Reviews

First experience on a helicopter and my son (13yrs) and I chose the doors off adventure around Oahu. We were so scared--but determined to do this! Seated up front next to Pilot Jim, I knew within minutes we would be okay! Jim's command of the "chopper", knowledge of the island, incredibly calming demeanor, and sense of humor was excellent. The aerial views of this beautiful island were spectacular. Could not have asked for a better first ride! I say first ride, because my son and I looked at each other once back on the ground and said "let's do it again"! Definitely 50 minutes, definitely doors off, and definitely front row! Thank you Makani Kia Helicopters!

The Hidden O’ahu Tour from Makani Kai Helicopters was outstanding! Our Pilot and Guide, Evan, was wonderful! He was knowledgeable of the island and offered many additional tidbits you would not get from just reading a tour book; he was also pretty funny. Definitely a great experience I would do again!

Our pilot was Evan, and he was awesome!Great pilot to begin with, and an even better tour guide. He was very friendly, funny, and informative. He made sure he gave both sides of the helicopter the chance to take amazing pictures! Absolutely recommend!

I took my 4yr old son in the jump seat (between pilot and myself). I think he was a little short, but since he is 4yrs old he doesn’t need much. The view and tour was spectacular and so was the service. We were pretty early but they were very accommodating since normally i look at bad reviews and decide, so i knew i shouldn’t be late. Everything was on point. I fly pretty regularly in a helicopter for work, but it was nice to get the perspective and orientation from the air 😁

We chose the Sacred Falls 60 minute tour with Pilot Jim. He was so funny and informative. He used every passenger's name at least once to make everyone feel special. My sons were lucky enough to get the 2 front seats. We always felt so safe with Jim at the controls.This was a highlight of our 10 days in Oahu.Highly recommend.

We recently went on a helicopter tour of Oahu with pilot Jim. This was our first time in a helicopter and we LOVED it! The next time we would be game to do the doors off, as long as Jim was the pilot! He is so funny and very professional. He knows so much about the area and gives an awesome narration. We combined this tour with the atlantis submarine tour through viator and it didn't disappoint! We also purchased the dvd of our trip which we will have for a life time. I showed to the residents in the nursing home where I work and they loved it! We give it 2 thumbs up!!

Booked this tour for our first full day during our two week vacation in Hawaii. We booked a 45 min doors off tour with Makani Kai Helicopters but I guess they do business as Magnum Helicopters. We had pilot Evan and he was very knowledgeable and funny. We kept checking the weather but honestly when you’re in Hawaii the weather changes every 5 minutes so don’t be scared if it starts off a little cloudy. The sun will come out! Definitely bring a jacket as it gets cool up there. I had open toe shoes but they had straps so they were allowed (no flip flops). My Nikon DSLR had a neck strap and cell phone had a wrist strap and both were allowed. Our friends didn’t have straps for their phones so they borrowed the clear plastic covers from the company but were unable to take any good pictures. I had the seat behind pilot Evan and enjoyed the views. I’ve posted some pics for reference. We had never been on a helicopter before but thoroughly enjoyed it and felt very safe (although at one point Evan tried to get us close to a waterfall and went into a cloud - scary but fun!!) Do not hesitate on booking this tour!

It was really really fantastic experience for us. All of employees were very nice and kind. Specially, Pilot Jim! he was so nice and humorous. And he tried to explain about a lot of Hawaii information. Our couple impressed this tour. Thank you guys!

My helicopter ride with Makani Kai was the highlight of my recent visit to Hawaii. The service from hotel pick up to drop off was exceptional. The views/landscape/route is beyond amazing, and the narration was so enlightening. Our pilot put this very nervous flyer at ease almost immediately. I saw many turtles, too many sights to list and also the awesome circular rainbow. Sadly I have a small disappointment from my flight, I only mention it in the hope someone else can avoid the same. I still gave 5 stars because I would go again in less than a heartbeat! The camera case/cover thing I was given to use ruined at least 2/3 of my pics and videos (I’d purchased my own which wouldn’t cover lens but it was stretchy so was not appropriate for doors off) The plastic cover over my lens flapped during the flight and the glare from the sun reflected in many photos. Most of the photos that I was most excited to see when I got off flight are below average. Being a very nervous flyer it was a really big deal for me to take a helicopter ride, much less a doors off. I took doors off only to improve the final results of my pics. Again, I would recommend this trip to anyone considering a helicopter ride while in Hawaii. Extraordinarily exhilarating and maybe the only way to truly see the beauty of Hawaii.

What an amazing experience! Pilot Jim and all the staff at Makani were so friendly and helpful. The 45 closed door tour was great and made all the better by our hilarious and hospitable pilot Jim. This is a must do experience.

Great views and friendly service. Request Pilot Jim, he was great. He found a 360 degree rainbow for us. He provided great stories of our views (celebrity houses, beaches, dolphins, Pearl Harbor...). He also has a great sense of humor. He will keep you laughing and informed. If we return we'll do the longer flight. Great Trip!!!

My husband, daughter, son-in-law and I recently had the Magnum PI open door ride with Pilot Jim at Makani Kai Helicopters on Oahu. Pilot Jim did a fantastic job of overcoming some fears about the open door and showing us the island. One of the best things we did on our trip! Thanks Makani Kai and Pilot Jim!!

I took the first flight of the day on our second day in Oahu, and it was fantastic. Our pilot did an excellent job of making sure everyone got a chance to see and photograph everything, stopping and rotating around for everyone to get a good camera shot or view. Later in the week when we were visiting the USS Arizona memorial and the USS Missouri, I watched the other helicopter companies and not a one of them offered the views like our pilot did. I took the one hour trip and it was great for getting an excellent overview of the island. It helped me to have an idea of where my wife and I should drive and visit the rest of our stay on the island. I am a big Hawaii Five-0 fan, so to fly in the chopper from their show was an added bonus.

My friend booked the open door helicopter ride for my birthday not realizing I had a paralyzing fear of heights. Makani Kai has a stellar safety rating so I thought I'd suck it up and go. Well, I was terrified the entire time but Evan our pilot was fantastic. He made sure he told me whenever the copter would turn, if there were air bumps ahead, and kept us engaged with details about the areas we were flying over. When we landed I broke down crying due to an outpouring of fear and emotion and the fellow who was unharnessing me was so sensitive and calming. A staff member met me on the tarmac after I had disembarked with a glass of water and some comforting. How nice is that? I was unable to take any photos while in the air and so the staff gave me one of their books with photos and descriptions of the trip we had just taken. Fantastic customer service! ps. My friend found the trip thrilling :)

This was a 30 minute Oahu helicopter ride. The tour guide was great, as well as the service of the members working at this facility. Our pilot was especially knowledgeable about Oahu. The only complaint I have is the extremely cramped space. Keep in mind that they assign seats based on weight, and that is understandable. However, with 7 people (including the pilot) on the flight, seats 4 and 5 had very few wiggle room to take photos. Taking your phone out of your pocket was also difficult, if you haven’t done so pre-flight. In addition to the passengers sitting at the window seats hogging the whole window. But that is not the company’s fault.