Though escaping straight up is the best way to avoid foes, inventors have yet to develop a reliable jetpack, spring-loaded shoes, or a test pilot dumb enough to ride their experimental slingshot. Succeed where science failed with today’s Groupon: for $75, you get a 20-minute discovery flight from Veterans Helicopter Solutions, taking off daily from the Greater Binghamton Airport in Johnson City (a $150 value).

Veterans Helicopter Solutions’ 20-minute discovery flights introduce ordinary earth-bound humans to the knowledge and skills necessary to survive and thrive in the rare air of on-high atmospheres. After strapping into the cockpit and consulting the navigational instruction of the copter’s ouija board, students conquer the wild blue yonder through basic lessons on instrumentation and in-flight navigation taught by an experienced and certified helicopter pilot. Flights pitch and yaw their way across the skies, cutting past sky-high countryside vistas or zooming through treetop flights to study the intricacies and curiosities of low-altitude flying.

As a full-service vertical flight center, VHS maintains its fleet of helicopters using factory-trained mechanical know-how, keeping aircraft flight-worthy and preventing unexpected transformations into bipedal robots. Owner and operator Jeff Freyre has logged over 35 years of commercial and military flight experience and holds certification as an A&P mechanic and an FAA-licensed commercial helicopter pilot.