LAKE OF THE OZARKS -- Tens of thousands of people visit the Lake of the Ozarks every summer for some fun on the water-now there's another reason to visit. Helicopter rides are offereing tours of some of the most well known lake landmarks.

Lake Ozark Helicopter Tours Pilot Dan Doornink says there’s not a bad seat in his four-seater chopper, “They really enjoy it. We get all of the time that it’s the best thing I’ve done in years, or great sights! I’ve been here my whole life and I’ve never seen it like this. So, it’s a lot of fun to be able to do that for people.”

Charity Cunningham and Necolle Mundy are best friends and share the same birthday. This year, they spent their birthday together on a helicopter for the first time.

Mundy said, “We got see the Blue Heron. We got to go around Bagnell Dam. It was really nice. Everything looks a lot better from the air.”

There are six different helicopters tours to choose from, short or long. If you have never ridden in a helicopter, it’s nothing like an airplane. Some airline commercial flights can be a little bit bumpy.  When you hop into the Lake Ozark Helicopter, it’s smooth sailing.

Company President Jerry Bice says you can see more of the lake in five minutes from the air than you can in two days in your car. Bice compares his helicopter flights to a magic carpet ride.

Bice said, “We tell them that it is smooth. It’s like riding in a Cadillac. Until you’ve been there, you don’t really realize how nice it is. Probably 95 percent of the people who take the “Shorty Hop” get off and say, I wish I had taken a longer flight.”

The Lake Ozark Helicopter’s top speed is about 150 miles per hour. When you’re up there, it’s hard to tell how fast you are really going. When you’re back down on the ground, you’ll never look at the Lake of the Ozarks the same way again.

You can find Lake Ozark Helicopters Tours right next door to the Bagnell Dam.