D-Day Normandy landing beaches: helicopter experience

D-Day landing beaches in Normandy: introduction

Helicopter flight over the D-Day landing beaches: an itinerary steeped in history, 1h30 from Paris

On June 6, 1944, the Normandy coast became the turning point in a global conflict. To this day, the region bears the memory of those who crossed the Atlantic to liberate Europe. AEROAFFAIRES offers you an exceptional itinerary, departing from our private terminal at the Paris Heliport.

Aboard a privatized helicopter, you’ll reach Normandy in less than two hours, with a commentary over the emblematic sites of the D-Day landings: Pegasus Bridge, Sword, Juno and Gold beaches, the Longues-sur-Mer batteries, Pointe du Hoc, and the military cemeteries of Utah Beach, Omaha and Colleville-sur-Mer.

On arrival, you’ll be met by a specialized guide in a private vehicle, who will accompany you to the key sites of remembrance: D-Day Museum, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach. The return flight takes off from the Château de la Chenevière park, near the American cemetery.

On the way back, the helicopter flies over Lisieux, the Seine valley, then enters Parisian airspace: direct view of La Défense, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées, the Fondation Louis Vuitton… until landing at the Paris Heliport.

Practical information about the helicopter experience to the D-Day landing beaches

Departure fromParis heliport, Porte de Sèvres. You will be welcomed in a private terminal with reserved parking and direct access to the aircraft. The flight is aboard an Airbus Helicopters twin-engine Écureuil or Dauphin.

Heliport de Paris – Issy-les-Moulineaux (LFPI)

• Official name: Héliport de Paris – Issy-les-Moulineaux

• ICAO code: LFPI

• GPS coordinates: 48°49′59″N / 2°15′56″E

• Altitude: 30 m / 98 ft

• Manager: Aéroports de Paris (ADP Group)

• Use: Business aviation, medical evacuations, institutional flights, sightseeing tours and private transfers

• Address: 61 rue Henry Farman, 75015 Paris

• Proximity: 15 min from central Paris, accessible by car or VTC via Porte de Sèvres

• Opening hours:

  • Monday to Saturday: 07:00 – 23:00

  • Sunday and public holidays: 07h00 – 22h00

• Facilities:

  • Helicopter parking area (up to 10 aircraft)

  • Hangars and technical facilities

  • Private passenger terminal with waiting lounge, secure parking, direct boarding

  • Personalized welcome by AEROAFFAIRES

Outbound flight itinerary

• Flight overwestern Paris: Versailles, Lisieux, Caen: The flight begins with an overflight of the Domaine de Versailles. The park’s basins, French-style avenues and the Grand Canal come to life as if in a print. The helicopter then gains cruising altitude and sets course for Normandy, skirting Lisieux and the outskirts of Caen.
• Passing over the Pegasus Bridge and the Merville museum: the Bénouville bridge, renamed the Pegasus Bridge, appears below: the point of entry for British airborne troops on the night of June 5-6, 1944. Nearby, the casemates of the Merville Museum mark the front lines of the Allied assault.
• Sword, Juno and Gold Beaches: Sword Beach to the east, Juno and Gold to the west: three strategic sectors of the British and Canadian landings. From the air, you can still make out defensive structures and coastal museums, between dunes and urbanized areas.

• Arromanches and the remains of Mulberry Harbour: the modules of the artificial harbour built by the Allies in June 1944 are still visible at sea. A logistical feat that can be fully appreciated from the air.
• Longues-sur-Mer, Omaha Beach, the scene of heavy American losses, offers a striking view of the terrain: narrow beaches, wooded hills, visible strongpoints. Later, the Pointe du Hoc, scene of the American Rangers’ assault: a promontory riddled with ancient shell craters, still intact. One of the most powerful places on the route. The sheer cliffs and remnants of bunkers speak volumes about the courage of the men of the 2nd Ranger Battalion.
• Landing at Utah Beach at 10.30 am: your private guide will be waiting for you as you disembark to begin your tour of the museum and continue your overland itinerary.

Ground program

• Guided tour of the Utah Beach Landing Museum

• Seaside lunch at “Le Roosevelt” restaurant
• Visit to Domaine de Ravenoville, an elegant renovated manor house located just a few minutes from Utah Beach. This historic site, which can now be privatized, offers an immersion in traditional Cotentin architecture and a peaceful stroll through its wooded grounds.

