanted to do it for my birthday but it's in August so we will wait for sure. We will likely try the Baltimore Annapolis tour in Winter.

Awesome experience! Great staff, knowledgeable and down to earth. Did the 15 minute tour and was…read morecompletely satisfied. Absolutely will book the 30 mins tour in the future!

Scary Young Instructors with Minimal Required Flight time , who are using students to gain…read moreadditional hours to move on to Airlines. They are looking to become Trainees for Pilot Programs for Commercial Carriers with little care. Some lack basic communication and coping skills in medial on ground stressful events let alone In Air events . CCBC College Students Beware. They are a Parent Company of Frederick Aviation. Shop Around !!

Best flight school in town..I got my private, instrument and soon commercial license by training at…read moremiddle river aviation.. Great folks, great CFI"s and the REDBIRD SIM was a big plus! Great for practicing Instrument approaches! I began my training at a flight school down the hall from middle river aviation, and it is like night and day..I am so happy I switched to middle river aviation. Middle river aviation just gives you more "bang" for your buck, the attention to detail to each individual student is top notch! If you are looking for A+ flight school, Middle River Aviation is it. Love being a student/training there!

I was contemplating on writing a review, but I think I could potentially help someone in the…read morefuture. First, I had our session set for Thursday at 5pm but since we were the only couple going it was rescheduled to Friday. This caused a bit of distastefulness as we drove from Ohio to get childcare to go on the hot air balloon ride for that day. Friday, the day of the event, the other couple had already cancelled which in turn made us pay an extra $250 for the ride so total $750. Bob has you go earlier because they need you to help set up the balloon, which is OK if that's what you want to do, but we paid $750 to celebrate our anniversary. You would think there would be a team to help assist. Kevin was great, but Bob has very dry sense of humor that isn't pleasant. Landing the balloon is not planned. We ended up landing in a random person's yard, and Bob gave them OUR champagne bottle with his business card. At the end, you still must help them with the balloon, repackage it, and load it back up. I thought I went with a professional company having a real team, setting up, putting it all away at the end, but that was not the outcome. I know Bob has good reviews but check out the bad ones and his response back to them. Very unprofessional and honestly all reviews were 100% spot on about him and his business.

I highly recommend this organization! Great products, accurate delivery, great communication!read more

My daughter and I attended the Chesapeake Bay Balloon and Wine Festival on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2018…read more The event itself was poorly organized and run but we figured we would take a hot air balloon ride to save the day. We attempted to sign up with Pilot Ron Broderick who was rude to us, at best. Pilot Ron was dismissive of our request to go for ride. He advised us it was full but there are no shows so we wrote our names an cells down just in case. We went back to check as the time became closer for the ride and tried to talk to Pilot Ron. Again, he dismissed us as pesky children. For $240 per person per ride, I thought, Pilot Ron would show a modicum of respect. Needless to say, we didn't stay around and won't be riding in a Friendship Hot Air Balloon any time soon.

Take your money elsewhere. The owner, Ron Broderick, is very rude and unprofessional.read more