- Redline Helicopter Tours opened on Padre Island opened on Friday Aug. 2
- Jax Redline is a pilot from Amarillo, Texas but has been operating Redline Helicopter Tours on South Padre Island for the past year and a half.
- He said he wanted to expand his business to the Coastal Bend and open up a new location because of how beautiful the views are.
- Basic helicopter tour starts at $69 per person and it is located behind Padre Island Burger Company.
A brand new business took flight in the Coastal Bend on Friday. It's called Redline Helicopter Tours and it is located just behind Padre Island Burger Company along Highway 361 on Padre Island. Helicopter pilot and owner, Jax Redline, said he believed it was time to expand his business from just South Padre and to open an additional location up north on Padre Island in the Coastal Bend.
“We’ve been flying down in South Padre for about a year and a half now, flying down the beach down there. And then we came up to Corpus for the first time and realized how pretty the water was here, so we figured we had to pop up another helicopter location here," Redline said.
Redline has been flying helicopters for the past three years. His business will offer daily helicopter tours from 11:00 am until sunset, and special occasion rides for marriage proposals and gender reveals.
“Since I was a little kid, I’ve always wanted to fly. I went and started flying airplanes first, and I thought that was pretty awesome, then I went and flew a helicopter the first time, and I was like ohm, I’m hooked now. And that’s about all I’ve done every day since I started flying," Redline said.
Some local business owners are excited about a brand new, unique business to open up on the island. There are no other helicopter tour services offered on Padre Island besides Redline Helicopter Tours.
“I think new tourist attractions bring out a lot more people wanting to come out to the island. It is really great for all of our locally-owned businesses out here. It brings new people out to the island," Melissa Hearn, General Manager of Padre Island Burger Company said.
Redline acknowledged that some residents may not be as excited about his helicopter business on the island.
“We’ve got the quietest helicopter that you can possibly fly with flying four people. We’re going to do our very best to keep the noise to a minimum. And the people that aren’t loving it at the beginning, I can promise once we do get them in the air, they’re going to have a smile on their face," Redline said.
However, others are eager to book their first flight.
“Oh girl, yes! That sounds exciting actually! Especially at sunset," Hearn said.
Redline Helicopter Tours basic tour starts at $69 per person to fly around Padre Island for 6 to 8 minutes. To fly over to Port Aransas, it costs $249 per person, and for the "Big Dog Ride" from the island, to Port Aransas, over to Aransas Pass and Ingleside, is $749 per person.
“Lots of people come to North Padre because it’s so beautiful. And so it’s really cool to be able to see that beautiful view from above," Redline said.
Redline said that his new business will be able to be seen on Apple maps and Google maps soon. As of Fri. Aug 2nd, Redline plans to take customers up in the air 7 days a week, weather permitting. For more information, visit Redline Helicopter Tours website.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
