Reviews

Was my first time on a helicopter. The pilot was the narrator and ours, Jim, rarely took a break in talking. Maybe a little more peace and quiet would have been enjoyed but he surely has a ton of information to impart. All of the staff, from ground crew to pilots, van drivers, assistants, just everyone has the Aloha spirit. Felt like I was a welcome visitor, not just a paying customer. Only negative, which I think everyone would agree on, is the amount of space inside helicopter. You really feel cramped the whole time. Also someone should take some time to be sure the headphones fit properly - mine did not and didn't have room to take off and find out what to do to make them fit better. I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY FOR A HELICOPTER RIDE.

Our helicopter tour with pilot Jim was the highlight of our trip to Oahu! Jim really made the trip. Besides making me feel secure, I'm a bit afraid of heights, he had so many good stories and interesting information to tell. We did the doors-off tour and got lucky enough to sit upfront first-class. In 50 minutes plus we saw the whole island, even got some action with a forrest fire. Pick-up at hotel seamless. I absolutely recommend this tour, it's worth every penny.

The team at Makani Kai were absolutely brilliant!!! Every staff member we dealt with was so friendly and helpful. Our pilot for the adventure was AMAZING lady named Margot. Not only was she hands down the best helicopter pilot I've ever experienced (the whole flight was so smooth and her take off and landings were flawless!), but she was also a fantastic tour guide. Her narration as we flew around Oahu was informative but also funny. She engaged with with every single passenger on a personal level, so we all felt so safe and were able to just sit back and enjoy the ride. After the flight was finished, she also happily stood and had photos taken with passengers inside on the terminal in her own time! I I would without a doubt highly recommend both Margot and Makani Kai Helicopters to everyone I know. (p.s. the upgrade to front seat passenger is a MUST do!!!)

Totally amazing!!! Pilot Jim is the best and made the flight so entertaining along with providing a step by step funny and very entertaining commentary of what we seeing and information about it as well as ensuring we knew why the helicopter was doing what it did E.G wind, other air craft dropping jeeps from the sky etc hehe, (True story) Highly recommended.

Jim our pilot and even the guy who picked us up from our hotel was amazing!! The helicopter ride was honestly the most memorable part of my partner and mines trip. We got to see the WHOLE island in under an hour! Honestly would do it again in a heart beat. Jim made us feel very comfortable telling us facts about what we were seeing and when the ride got a bit bumpy he informed us that it was totally normal and even why it was happening. Doors off is a must do!! Couldn't praise this experience enough!! Thank you Makani Kai helicopters for an experience I'll never forget!!

This was an incredible experience. The shuttle picked us up from our hotel and drove us off the helicopter site. On the way the woman driving gave us our briefing and safety speech. Once there it was a short wait as our little bird came in, dropped off the prior tour, then we were strapped in and off we went. It was incredible. Our Pilot was great, very calm and funny at the same time, he gave us again another brief safety talk as we went out over the main hotel district. You could hear him talking to all the other pilots in the area as they liaised with each other. He was excellent at dodging the rain clouds. On the North Shore he showed us a full round complete rainbow, yes it can be seen in a helicopter. Then we came back over the plantations and over Pearl Harbor. What a memorable trip. The views are stunning. It is a must do, doors off experience, yes it is a little pricey but you will never forget it. On my profile should be a short video of our flight.

