Nothing shows Dubai's shape like the view from above: the Palm's fronds, the World islands, the line of the coast and the towers of Downtown in one sweep. There are four ways to get up there, at very different prices and adrenaline levels.
Helicopter tours are the classic: 12 to 40 minutes from a helipad at the Palm or Downtown, in a group of up to six, windows all round. Seaplane flights take off and land on the water in the Creek or at Jebel Ali and are the most scenic of the calm options. A tandem skydive is a 13,000 ft jump strapped to an instructor, landing on the Palm drop zone, and is one of the most famous skydives in the world. Gyrocopters are two-seat open aircraft with a pilot, low and slow along the coast, and the most exciting way to fly without jumping out of anything.
The pages below compare them, list prices and explain the practicalities: weight limits, weather, cameras and cancellations.