I chose the Blue Hawaiian helicopters since my wife was really concerned about my safety and they seemed to boast of the most safety awards. It was money well spent. My pilot Will Curry was a very experienced guy who explained lots of features of the landscape and gave us a safe but spectacular flight. The flight itself was spectacular with some real stunning views and I got what I had expected to see...Lava..!! A lady Rowena who works at the site was really nice to us, talked to us for a long time and even gave us advice about where to eat. thanks Rowena!! It took a little time for the DVD to be cut and they made us wait for a little while. The DVD was 25 bucks.
I went on the Blue Hawaiian Complete Island (Maui) tour last week. It was awesome!! David our pilot was great, giving us lots of island history with some personal touches. I had a great view sitting in the front seat right next to David. While the views of the coast and Mt Haleakala were beautiful, the West Maui mountains just left me speechless. The Wall of Tears was just beautiful, I felt like I was in the movies. The flight was very smooth and it was very relaxing with our headsets on listening to Hawaiian music (& U2 one of my favorite groups) inbetween David's comments. Would highly recommend this trip to everyone. I purchased the DVD of our flight for $25 as a memento.
Earlier this week my family and I took a ride on Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. We booked online and I think this saved us some money. I called b/c my AAA book said I got an AAA discount, but the online price was better than my discount. We chose Blue Hawaiian b/c Samantha Brown on the travel channel recommended it and it had the best reviews on this website. It also has some of the best safety ratings, and the concierge at our hotel said they were the best. When you go to the heliport you will see that the Blue Hawaiian Eco Star is like the cadillac of helicopters. It looked way nicer than all of the other helicopters there. It is pretty expensive so we booked the shortest tour, the West Maui Mountains. However, my family and I are fairly large people and everyone kept talking about how small the helicopters are so we did spring for the Eco star b/c we were told it was larger and more comfortable. We were also told it is quieter and that is important so you can better hear the pilot. We booked an 8am flight, but we got a call about 7:30 saying it was too cloudy and could we go tomorrow. I was biking down Haleakala the next day, so we had to do it that day. So, they said to come at 1pm, but they might change our route due to cloud cover. They wanted to make sure we saw something. We arrived to check in at 12:30. Check in was easy and they weigh everyone to balance the helicopter, but don't worry, no one except the check in person can see what the scale says. The computer chooses your seat in order to balance the helicopter. You have to watch a short safety video. B/c our earlier flight was canceled we were put on the next flight available for our party size. So, we got to go on the whole island tour of Maui, which was a serious upgrade! And no we didn't have to pay extra. We went on the ecostar and I think it was definitely worth the money b/c we were all pretty comfortable. Mom was on the front right and dad and I were in the back left. Mom worried that dad didn't have a good view b/c he was in the back and middle, but b/c the seats are set up higher in the eco star dad said he had a great seat and saw everything. The pilot was also pretty good about making circles so both sides could see everything. I think the whole island tour is the way to go b/c we didn't spend much time in the West Maui mountains and all of the cool stuff we saw seemed to be near the crater or after the crater which is the South side of the island. There is a microphone that you can talk to the pilot and the pilot tells you all about the island. Our pilot was Mike and he was great. So for those of you thinking about doing this I enthusiatically endorse Blue Hawaiian helicopters. I know it is expensive, but totally worth it. In fact, I would say spring for a big tour and the eco star. You wont' regret it. It is worth every penny. My parents loved it so that they even bought the dvd of our ride.
We chose Blue Hawaiian based on the recommendation of friends who had flown with them. The tour was the highlight of our trip. An unbelievable experience we won't soon forget. The aircraft was comfortable and we were able to see much of the island we wouldn't have seen otherwise. We flew into the West Maui mountains where we saw spectacular and up close views of the most amazing waterfalls I've ever seen. Our pilot was extremely informative explaining much of the local culture and vegetation. I understand why they call them "flying classrooms". It was pricey but then everything there was so in the scheme of things it was well worth every penny! If you have only one event to choose from while in Maui, we highly recommend Blue Hawaiian.
just came back from a week in maui... blue hawaiian great company... we had kurt as a pilot... we must mention tami at the front desk... what an amazing lady... she gave us so many tips and names to diffrent places to go... we did use her reccomandation and we enjoyed them all... thank u tami...
By far, the greatest experience I had on the Island of Maui was the tour provided by Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Company. Maui itself is like a small American town in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I'm from Washington, D.C., and I have close, extended family in Greece. So, outside of New York, L.A., London, or Paris, most cities seem rather colloquial. Maui is no exception to that although the colloquialism is magnified by its isolation. Also, having been to dozens of the Greek islands, I'm difficult to impress regarding beaches. Maui's beaches are beautiful. But extraordinary? No. That helicopter trip, however, was other worldly! I'll never get over it. I saw things that no human eye has ever seen except those who've ventured forth in one of those whirlybirds. And, the pilot was such a genuine expert on the history of all things Maui that he alone would have been well worth listening to even without the unimaginable sights I witnessed. The tour is pricey, but it's totally worth every penny for such a memory of a lifetime. Going into it, I was a little worried about spending so much money on something that made me so nervous. Namely, flying in a machine with no wings. The staff on the ground at Blue Hawaiian were so relaxed and accommodating though, most of my preflight jitters eased. Now that I've flown in one of their state of the art helicopters however, I've got to say, "It's the only way to fly!" It feels more like floating than flying. Airsickness tends to be my middle name, but flying in that contraption was sheer delight. I think the pilot said that the model of the helicopter was called an "A-star". It was quieter than driving on the beltway! I didn't get off on Maui itself that much; maybe I built it up in my mind too much. It's paradise, but it's a very "Americanized" paradise. But those pristine, thousand foot high waterfalls, that virgin rainforest, flying over those humpback whales made me gain some perspective on that "small town in the middle of the Pacific Ocean" we call Maui: When in an American paradise do something totally American--take a helicopter ride! You will not regret it! I can't speak for the other helicopter touring companies, because I only experienced Blue Hawaiian, but I give Blue Hawaiian an A+.
