You are here

Jordanian non-profit offers visitors ‘stunning view’ of Dead Sea

By Muath Freij - Nov 17,2018 - Last updated at Nov 17,2018

The Royal Aero Sports Club of Jordan aircraft known as a gyrocopter flies to provide tourists and visitors with a bird’s eye view of the Dead Sea, Jordan, on Tuesday (Reuters photo)

DEAD SEA — The Royal Aero Sports Club (RASC) of Jordan recently began offering tourists and locals a uniquely new Dead Sea experience, far from the shores of the world famous attraction.

Raja Gharghour, the director of the RASC, said the club started offering aerial trips to some of the most iconic destinations in Jordan earlier this month.

A total of three gyrocopters are made available for tourists, with each aircraft accommodating one passenger along with the pilot, he said.

Jordan’s Dead Sea was a source of fascination for Jordanian photographer Khaled Jabri who decided to capture the sea from above.

“I saw posts shared over Facebook and Instagram that showed gyrocopters people could use to go up and enjoy the scenery over the Dead Sea. I wanted to test it and have a look at the Dead Sea from a different view,” he told The Jordan Times as he was about to take off.

Gharghour described the timing of the trips as “significant”, amidst the resurgence of tourism to Jordan. 

“It is good timing, especially since tourism is recovering in Jordan and we are planning to bring in new aircraft in the future because of the demand,” he added.  

The director addressed the safety of the trips saying “safety is done in accordance with international standards and the aircraft they use are brand new.”

Manager and pilot at RASC, Saad Tsay, said the club is a non-profit organisation which was established in 1997. 

“Currently, the club has three locations, at the King Hussein Airport in Aqaba, the Dead Sea and in Wadi Rum. We trained in Germany to use these aircraft,” he noted.

He said that the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) bought the aircraft and the trainings were all done with support from ASEZA. 

“They have provided us with a location in the south of Aqaba on the beach and we should be able to start receiving clients soon. We are thinking about doing take-offs and landings in the sea which would be an idea that would be implemented for the first time in the region. We are also thinking about holding a two-hour trip over Aqaba and Wadi Rum,” Tsay added. 

The Jordanian pilot noted that they have undergone a number of challenges before becoming operational, including maintenance costs.

“Another challenge we faced was the high temperatures, because we fly over areas that have hot weather conditions,” he added. 

“Everyone is used to a road trip and viewing the Dead Sea from the shore, or using special vehicles in Wadi Rum but now they can do it over the sky. You are flying like a bird between the mountains,” he concluded.

up
92 users have voted.


Newsletter

Get top stories and blog posts emailed to you each day.

PDF