Airborne Aviation — Attraction in Kauai

Our Helicopter Tour with Pilot Felipe and the team at Hughes 500 4-Passenger Doors-Off Helicopters was a top life Highlight and the best activity tour I have ever done. Kauai is the most incredible island and it would be very hard to believe there is a more pristine, diverse, dynamic and thrilling spot on the Planet to do an adventure tour. First and foremost, our Pilot Filipe defined this experience and I am forever grateful to him. He is the most kind and welcoming person, was so excited to meet us and speak to us about Kauai and provide the most meaningful and memorable experience. His commitment to safety and performance was unparalleled and it was inspiring to experience his absolute professionalism while he performs his craft. I wholeheartedly believed my wife and I were in the best hands for the most in-depth, thrilling, and safe tour of this exceptional island. Felipe’s thoughtfulness in how he has composed every stage of his tour is tangible. He provided keen insight on every aspect of the island including historical context. His piloting is an artform and the way he flies not only optimizes the ability to capture every awe-inspiring detail of the island, it enhances the story and the experience of the trip. Thrilling and thoughtful throughout. He is extraordinarily gifted in his craft and I am forever grateful I got to experience this tour in Felipe’s hands. In regard to the helicopter, having done a prior doors-on tour, the doors-off in the Hughes 500 was a completely different level of thrill, engagement and perception. My wife and I upgraded to front row, she was in the middle next to Felipe and I was on the outside. We had 180 degrees of vision top down left right and I cannot recommend this enough. It truly felt like we were flying through the island. My first thought at the end was I can’t wait for the rest of my family to experience this tour with Felipe. I hope you get to have the same life changing...

After doing this helicopter tour, I can see why it's a best seller and highly rated. From the moment my sister and I showed up, we were taken care of. The three ladies at the check-in desk were welcoming, friendly and made the process quick and easy. Shay went above and beyond to help my sister protect her highly-valued eyelashes. Not a joke. Hahaha. I don't get it, but it obviously made a difference to my sister. During the safety briefing, Primo was knowledgeable, funny and made sure we understood the importance of being safe in/out/around the helicopter. He also helped to get the riders in/out of the choppah. Cool dude, seems unflappable. The ground team (including our pilot) continued to help the group assemble in front of the helicopter, take photos, put on our life jacket pouches, get into the helicopter, and put on safety belts/headsets. My sister who was super scared and nervous, sat in the middle seat between the pilot and I. From that point on, she was fine. Cozy like a baby wrapped in a burrito blanket. Our pilot Kate was amazing. Badass, really. I sat up in the front and got a bird's-eye view overlooking the beautiful landscape of Kauai. Kate kept the helicopter steady while talking to the group about the different points of interest. She maneuvered the choppah so that both sides got to take photos/video of Jurassic Falls, the Napali Coast, and the wettest spot on earth - Mt. Waialeale. The wind seemed pretty strong up there but I never felt like we were in any type of danger. The ride was smooth all the way through. Honestly, you kind of get lost in the beauty of this magnificent island. My numbers could be off, but I think I saw 111 waterfalls. If you're ever going to do a helicopter tour, this would be the island and this would be the company. 12/10 would recommend...

This was a once in a lifetime experience for me, my wife, and our daughter. The doors off tour gave us the opportunity to experience Kauai in a visceral way. You felt like you could touch the mountains at times. The views of the mountains, valleys, waterfalls, Waimea canyon and the Na Pali coast were just stunning. Our pilot did a great job of giving us the feeling of being inside some of these natural wonders.

I am afraid of heights, so I wasn’t sure how I would react to the doors off experience. However, you are seated very securely with an automotive style seat belt with airplane style snaps. You feel a lot of wind, so I wouldn’t recommend hats or anything in pockets that don’t snap or zip closed. I had to keep pushing my sunglasses back into place as they got pushed around by the wind. I never felt like I was going to fall out, but there were a few moments when the pilot was making particular maneuvers that gave me a feeling of looking almost straight down through the open door. Luckily, my fear of heights was generally overwhelmed by the pure joy of the view.

Wear a jacket! It would have been cold without one. Also, expect to experience mist and rain at times. Don’t put your camera too far outside the boundary of the helicopter door frame. The air speed is ferocious. But don’t worry, the front office team does a good job of setting you up with a phone harness so you won’t lose it. If you are planning to take a larger camera, make sure you have a neck strap.

The entire team was great from beginning to end. The gentleman who gave the safety training was informative and funny. Just a first class experience the whole time.

One last thing - their building is the one shaped like the...