We did the helicopter and there is no disadvantage to middle seat... everyone is behind the pilot and the seats are arranged to allow a wide view of the scenery... the copter swerves and dances through the mountains in a way an airplane could never do... the copter hovers near waterfalls and descends to ocean level...

I don't know how an airplane could give you the same experience... it was worth the money to copter Kauai...

Thanks garyt! Which helicopter outfit did you go with?

We used Blue Hawaiian to view Big Island. They were great. They seat you in the 'copter based on weight so as to evenly distribute it, so you might not even all sit together. On our ride, my husband and I both sat in front ,next to the pilot. Highlight of our trip.

Over the years we've done both fixed wing and helicopter "flightseeing" tours and I have to say helicopters give you the best overall viewing and experience. Unless you are sitting in the front next to the pilot or the have a widow seat in a fixed wing aircraft you are going to miss out on something and even widow seats sometimes give you limited views. With the helicopters we've always gotten great viewing no matter where we sat be it right side, middle or left side. The ability of the helicopter to hover, maneuver in tight circles and fly closer to the ground makes it very special. For a flight seeing tour I'd choose a helicopter over fixed wing any day of the week.

Not sure if he is still flying - but the best helicopter pilot on Kauai was Jack Harter. And also agree - while you can see a lot from a fixed wing - think the helicopter is more fun, but they would both work.

Jack Harter's company is still flying although he himself is retired. I took one of their flights about ten days ago. They have both closed cabin and open door flights so you need to be sure which you book. I am a fixed-wing pilot and for sightseeing in a place like Kauai, I'd choose a helicopter everytime.

After taking the open door option this time and a closed cabin flight a few years ago, I'd choose the closed cabin. The clarity of view you get with the open door is, IMO, more than overcome by the beating of the rotor wash through the open doors.

Another vote for Jack Harter; our pilot was extremely knowlegible about the island.

Thanks for all the advice. Blue Hawaiian and Jack Harter are two of the companies I've looked into and they both look great. I also have heard good things about Safari.

It seems that some pilots pipe music into the headphones while you fly. If that was the case for you, did it detract from or add to the experience?

I have such an affinity for the helicopters and the Jack Harter company in particular. Nice folks. My husband and I loved the music. They played "Somewhere over the rainbow" by IZ. I was very drawn to his music while on Kauai and bought one of his CD's. I have traveled through many parts of the world, but this was the best experience I have ever had in my life - maybe the Aloha spirit had something to do with it. I don't know. But go! What a vibe!

When my hearing aids are out, I do a really good imitation of a deaf guy so I don't know if they piped any music or not. I was able to hear the pilot's and other passenger's comments in the earphones so I would guess they did not on my flight. The pilot, however, was very knowledgeable of the island, or at least the parts he flew over.

Completely off the subject of the post but in response to the comment about the Iz CD, when I lived on Oahu, I grew an affinity for Hawaiian music and on this trip, I found a CD titled "Sweet and Lovely" by a wahine called Raiatea. The title describes her voice to a T. The entire CD except the last track are Hawaiian songs done in Hawaiian style and are really great. The last track is a cover of the jazz ballad Etta James made famous, "At Last". If Etta were alive today, she would be so jealous of this girl, who absolutely blew this haunting song away. I am going to find any other CD's she has done and buy them ASAP.