One of the highlights of our honeymoon. The whole experience was excellent, the pilot brilliant and the feeling of being open that high up exhilarating. One tip - if you have long hair tie it up tight; my wife's was whipping me in the face throughout :o)

Amazing experience, with one of the corniest, yet funniest pilots in the business. Our pilot Jim, was a Tom Selleck lookalike -- down to the Tigers cap -- and his knowledge of Oahu made the one-hour tour of the island a great way to start our vacation. You can choose one of the 6-seat limos they use in the new Hawaii 5-0 TV show for a scenic cruise or go doors-off with one of TC's old striped choppers if you feel a bit more adventurous. Either way, I would highly recommend doing this early in your Oahu stay. It gives you a great overview of the best beaches and can't miss sights. We learned some history and did some star-gazing of the people variety, passing over Elvis's compound and the homes of Keanu Reeves, Bruce Willis and more. Jim also showed us why so many people dream of a Hawaiian vacation -- some of the best scenery around! At one point he flew us right up to one of the tallest waterfalls in the whole island chain. For people who are perhaps a bit scared of flying, Jim was especially careful to preview what kinds of turns and bumps we were about to encounter to ease any anxiety. It was a truly memorable experience and we even ended up with a DVD of the ride to relive the magic. Highly recommended!

I was very nervous about a helicopter ride, but my husband finally talked me into it. From our friendly driver, Kevin, ( who wore many hats that day), to our wonderful and informative pilot Morley, it was such a great experience. We are proudly showing our pictures of the north shore, new Disneyland resort, Pearl Harbor etc to our friends and relatives. It was such a fun hour, and we would certainly do it again. Thanks, Morley, for all the local information you provided - it made our trip so interesting. Sacred Falls was beautiful, and even the weather cooperated. We would highly recommend Makani Kai Helicopters.

We were visiting HI on a Make-A-Wish tour. This was the best event we had. Jim was the best tour guide and pilot even with the rough weather he made sure the little ones on the flight enjoyed themselves. I would not just recommend Jim to give you a tour but suggest if you don't do this while on the island you are missing one of the greatest views you can ever dream of.

One of the great joys of living in Waikiki many years ago is the memory of seeing the island of Oahu from the air,. So when we visited Hawaii again in September 2015, a helicopter tour was top of the list. And WOW, it was just brilliant to spend 45 minutes flying around the island with the beautiful Margot as our pilot and guide. And the dvd of the trip filmed from the nose of the chopper meant that we still have a stunning visual memory of a balmy time in paradise from an albatross point of view. Mahalo Margot, and all the support staff that made this a truly great Aloha to Hawaii!

They can pick up up from your hotel, but we were staying in the North Shore so made our own way down to the airport. This helicopter ride is a doors off experience that includes five people including the pilot. Two passengers in the back and two in the front with the pilot. I sat in the middle between my husband and our pilot Jim. I was a bit sad that i was in the middle as i wanted to take photos. However, i think i had the best seat in the house and took many pictures of our journey around this magnificent island. My husband tried ti take some photos, but every time he tried the wind would take his camera, but he did enjoy the ride. You start off at flying over Waikiki towards Diamond Head the up the Leeward side and around to the North Shore (windward side). We had a 50 minute helicopter ride which i wish could of lasted all day. Would i do this doors off ride again, hell yes try and stop me. Massive thanks to Jim the pilot and the great couple who came along for the ride.

I was travelling solo whilst President Obama was on the island and despite specifically checking a million times i had my passport, I mislaid it once I got to Makani Kai! Jeri and PJ could not have been nicer while I was having a mini panic attack, trying to rebook me another time and calm me down! I eventually found it (check all your pockets!) and was soon whisked out to the helicopter to meet doug my pilot. Lucky for me, my group never showed so I ended up with a private open doors tour! Such an epic experience. doug was friendly and knowledgeable and the view was amazing! Thanks so so much to everyone at Makani Kai for a brilliant adventure!

Definitely the best way to view Hawai'i! The whole experience was great!! If you can pick your pilot, pick Jim!! He is AMAZING!! He made us laugh the whole time, explained some of the areas with a little background and you can tell he loves his job!! And don't forget to get the video at the end!!

Flew over Oahu for 45 min at a great price. Fantastic and informative. Felt safe. Interesting to see how big Oahu is from the air. Pearl Harbour and Diamond Head were great. Pilot made sure that the 4 of us in the back could see everything👍👍