Helicopter Tour News

The tropical island of Maui, with an area of 728 square miles, is the second largest in the Hawaiian chain, and was created by two separate volcanic eruptions. The first volcano, which became the West Maui Mountains, has been extinct for over a million years. The second, Haleakala, is considered by geologists to be inactive, because its last eruption occurred only about 200 years ago. Lava flows, wind and water erosion, plus sand dune deposition eventually formed an isthmus, or bridge, connecting the two volcanic land masses that now comprise Central Maui, hence the nickname “Valley Isle.”

Maui was originally settled by Polynesian voyagers traveling from the Marquesas and later Tahiti, who braved the seas in voyaging canoes with only the stars, currents and birds to guide them. These Haleakala Crater by Helicopter migrants settled and became farmers and fishermen building new lives, including places of worship (Heiau), fishponds and even used aqueduct irrigation systems to water their taro farms (Lo`i). While it is uncertain exactly when these first brave souls touched ground, archaeological evidence has been dated at about 700 or earlier.

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On Wednesday we took a helicopter around the island. It was my first time on a helicopter, and it was an amazing experience, even though the banking was a bit alarming - the helicopter would hang in the air, feel like it was hovering on its side, and you'd look down and seeing nothing for hundreds of feet to the rain forest floor below. We flew up to the top of the dormant volcano and back down around the rain forest surrounding Hana that we had driven through two days before, only this time getting much better views.

In that last photo, we were all hunched over because we didn't want to be decapitated by the blades. I told the others that they weren't to worry - I'd act as an early warning system...

Our last full day of the holiday was Friday, and we went on a boat out to Molokai, a partially submerged volcano crater 10 miles off the coast of Maui. Half of the crater is above the water, and forms a protective environment from the harsh Pacific waves, making it perfect clear water for snorkeling to see the coral and fishes 10 feet below the water. We then moved on to Wailea beach and snorkeled again, this time to see green sea turtles. I caught a glimpse of one off in the distance, came up to clear my snorkeling mask, put my head back under the water and saw it swimming right underneath me. Awesome, but we gave the camera a day off, so no photos.

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Maui is full of tourist activities, many of which we recommend. Popular attractions are often offered by multiple businesses with wide ranges of prices. Taking the absolute cheapest tour on a mountain bike down Haleakula is probably not the way to go. On the other hand it is easy to overpay for many activities. There are many tourist activity shops that offer “discounted” rates for many businesses (and they also want to try and sell you time shares at the same time). Many businesses have websites that offer web discounts for reservations, something to think about especially for expensive tours like helicopter rides. Finally, travel packagers like Expedia and pleasantholidays.com have activities as options to their Hawaii packages at significant discounts. Buying in advance often saves money but limits your choices of which company to patronize.

Helicopter tour of Maui – We took the Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour of Maui and enjoyed it. Much of the island is only accessible from the air and the beauty of Maui is magnified by a helicopter tour. You will see the road to Hana and see first hand why you don’t want to drive it – going to Hana in the air is so much more enjoyable. Gorgeous waterfalls inaccessible by ground are seen although we took the ride after an unusual dry period and many of the water features were dry. Since everything in Maui is expensive (especially gasoline) the Maui tours are not cheap but for those looking to see all of the beautiful island might consider splurging on a flight.

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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 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.

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.

3. Shop online for pricing. Most companies offer a big discount for booking directly with them.

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.

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