Inside Vancouver

Last week, I had the opportunity to dart away from the office, wander down to the docks, and take flight in a 6-seater single-prop plane with West Coast Air. Have I mentioned that Vancouver is incredible?

My preferred method of transport to Vancouver Island, these float planes also do flight-seeing tours, for those who prefer a bird’s eye view.

We met our captain Steve (after meeting a dock-side seal), and clambered into our little plane.

With the engine turned on, it can get noisy – the perfect excuse to stick your nose against the pane and ignore your neighbours!

Taking off next to the white sails of Canada Place, your first sight is the new Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre just next door, before taking off.

We headed north-west from downtown, climbing past the forests and beaches of Stanley Park, and past the sandy strip of Kitsilano and the cliffs of UBC. On the other side, the buildings of North and West Vancouver seem to climb up the face of the North Shore mountains, with snowy ski runs still visible.

Making a lap around Bowen Island, I got a glimpse of beautiful homes and cliffs, looking for the dolphins the captain had spotted earlier.

Coming back to downtown, the rest of Vancouver lay in the distance, with the high-rise buildings of Metrotown and YVR breaking up the horizon.

Cruising down on a final descent, with downtown on one side, Stanley Park on the other, and boats bobbing ahead, it really was impossible not to be impressed by this city.

And then it was back to the office, all in a day’s work!

For more information on West Coast Air, please click here.