Has anyone flown recently with Paradise Helicopters on the Big Island? We would like to do a doors off tour and they offer one. Thanks for any input you might have.

anyone?

We did tour in an airplane on the Big Island..sorry!

A bubble of glass gets you pretty close to the scenery; why doors off? (Think of the wind; you'll never be able to get a comb through hair again!)
(But have fun! And be sure to strap your camera to your wrist.)

I hadn't thought of the hair! I've been told our pics will turn out better because there will be no reflection from the glass. Does anyone know how I can check their safety rating?

By going to the FAA web site you can navigate to accident records. It takes a little time but can be done. We took a Sunshine Helicopter tour of the Big Island a few years ago, doors on,and it was awesome to me, especially the Hamakua Coast part. The volcano portion is great but I definitely think spending the considerable extra amount for the full island tour is well worth it.
We took photos and yes, we did get reflections on a few of the pictures but most had none at all. Just make sure you know your camera and its autofocus quirks and hope you get a cooperative pilot. (He did expect a tip as he frequently reminded us on the tour spiel).

Thank you Roy, thay was very helpful.

We are going to the Big Island in April and we are also looking at Paradise Helicopter Tours. We emailed them some questions and they got right back to us. I would also be interested in finding out any suggestions or comments. Thanks

We did the longer tour with Blue Hawaiian and loved it. I was able to take great pictures, even with the doors on. They also shoot a video on your flight that shows exactly what you saw on your flight.

We did the longer tour on an Eco Star craft. If you book online, it is less money. We decided to do this tour a day in advance and called over the phone. They were nice enough to give us the lower rate [which was very expensive, but it was possible that this was a once in a lifetime experience - who knows if or when you might come back to HI kind of thing].

http://www.bluehawaiian.com/bigislan...d_spectacular/

We felt that the pilot was very knowledgable about the island and history, but more so about the aircraft.

The views were breathtaking.

Deb

I flew with Blue Hawaiian on the Big Island 5 years ago. It was amazing! We did the full island tour which was about 2 hours. The doors were on but that didn't lessen the experience at all. Our photos turned out great! The pilot was excellent and the helicopter itself was top-of-the-line. I would highly recommend using Blue Hawaiian over anyone else.