Our daughter-in-law realized that she was becoming uncomfortable during our helo ride. Once she put

In my opinion, a helicopter tour is much more thrilling than any amusement park ride I ve ridden. The views are beyond description and there is so much to see. A helicopter tour in Hawaii is an ideal way to see the islands cliffs, forests, volcanic shape, beaches and craters. One of the reasons I love Hawaii is the diversity of terrain and by taking a helicopter tour, you can really see that. Before you take a helicopter tour, you should spend some time researching your options online. Here are tips to help you choose the best tour and enjoy it.
1. Make a Safe Choice - Choose a tour that advertises that they are certified as a FAA Part 135 Air Carrier, which means that the operator is subject to higher standards than general aviation operators.
It might also be helpful to look up accidents from the National Transportation Safety Board.   You can use this query form to search the accidents database.  To get Hawaii results, be sure to select Hawaii as the state and Helicopter as the category of aircraft.  When the results map of hotel zone cancun mx open, make sure to open each list to determine which tour company was involved in the accident.  I hope this doesn t scare you off, but it is important to know that there are risks in riding a helicopter.
2. Know the Seating Arrangement - Most helicopters used for touring have six passengers with a seating arrangement of two passengers in front and four in the back. That means that two people are going to be stuck in the middle seats in the back and with limited view. A-Star and Eco-Star type helicopters carry six passengers. The Eco-Stars are nicer than the A-Stars because they offer a little more room, less noise, and more window space.
One helicopter that I particularly liked is the Hughes 500 which seats two passengers in the back and two in the front. I flew with Inter-Island Helicopters on Kauai in a Hughes 500 and it was tremendous. map of hotel zone cancun mx The Inter-Island tour is not for everyone and does come with an added risk in that the doors are off.  With the doors off, you ll get much better photographs, but there s a bit more of a safety concern.
Other helicopter tour companies that we have used with great results are Safari Helicopters and Blue Hawaiian . We took a unique eco-tour with Safari Helicopters and a standard tour with Blue Hawaiian .
When booking, request the front seats as they are the best, but bear in mind that seating will be based on the weight of you and your friend/partner. If you are taking a helicopter tour in Kauai, request the right side because most tours circle the island clockwise and you will be able to get the best view of the Na Pali Coast from the right side.
4. Timing your Tour. If possible, try to book your tour on the first or second day of your trip so that you will gain a better orientation of the island. In my opinion, late morning or early afternoon flights are best for limiting shadows and making the island s colors more brilliant. For seeing the Na Pali Coast on Kauai, the afternoon light is best because the Na Pali is on the west side.
6. Know which islands are the best for helicopter tours. I m sure helicopter tours of all the islands map of hotel zone cancun mx are quite nice, but if you have a choice go with Kauai or the Big Island. Kauai is my top pick because of the views of Waimea Canyon, the Na Pali Coast, and seeing the remote waterfalls map of hotel zone cancun mx at the Waialeale Crater . The Big Island would be my second pick because of seeing the volcano activity at Kilauea. I have been fortunate enough to enjoy helicopter tours of Kauai, the Big Island, and the Great Barrier Reef. My favorite was the Kauai tour.
The Cathedrals of the Na Pali Coast Hawaii Helicopter vs Plane Scenic Tours Maui Video Tour by Helicopter A Great Virtual Visit and Vacation Planning Tool Advice on Choosing a Safe Helicopter Tour Hawaii s Big Island Virtual Tour by Video An Excellent Vacation Planning Resource
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Don t spend too much time looking at the scenery through the tiny view of your camera is good advice. Not only are you missing out on the breadth of the beauty, but you may discover map of hotel zone cancun mx motion sickness that you never knew about!
Our daughter-in-law realized that she was becoming uncomfortable during our helo ride. Once she put the camera down and took a few relaxing breaths, she was fine. I was born and raised on the island; this was my first helicopter tour and I loved it!!
Hmmm, CF. I m not sure about that one. I think that the windows help to keep you from feeling closed in. I would say that if you don t feel claustrophobic on a small plane, you would most likely not feel claustrophobic on a helicopter. You might want to call one of the helicopter companies in Hawaii and ask them about it. I m sure they ve had clients with the same concerns. Hope that helps.
You blog is simply great and helped me a lot saving many hours to plan my visit to Hawaii in the thanksgiving week. I originally did not plan to go to Kauai but now I am reading your blog on this helicopter tour and I am tempted. Do you think it s possible to spend a day , flying to Lihue from HNL in the morning around 11:45 AM or earlier , take the helicopter tour 90 Min and back to HNL again in the evening with the 4:00 PM flight map of hotel zone cancun mx ? The Safary helicopter tour departs from Lihue airport, do we need a car there to go to the heliport and comeback to the main airport to catch our flight back ? I will have my son , 4 yrs old and my husband with me, you think 4 yrs old can take the helicopter tour ? Thanks, Mou
Hi Peter Just my opinion, but from my observation, Safari Helicopters seems to take safety very seriously. I had a chance map of hotel zone cancun mx to talk to the owner one time and I was impressed at how much he stressed safety and how they have a schedule to replace parts before map of hotel zone cancun mx they show wear and tear.
Sheila you are correct! If you type in helicopter accident hawaii I don t see anything negative for Safari helicopters. They have never had a fatal accident. Unlike some companies who just pay alot to advertise that they are the Best in the state!
We used Paradise Helicopters when we went to the Big Island! They were great and we did get to see lava! We also stopped in one of the valleys on our way back where we were able to explore and eat fresh tropical fruit right from the earth. It was wonderful!