We are still talking about it even 3 weeks later. What a fantastic tour. They are a fun bunch along with being very careful. I am wicked scared of heights and was expecting to loose my lunch but it was fine. To actually fly into the crater was awesome. There is no better way to see the beautiful island of Kauai. The only (slight) grumble I had was they could have thrown in the DVD as part of the package. Seemed a little cheap to charge $25 for a copy of the flight's DVD. Check out the shirts, they are very inexpensive. When we go back, we will do this again.
Absolutely my favorite thing from our trip to Maui. My family of six (all adults) went on the Maui Spectacular tour on the EcoStar. I picked the Maui Spectacular because of its length and the because of the stop mid-trip. We enjoyed it so much we still felt like 90 minutes wasn't long enough! While the entire flight was awesome, the mid-trip stop on the hillside was really the highlight. We had perfect weather and a perfect view and got amazing pictures. The pineapple sparkling wine is fantastic. The EcoStar was amazingly smooth. This was my first time in a helicopter, so I didn't know what to expect - like others, I worried about getting air sick - but it felt like we were floating the whole trip. Gernot was our pilot, and he could not have been better. He was very interesting, friendly without being intrusive, and both easygoing and reassuring. Request him if you can! What an incredible experience!
I am someone who really hates flying on an airplane, and has to do it twice a month. When I say hates, I mean is very nervous and does NOT like the take off, landing, or the turbulence. And this flight was without a doubt one of the best I have ever taken. I barely felt much movement on the helicopter, and while in the air it was smooth, and Ray the pilot was very informative and funny. We left from Hilo for the 55 minute flight. It was worth every penny. If you are not sure, let me help you.... DO IT NOW!!!!!
This was one of our favorite things during our entire trip. We were hesitant at first because of the cost, but it was well worth it. We had an awesome day to do the helicopter tour. It was very clear and there was very little wind. My last time on Maui we had this booked and it got canceled twice because it was too windy. Because it was so clear and calm, we were able to go to a few different areas that they only get to go to 20% of the time. The captain did a great job of making sure people on both sides of the helicopter got a chance to see everything. It was just breathtaking. Our captain also did a great job of commentating on Maui and what we were seeing. We did the complete tour of Maui, which I would recommend doing. We got to see basically all of Maui from the air. We went to the Iao Needle, Haliakala, Hana, and more. It was truly amazing. It's so hard to explain in words how wonderful this trip was. I would highly recommend to anyone to splurge and spend the money on this. We purchased the DVD of our trip when we returned to solid ground. When we got home, we watched it with some family members and they thought it was just wonderful. They really enjoyed watching the movie because they felt like they were there. You could just tell that it was a great tour and was done very well from watching the video. I would highly recommend purchasing the video for $25. It was worth it. Would I recommend this to others? Absolutly. Would I do this again? In a heartbeat.
My wife and I book a tour with the Blue Hawaiian Helicopter group and loved it. We took the West Maui and Molikini tour and saw some of the most amazing sights. Our pilot was very nice and it made the ride that much more fun. One piece of advice would be to not wear anything white as it causes a glare on the pictures you take.
We went up with Dave about a week ago now (still struggling to get over leaving maui lol) and it was absolutely superb His knowledge of the islands, we did the west maui tour, was superb and he took us right into some of the valleys and down close to some of the small settlements on molokin island. Overall the staff and service were tip top and this is the number one experience for my new wife while we honeymooned in maui
I recently took the Circle of Fire tour with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters out of Hilo. The purpose of the trip was to view the nearby volcanic activity. The trip itself took about 20 minutes with maybe 5 minutes of actual time over the volcano area. My friend and I didn't see alot of lava at the time, but instead saw alot of steam and smoke. The captain was very knowledgeable and provided a good narration of the island highlights but this did not compensate for the general disappointment I felt about the time spent over the volcanos.
We had high expectations about seeing lava flow and waterfalls. We did the 45 minute tour and saw little lava flow and the waterfalls were from far away and not up close as I had expected. I don't know if this was because of the pilot or because of the actual activity of the volcano. Nice ride though and felt very safe. I think for the amount we paid, around $200 each, we would've better spent our money swimming with the dolphins at the Hilton Waikoloa. Or spent the time at the Tropical Gardens near Hilo. : (
I flew on an Eco Star out of Waikaloa on the Big Island. The pilot, Noah, was extremely well informed and a great interpreter of the diversity of the island. During our two hour flight we managed to get a brief glimpse of a large lava fountain at the ocean's edge (totally amazing) and breathtaking close-up views of the falls at the upper end of Waimenea (?) Valley. I would recommend this company - and pilot- to anybody. Noah was great and did not hesitate to respond to passenger requests to turn the chopper in different directions so that people could get better views. His piloting skills became evident when he very closely approached the face of the waterfalls and skillfully banked seemingly at the last minute! Everyone in the chopper said that one view, in and of itself, made the whole trip worthwhile! When I go back to the Big Island I will certainly fly Blue Hawaiian again. (I do wish, however, they would insist people wear dark clothing so there are minimal reflections for photography). Lastly, I've flown on choppers in Vietnam and on the Mainland many times. Blue Hawaiian seemed to be a very professional outfit. I personally observed Noah get to his chopper one hour early and thoroughly check it out. That's a good sign!!!! Jim Long!