Kauai: anyone here tried the Jack Harter "no doors" helicopter tour?
 

We're definitely planning to do a helicopter tour on Kauai and, at this point, we're leaning toward the new Jack Harter "no doors" option on the Hughes helicopters that seat only 4 people. Does anyone have experience w/ this particular tour?

We also looked at InterIsland, but we aren't interested in doing the waterfall landing and Jack Harter's no doors tour is 10 minutes longer than InterIsland's no-waterfall-landing version. According to the blue bible, Jack Harter also has better narration and now uses music on its flights, which we like.

Any comments or experiences? thx

Type in Jack Harter in the search box and search Hawaii and you will get a bunch of hits. This is a popular topic here. Have a great trip.

-Bill

Thanks Bill--I actually did do a search before posting, but the posts I found on Jack Harter nearly all seemed to reference the older A-Star flights. A few people asked questions about their new doorless option, but there weren't many responses from folks who had tried it on Jack Harter--most seem to have used InterIsland.

FYI -- helicoper waterfall landings here on Kaua`i have been banned, since earlier this year.

Our family did InterIsland, and did the hour trip without the waterfall. You catch the helicopter right in Port Allen so don't have to fly 10 minutes from Lihue getting to that area. Fantastic pilots and narration given.

Never tried Jack Harter, but I've flown Interisland twice (http://interislandhelicopters.com/) and really liked the no-doors tour they offered. I was impressed both times that I flew with them.

Tried both the landing picnic tour (great, but you don't need to land in the jungle and eat a turkey sandwich for an extra $80) and the 1 hour standard tour (better value).

The doors being off the helicopter are an incredible value to a photographer. Bring the wide angle, there is no place like the Na Pali coast.

Bart

Julie, We have done the Jack Harter twice. I absolutely loved it. I was allowed to hang out the openings to snap the pictures of my dreams. I'm not afraid of heights, so it was a huge thrill. My DH on the other hand, was so terrified he couldn't let go of the handles to push the button to speak. I had to do it for him, so he could carry on a conversation with the pilot. My 83 year old mom, also frighten of heights, made it fine when she went up. She even had us purchase the video for her for her "assistated living days." I could not have been happier with our choice. P.S. we did research the helicopter groups quite a bit and tried to make and educated choice. Our brother-in-law, on the other hand, did an enclosed flight. He thought it was great as well. He would not wait on us to get to Kauai to get our information. We can't tell him anything anyway. Open door is the best. Like being on the back of a dragonfly. Have fun! Sharon

I'm getting :-& just thinking about it!

-Bill

We did the "doors off" Jack Harter trip a few weeks ago. I was in the middle front seat, so I felt pretty snug, but my husband (in the front right seat) was hanging halfway out the door! He thought it was great!

We loved our experience. Hubby got a little wet because it was rainy for a decent amount of our flight (but he was prepared for that and wearing a raincoat). We also got some awesome pictures that I imagine would have been harder to get with a doors-on flight.

I was a bit disappointed in the narration aspect of our flight. Our pilot/narrator was fine, but I had a lot of chatter in my headphones from air control and other helicopters so that was really distracting. After we were done, I found out that my husband could only hear the pilot and the other passengers, so I wish I would have said something about it before we took off.

Overall, we were REALLY happy with the doors off option. Our experience with Jack Harter was mostly good, but we don't really have any basis for comparison with the other operators on the island.

My husband and I attended for an open doors helicopter ride. I had been incredibly excited about this opportunity since we began talking about coming to Kauai for our honeymoon. When we were assigned helicopters, it turns out that I was placed in the front seat inbetween my husband and the pilot. Don't get me wrong - the pilot was pleasant and my husband had a good time. For me it was a waste of hundreds of dollars. There should be some kind of discount if you are placed in that seat because you miss out on so much. Firstly, it is incredibly cramped. The pilot needed space to fly the helicopter and my husband has broad shoulders, so I was smushed inbetween. I couldn't sit back fully because there was no space and I couldn't lean forward because the restraints are there.
The reason to take the open door ride is for better pictures and better views. I lost on both. I couldn't move my arms enough to be able to take pictures, so I fully lost out on that. I was constantly bumped and elbowed from both sides, no matter how unintentionally. I couldn't see well out either side of the helicopter because they were on either side of me, and I couldn't lean forward because of the safety restraints. Instead of a clear view in front of me, the instrument panel blocked my view, as well as part of the frame of the helicopter. There were only narrow spaces on either side of the instrument panel that I could see out of. The bottom near the floor was blocked by the legs and shoes of the people beside me. Because of the uncomfortable sitting position I was forced into I ended up with neck and upped back soreness.

What was supposed to be a really special birthday and honeymoon gift was ruined. I ended up watching the clock countdown in front of me waiting for the ride to end. This was beyond disappointing. I feel cheated out of the experience and out of my money. As a result, I definitely would not recommend this tour. I am beyond disappointed, and upset with the experience and company.

julie, you are fishing on a very old thread

Thanks for summarizing why I avoid excursions such as this.

HTtY

It may be old, but it's still relevant. Thank you Julie for reporting on your experience, which I assume was recent.

Thanks also. We are planning our trip for next year, never been anywhere near Hawaii. We were up for the helicopter ride but sounds like it could also be a disappointment. Are there ways to prevent this - is it luck of the draw? Can you avoid getting pinned in the middle without views?

IMO it's silly to write off an activity altogether, because of one person's negative experience. For each bad report I've read over the years, I've read dozens from people who considered these helicopter tours the highlight of their visits to Hawaii.

If you want a window seat on a helicopter tour, be sure to get one. Some or most operators charge extra for "preferred seating", go ahead and pay the surcharge for the best experience. Also research the aircraft and seating arrangements used by tour operators before booking, if it's important to you.

From my understanding the seating is assigned based on your weight relative to all other passengers. This is in order to distribute the weight evenly in the helicopter from what I'm told. When we took Blue Hawaiian (not a doors off tour) - we were each weighed discretely and then told our seat location before we boarded the aircraft. I am not sure if you can select your seat based on this, but perhaps each company has a different way of dealing with requests.

Our experience was the same as tifa's. We were each weighed, then assigned seats such that weight was distributed evenly. Like Julie(?), my wife ended up in the front, between me and the pilot. Unlike Julie though, she had a great time. If you're concerned about being stuck in a middle seat, Steve, book with Mauna Loa. They fly smaller choppers, and guarantee window seats to every passenger. Think they have a doors off option too.