• Visit Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, Colleville American cemetery

Return flight

• Take-off from Château La Chenevière (Port-en-Bessin): after a day full of emotions and discoveries, the helicopter takes off again from the wooded grounds of Château La Chenevière, a discreet property nestled between the beaches and hedged farmland of the Bessin region.
• Over the Seine valley, Rouen, Giverny, La Roche-Guyon: You fly over Rouen, then the Giverny area, with a clear view of the main river routes and wooded areas. Then on to La Roche-Guyon, on the border between Normandy and the Île-de-France region.
• Return to Paris, with views of the major monuments: Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Concorde…
• Landing atParis heliport at 7:00 pm: return to Paris heliport. Welcome by your AEROAFFAIRES assistant. Possibility of organizing an immediate transfer (VTC, van with driver, complementary air transfer).

Helicopter recommendations for the region

The itinerary has been designed to give you time to remember, but also time to rest. Whether it’s lunch by the sea or a stopover at the château, these addresses are more than stopovers: they extend the experience, with simplicity and elegance.

Restaurant : Le Roosevelt (Utah Beach)

Located directly on Utah Beach, this historic restaurant offers simple, local cuisine in a moving setting overlooking the sea. It’s here that our passengers lunch, between two visits, facing the dunes and the memory.

Hotel: Château La Chenevière

An 18th-century manor house transformed into a charming hotel in Port-en-Bessin. Refined rooms, wooded grounds, gourmet cuisine. From here, the return flight to Paris takes off.

Would you like to reach Normandy by helicopter to discover the landing beaches ?

Live an exclusive experience with your family or friends on the traces of the vestiges of the Second War. On 6 June 1944, the beaches of the departments of La Manche and Calvados became part of world history with the Landing by Sea. Site of the largest military operation ever carried out. The Normandy Beaches offer a unique and unforgettable heritage.AEROAFFAIRES offers a fly over the landing beaches,  Normandy Bridge, Pointe du Hoc, Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, Deauville and Honfleur. You will discover from the sky Normandy, the Calvados coast with the D-Day beaches.

A helicopter flight over the landing beaches and Normandy.

You will be able to spend an exceptional and shared moment in total privacy with your clients, friends or family. We have a private terminal at the Paris heliport which will allow you to have a privileged access to your helicopter.

Our flights are exclusively private and tailor-made according to your wishes and constraints. All take-off and landing times are flexible according to your needs.

For all our tours, the helicopter flies over the region at an altitude of 300 to 420 meters offering a spectacular panorama.

AEROAFFAIRES offers a choice of the following helicopters:

• Helicopter type Ecureuil AS 355 bi-turbine version 5 Passengers + 1 pilot
• Helicopter type Dauphin AS 365 twin-turbine VIP version 7 Passenger seats + 2 pilots

We also offer you the possibility to book a guide with a thorough knowledge of the Second World War. The guide will take you to the most confidential places of the landing of the allied forces. As an option, we organize transfers by car with driver or Viano between the American cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer, Juno Beach center .

A typical day by helicopter to discover the landing beaches.

You will start by flying over the Pegasus Bridge, followed by a passage over the 3 Anglo-Canadian landing beaches (Sword-Juno-Gold).

Your flight will continue by discovering the pontoons, the artificial harbour of Arromanches, and the German batteries of Longue-Sur-Mer. Then, you will arrive at Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach with the discovery of the American cemetery of Colleville-Sur-Mer.

Finally, the helicopter will land near the beaches of Utah Beach where a guide will welcome you for a visit of the American cemetery and the Utah Beach Museum. You will then proceed to one of the chosen landing points.

On the way back, you will take off from the Château de la Ferrière, the Château d’Audrieu, the Saint-Siméon farm or the Deauville Golf Hotel to fly over the Calvados region. Followed by a view of the Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux.

As you approach Paris, you will discover the capital from the sky with the district of La Défense, the Grande Arche and the Arc de Triomphe. You will continue by flying over the hippodromes of Longchamp, Auteuil, the Parc des Princes, to finish with a breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower. You will land at the Paris heliport.

Helicopter Flight plan example above Normandy

09h00 Welcome of the passengers by the crew at the Paris heliport with breakfast and  flight conditions’ briefing.

09:15 Take-off from Paris Heliport

10:45 a.m. Landing at Pointe du Hoc

11:00 am Visit to Utah Beach Landing Museum

12:30 Lunch on Utah Beach at the restaurant “le Roosevelt”, at the Château de la Chenevière, at the Château d’Andrieu or at the Ferme de Saint-Siméon.

14H00 – 17h30 Guided tour of the historical monuments with transfer by car.

