From the moment the experience began, FlyOver Las Vegas by Pursuit inspired and entertained me while flying over many historic locations. There may or may not have been a few tears of amazement and overwhelm of the beauty of the featured locations. For more details of the full experience, you can read my previous post. Here in this article, I am highlighting the behind-the-scenes of this memorable experience.
Those who have been following my podcast will know that in the fall I pivoted to tell more stories behind the places I visit instead of just the experience. I’ve wanted to go deeper into WHY and HOW, and when I can, have Indigenous inclusion.
In addition to the in-person experience at FlyOver Las Vegas, their website provides behind-the-scenes videos which I had to watch, of course.
I watched and rewatched, and yes… watched again, “The Making of FlyOver Las Vegas” on YouTube and felt like I was reliving the experience at home. Soaring over stunning landscapes, feeling the spray of water, and smelling the fragrance of sage, are all part of the experience.
Director Dave Mossop said, “Shooting the Grand Canyon was a huge privilege and we got to work with the Hualapai Nation. We have so much respect for and want to tell the story of, the Indigenous people of this part of the world…Part of that process is getting to know them… They introduced us to a dance that they traditionally do in the Grand Canyon called the Bird Dance. It’s sort of this beautiful dance in traditional clothing. Elders and young get together while a male voice is singing. It fills the Canyon with a beautiful, peaceful echoing.”
“It was a really special experience to shoot inside the Grand Canyon with them,” says Mossop. “[This] is an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to telling the truth about what the Wild West is.”
Not Just a Movie
FlyOver Las Vegas, as all of the FlyOver experiences, are not just movies that you simply watch and then leave thinking, “That was nice.” All of the FlyOver multimedia experiences have been created using state-of-the-art equipment to immerse you in the full experience with motion flying over panoramic scenes, gently misting you when flying over the ocean with the gentle wind in your hair, while smelling regional scents such as sage.
It took more than a year and hundreds of hours of flight time with a real helicopter, to shoot all of the footage for this one FlyOver experience. Add to that the hundreds of more hours editing the footage and before all of the shooting began… building the story and coordinating all of the scenes. Well done!
How Long is FlyOver Las Vegas?
The whole experience of FlyOver Las Vegas is about 35 minutes from pre-show to finish. From the moment you walk in off the sidewalk, your experience begins. As you work your way through the passages designed to calm you and help prepare for the main event, you’ll find yourself lost in the atmosphere and history of the locations. Once seated and buckled in, time literally flies.
I enjoyed my experience so much that I had to stay for some location-inspired drinks at the Lost Cactus which has the atmosphere of being set outdoors in the desert. I’m still thinking of the Desert Sunset drink… maybe it’s time to go back!
Where is FlyOver Las Vegas?
It is easy to find FlyOver Las Vegas on the Strip. Just look for the big Hard Rock guitar. If you stay at the Park MGM, it’s directly across the road via the convenient overpass. You can’t miss the entrance with the red entryway.
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