Without interviews or archival footage to rely on, Aerial America lets the visuals do the talking. Each episode requires 40 to 50 hours in the helicopter to choose what to shoot, more than 20 hours of filming, and four to five months to edit it all together. The result is nothing short of amazing, especially because New York City is the tallest and biggest city in America.

Bird’s-eye views show hundreds of people participating in group yoga in Bryant Park, firefighters completing training exercises on Randalls Island, beachgoers relaxing on Coney Island and crane operators working 1,000 feet over Manhattan to complete the 3 World Trade Center building. Engineers are also captured working at the top spire on the Freedom Tower, 1,700 feet above the ground.

Series executive producer Toby Beach told CBS Local, “It’s pretty amazing to think that people like that are constantly working in New York and we never really think about them because we can’t see them”. The show’s narrator mimics this sentiment. “There’s always someone doing a fascinating job somewhere in New York City.” Next time you’re out and about, look up, and next time you’re in a plane (or a helicopter!), look down – you’ll be amazed at what you see.

Now put your eagle eyes to good use with our quiz to see if you can identify the city based on the aerial image.

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