18:00 Take-off from Château La Chenevière.

7:00 pm Arrival at the Paris heliport.

Rates for a helicopter flight over the D-Day beaches

Rates are based on itinerary options and helicopter downtime, each flight being tailor-made. Prices start at 7,200 euros for 5 passengers or 1,440 euros per passenger.

 

 

Credit : Flickr

Discover the D-Day beaches by helicopter

We offer different possibilities of helicopter landing points around the landing beaches. The Château de la Chenevière, the Ferme de Saint Siméon, the Hotel Golf de Deauville or the Château d’Audrieu.

Château de la Chenevière by helicopter

In the town of Port-en-Bessin, a charming fishing port that François Sagnant called “Saint-Tropez Normand”, stands the castle of Chenevière.

This charming 18th century castle has been converted into a luxury hotel and now has 5 stars. The hotel perfectly meets the requirements of a wealthy clientele. Swimming pool, gardens, gastronomic cuisine, works of art and mouldings, so many reasons why it has been designated the second best hotel in France in 2018 by Condé Nast Traveller.

This refined hotel has its own helicopter landing strip, allowing you to recharge your batteries after a round of golf or a visit to the D-Day landing beaches. The residence is located 2.5 kilometers from the Omaha Beach Golf Course and only 12.9 kilometers from the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum.

Enjoy the warm ambience of this small luxury hotel. Enjoy an helicopter landing, a drink or lunch before setting off to explore the beaches of Normandy.

 

Crédit : Château de la Chenevière

Honfleur and the Saint Simeon farm by private flight

The Ferme Saint-Siméon is an inn steeped in history. Many painters have made their mark within the walls of this fabulous residence. Many Parisian painters used to come to this friendly and cheerful place to enjoy nature and learn about painting in the open air. Claude Monnet, Eugène Boudain or Constant Troyon stayed for a while at the Saint-Siméon farmhouse before gathering together and giving birth to the famous Honfleur School of Impressionism, known as the School of Saint Siméon.

The Saint-Siméon farm has been converted into a luxury hotel and now has 5 stars.

Suites, restaurant and exceptional services are at the disposal of a clientele curious to walk in the footsteps of the History of Normandy while enjoying luxurious services.

The hotel’s private airstrip allows you to stop for a drink or lunch before setting off again by helicopter to discover the Normandy region.

 

Credit : Ferme de Saint-Siméon

Deauville and the Hôtel du Golf by helicopter (Groupe Lucien Barrière)

The Hotel du Golf, located a few kilometres from the beaches of Deauville, is home to a 27-hole course. This luxury complex offers an area of calm and tranquillity in the heart of the traditional nature of the Normandy region.

During your helicopter tour, stop at this 4-star hotel to enjoy one of the most beautiful golf courses in Normandy and enjoy refined cuisine.

Helicopter landing is only allowed for passengers who wish to stay in a Groupe Lucien Barrière establishment. You must otherwise land at Deauville airport.

 

Crédit : hôtel Barrière

Château d’Audrieu (Relais & Châteaux)

Not far from Bayeux and the Pointe du Hoc, a few kilometres from the landing beaches, this 5-star hotel is a historical monument of Normandy. This converted castle regularly hosts seminars. Composed of 25 rooms, 4 suites, 3 meeting rooms including a VIP lounge, this hotel is a privileged place for a professional meeting in an atypical setting.

Take a break with your customers in this luxury hotel. Exchange in complete confidentiality in a private room and take advantage of the exclusive services offered by the Relais et Châteaux brand. The helicopter landing point is directly in front of the castle with quick access to the restaurant terrace.

 

Source : Audrieu Castle

Contact & Reservation for your private helicopter flight over the Normandy beaches

Book your helicopter tour to Normandy. Contact AEROAFFAIRES 7 days a week and 24 hours a day on +33 (0) 1 44 09 91 82 or by email at info@aeroaffaires.com.

Paris Heliport – Issy-les-Moulineaux located at 4 avenue de la Porte de Sèvres in Paris in the 15th arrondissement. Porte de Sèvres (parking, direct access to helicopters).

Book your flight at D-Day Normandy landing beaches: helicopter experience with AEROAFFAIRES

Whether you’re a history buff or looking for an exceptional day out, AEROAFFAIRES will design a smooth, memorable flying experience for you. Personalized welcome, private flight, on-site guide, lunch included… Every step is anticipated.Contact us for a customized quote and plan your day in the footsteps of the D-Day.