I’ve painted myself into a bit of a corner by complaining so much about helicopter noise now that Albert C. Lee has allowed me to run a bunch of amazing shots from a recent copter tour he took over New York City. As hypocrisies go, at least it’s a minor one—and what really bother me are the helicopters that hover in one spot for long periods.

“The tour was run by NYonAir,” emailed Albert (pictured above in the front seat; photo by Jason Rabinowitz). “They specialize in helicopter photo tours with the doors off. They fly out of Kearny, N.J., and anyone can do it. I actually originally got it in my head to try it after I got a taste of the views on an airport connection out of the W. 30th St heliport and realized I’m so rarely a tourist in my own city. Somewhat conflicted about the fuss about noise—as a Tribeca resident I get it, but the views…. I’d rather spend the $500 for a 30-minute photo tour in a helicopter than do the 1WTC observatory.”

And all of these photos get bigger if you click on them, and there are many more on Google Photos (including of Midtown and Brooklyn). You can follow Albert on Twitter and Instagram. UPDATE: He also posted raw footage on YouTube.