Gyrocopters offer breathtaking view of Dead Sea in Jordan

Record ID: 1364062

  • Title: Gyrocopters offer breathtaking view of Dead Sea in Jordan
  • Date: 14th November 2018
  • Summary: SWEIMEH, JORDAN VALLEY, JORDAN (NOVEMBER 8, 2018) (REUTERS) MANAGER OF ROYAL AERO SPORTS CLUB OF JORDAN, CAPTAIN SAAD BADER EL-DIN, FLYING GYROCOPTER OVER DEAD SEA GYROCOPTER SEEN FROM ABOVE FLYING OVER DEAD SEA TOURISTS SEEN FROM ABOVE SWIMMING BADER EL-DIN FLYING GYROCOPTER VISITORS AND GYROCOPTERS SEEN AT ROYAL AERO SPORTS CLUB OF JORDAN PROPELLER / VISITOR SITTING IN GYROCOPTER VARIOUS OF PROPELLERS TURNING AHEAD OF TAKEOFF (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DIRECTOR OF ROYAL AERO SPORTS CLUB OF JORDAN, RAJA GARGOUR, SAYING: "The (Royal Aero Sports) club has various planes, some of which are used for skydiving and some include these new planes that you are seeing here today, which are called the gyrocopters. We have three gyrocopters, these planes take trips over the Dead Sea and soon over Aqaba. The trip is one of the most beautiful in the world, if you consider that we are here in the lowest point on earth. We go over the Dead Sea and over the Baptism site." VARIOUS OF GYROCOPTERS DRIVING DOWN RUNWAY AHEAD OF TAKEOFF (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) VISITOR, FAHED AL-ABDALLAH, SAYING: "I found out about the (gyrocopters) on Facebook and on Instagram. I loved the idea because we always see the Dead Sea while we are in it, we have never seen it from above or in a different way. I like the experience especially considering that the safety factor in the club is great. The team doesn't treat you like you are a guest, but like a friend, which makes you comfortable during the ride." VARIOUS OF GYROCOPTERS TAKING OFF CAPTAIN SEEN FLYING GYROCOPTER GYROCOPTER FLYING OVER DEAD SEA AREA DEAD SEA AREA SEEN FROM GYROCOPTER GYROCOPTER FLYING VARIOUS OF CAPTAIN DURING FLIGHT CAPTAIN AND VISITOR SEEN IN GYROCOPTER (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MANAGER OF ROYAL AERO SPORTS CLUB OF JORDAN, CAPTAIN SAAD BADER EL-DIN, SAYING: "Flights in general are very expensive, you have the spare parts and the regular maintenance. These (gyrocopters) are new, but they have flown for 25 hours, so we placed them in the 25 (maintenance) phase, where they undergo a full inspection and (we) change the oil. So this is quite expensive, and as a non-profit organisation, our goal is not for money. Our only concern is to encourage tourism and encourage people to come here and fly the planes. The margin of profit is only to cover our expenses." GYROCOPTER FLYING OVER BAPTISM SITE CAPTAIN FLYING GYROCOPTER VARIOUS OF GYROCOPTERS FLYING GYROCOPTERS FLYING BACK TOWARDS CLUB GYROCOPTER APPROACHING RUNWAY GYROCOPTER WHEEL SEEN AHEAD OF LANDING GYROCOPTER LANDING
  • Embargoed: 28th November 2018 12:13
  • Keywords: Dead Sea Gyrocopters in Jordan Tourism in Jordan
  • Location: SWEIMEH, JORDAN
  • City: SWEIMEH, JORDAN
  • Country: Jordan
  • Topics: Editors' Choice
  • Reuters ID: LVA00196HAAFP
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:The skyline of Jordan's Dead Sea has been dotted with strange-looking, brightly coloured planes over the past month.
    The yellow aircrafts, a cross between a helicopter and a glider known as a gyrocopter, are the latest addition to the Royal Aero Sports Club of Jordan's (RASCJ) lineup.
    They provide tourists and visitors with breathtaking bird's eye views of the Dead Sea and baptism sites in the Jordan Valley.
    "The trip is one of the most beautiful in the world, if you consider that we are here in the lowest point on earth. We go over the Dead Sea and over the Baptism site," said Raja Gargour, Director of the club.
    The trips, which last for 20 minutes and cost between 50 and 60 Jordanian dinars (nearly $70-85) per person, enable one passenger to sit behind the pilot who flies the plane.
    A Jordanian customer, Fahed al-Abdallat, said the trip offered him a new experience of the Dead Sea.
    "We always see the Dead Sea while we are in it, we have never seen it from above or in a different way. I like the experience especially considering that the safety factor in the club is great," he said.
    The RASCJ is a non-profit organisation founded in 1997. Its main goal is to promote tourism in the country and provide an outlet for lovers of extreme sports.
    Tourism in Jordan took a hit in 2016 after a deadly attack in the southern city of Karak claimed the lives of at least 10 people, including a Canadian tourist.
    Islamic State militants had claimed responsibility for the shootout that took place at a historic Crusader castle.
    But the number of tourists visiting Jordan has increased by 12 percent in the first eight months of 2018, up from nine percent in 2017, according to Jordan's tourism board general director.
    Revenues also increased in the same period by 14 percent, after the kingdom launched a multi-faceted campaign to bring visitors back.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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