From street level the Palm Jumeirah is an ordinary grid of cul-de-sacs; from five hundred metres up it becomes a palm again, and that gap is the argument for the helicopter. Circuits leave from the helipad in Dubai Marina or the pad beside Atlantis and run twelve, seventeen or twenty-five minutes. The short loop covers the Marina towers, the island and Burj Al Arab; the longer ones carry on over Downtown, past Burj Khalifa, then follow the Creek back to the low old blocks of Deira.

The standard loop is not the only way up. A seaplane takes off from the Creek and lands on water — slower, lower, and about the coastline rather than the skyline. A gyrocopter operates out of Skydive Dubai, and a private charter lets you set the route, which is what proposals and filming days use. Whichever aircraft, ask for the first slot after sunrise: the air is clearest then, and by midday haze softens the horizon.

Passenger weight is asked at booking and decides the seating plan; the limits are firm. Doors stay shut on every flight here, so there are no doors-off shoots, and since the glass reflects, dark clothing keeps you out of your own frames. Sandstorms and strong wind cancel departures at short notice, more often in summer than between November and March, so check how the operator handles it: most refund or move you to the next slot. Ask which side of the cabin your seat is on, since the circuit rounds the island one way only.