Rainbow Air’s $10M Plan for Niagara Falls Airport Includes Visitor Center, Viewing Area, Cafe

May 9—For nearly 30 years, Rainbow Air has provided helicopter rides above the falls from a three-story, standalone helideck in downtown Niagara Falls.

Last month, it moved its operations to the Niagara Falls International Airport and, soon, it will move ahead with a $10 million project that will incorporate a visitor and educational center, viewing area, virtual reality simulators and restaurant.

"We want to make it a year-round venue," said Paul Faltyn, Rainbow Air's executive director. "When people come to the falls in wintertime, they'll have another option."

The project is awaiting final approvals and targeting a completion date of summer 2024.

Rainbow Air wants the new roughly 30,000-square-foot operation to be a "joint education and tourist destination," Faltyn said.

It hopes an education and history center will be a draw for local schools, where visitors can learn about the Niagara Falls power projects, Nikola Tesla and all the aviation firsts that happened in Niagara via Bell Aerospace, such as the first airplane to break the sound barrier.

"There's so much history here that isn't being properly portrayed," Faltyn said.

Plans call for 15 virtual reality simulators that students and other visitors will be able to climb into and use to virtually fly over Niagara Falls and the surrounding areas.

"We want to make it part of a STEM program in the future so schools will have another option for a field trip, where not only will they have an opportunity to try the virtual reality simulator, they will have a place where they can come and learn about the history of the City of Niagara Falls and the accomplishments made to the world," he said.

The new location will have a cafe-style restaurant, space for visitors to view aircraft takeoff and landing, and a maintenance hangar for repairs on the company's helicopters.

Rainbow Air's move was initially prompted by noise complaints, which have been a "constant issue" from operating near tourists and hotels, as well as conflicts operating near Border Patrol and State Parks police, Faltyn said. That is no longer a problem with the helicopters flying out of the airport and traveling over the river. It will also give passengers a longer ride than they experienced from the previous location.

The company moved to space at the Niagara airport directly under the air traffic control tower and adjacent to the Niagara Aerospace Museum.

The new route first takes passengers south to the Niagara River, then travels north up the river and does two giant figure eights over the falls before returning to land.

Rainbow Air is aggressively marketing its helicopter tourism service around the world, striking deals to bring in tour buses with international travelers. It also will have a shuttle bus to transport tourists to the attraction from their hotels.

The airport location is newly compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, while the previous three-story, standalone helideck was not. The new project also will include special technology to place passengers and their wheelchairs directly into the aircraft.

Rainbow Air was acquired by Oregon-based Helicopter Transport Services in 2019. The company provides an array of services, including medical transport and aerial firefighting.

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