What It's Like Taking A Helicopter Over Hawaii?
Last Updated: October 5, 2025
OR: HOW MY FEAR OF FLYING LED TO ME FALLING OFF A HAWAIIAN MOUNTAIN IN A HELICOPTER.
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The Traveller Who Was Afraid Of Planes...
Until my mid-twenties, I'd spend any time off the ground sweating bullets with my eyes screwed shut.
There's probably a good reason for this: my Mum.
As a kid, all my family holidays were in the seaside town of Padstow in the UK. There were a couple of reasons for this:
- Going abroad was too expensive, and, more importantly,
- My mum has a crippling fear of flying.
If we did ever fly as a kid, she found this immense power to convince 300 people, the crew, and the captain, that we were all doomed.
Regardless of the captain's training, sleep cycle, and health (which she checked), she managed to worry even them. These fears somehow always managed to end in a visit to the cockpit - back when it was pre-9/11 - which, I'll be honest, was cool enough to calm her down, at least briefly.
I don't think I ever stood much chance, really.
Admittedly, this was taken to the next level when I was about 18. We'd coaxed mum on one of our few family holidays overseas, and were flying back from a delightful old time in Florida, when our plane suddenly plummeted out of the sky.
I'm not exaggerating here, the plane dived nose-first. People were tumbling through the cabin like dominoes. Cue the screaming, prayers, and hysteria. Apparently, the plane hit a lump of ice midair.
Shit like that is enough to put you off, really!
So after that, I properly hated flying. I know that sounds mad for a travel blogger, but it's true. On one of the next flights I was on after that fiasco, I was so bad I had to apologise to a group of nuns for my blasphemy.
On reflection, they looked pretty drunk... and we were on a flight to Fuerteventura... Actually, I don't think they were nuns at all. More likely they were on a mad hen do, on their way to get pissed up and ride inflatable cocks.
Anyway, I digress.
The point is; I was a total mess once I left the ground. Yet less than a decade later, I ended up dropping off the side of a mountain in a helicopter in Hawaii.
Here's how it happened.
Why A Helicopter Ride?
Well, because helicopters are just cooler than planes. And they go over cooler stuff.
After all, when was the last time you saw 'Plane Flight over the Grand Canyon!' advertised? Nah, you do it in a heli!
Just because I didn't like flying didn't mean I'd lost my adventurous spirit. I still wanted to have amazing, intense experiences, and riding a helicopter over Hawaii, the Grand Canyon, or the Great Barrier Reef... you just know it's gonna be amazing.
I'd just have to get over myself. I added flying in a helicopter to my bucket list.
So Why take a Helicopter Tour in Hawaii, Specifically?
A few years later, here on Oahu, Hawaii, I had that chance to tick that bucket list entry off.
It was 2014, and me and my cousin Rob had just wrapped up a year touring Australia. By that point, I'd flown so much that I'd started calming down on planes, and loved what travel opened up for me. So, when it's a toss-up between going home after a huge tour, or making a few stops on the way, it's a no-brainer.
Which is how we ended up in Hawaii.
Hawaii has so much natural beauty it will blow your mind. There's everything; from soaring volcanoes to crystal seas, pineapple fields rolling further than you can see, waterfalls plunging into nothingness, forests, sealife, curling waves rolling to shore... it truly is beautiful.
Plus, Hawaii is home to a shitload of film sets you'll recognise. Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Pearl Harbour... all filmed here. From the air.
In short, it's the perfect place to see from above.
Another good reason to helicopter Hawaii? Paradise Helicopters.
I didn't know it yet, but this whole team is fantastic. From the booking process through to landing, Rob and I were looked after exquisitely. Paradise Helicopters have several bases across Hawaii, so wherever you are, they'll have something nearby.
For us, our flight was from Turtle Bay on the north coast of O'ahu, covering volcanoes, waterfalls, the film sets I mentioned, Pearl Harbour, and tons more. You even get to fly over a T-Rex's footprint, which is pretty damn cool. If you're gonna take a helicopter flight over Hawaii, this is the one I'd put my name to. You'll see why.
We booked it in.
How We Nearly Missed our Helicopter Over Hawaii
When the tour came around, my day started with my feet firmly on the ground in Pearl Harbour.
By pure luck, we had timed our Hawaii adventure to coincide with the anniversary of the attack. There were veterans everywhere, a carnival atmosphere building up... we got lost in the experience.
We were chatting with the survivors and finding out everything we could about that fateful day. I could write a blog on what they told me, I really could. Some of their stories just blew me away.
Together with the stories, atmosphere, and the site as a whole, we lost track of time. Therefore were ended up being late for our helicopter tour of Hawaii. Very late.
When we realised our cock-up, we dashed out of Pearl Harbour, but luckily, we had an ace up our sleeve. We'd hired a soft-top Ford Mustang.
We opened up the throttle and cut through the island. Screeching in a plume of dust into the car park, we fell into the office just in time for the safety brief. After explaining why we had arrived on the wire, the guys and girls at Paradise Helicopters were totally cool, and fully understood our pinpoint timing. They let us into the briefing.
In essence, the briefing had this 'rule' that meant I couldn't fly the helicopter over Hawaii myself, which is obviously bollocks. I tried to negotiate Co-pilot, but even that title never stuck. Something to do with insurance, death, blah blah blah.
Meeting Our Chopper
Our helicopter for today's flight around Hawaii was an MD500 (...yeah, me neither).
Our version of the MD500 was a replica of Magnum PI's chopper from the 1980s TV show. Granted, I was born in the '80s, but never really knew too much about the series. However, it was a nice touch. Aaaaaand when in Rome...
Having checked the helicopter once over (as a good co-pilot does), we clambered into our seats, belted up, and performed a quick radio check. Then, the doors were slammed shut.
This had all happened so fast I hadn't even thought about being scared.
The pilot did his pre-flight checks, made sure we were all happy, and finally set the rotors in motion. My bucket list dream was about to take off!
Excited doesn't begin to cover my mood at this point.
3, 2, 1... Take Off
Unlike taking off in an aeroplane, where you can see for some considerable distance, in a heli there's nothing. In this case, a small patch of tarmac, and then trees. It's weird. I was looking for a route out through the hedge. In a heli, I was looking in the wrong direction.
We rose from the ground, and that feeling is just bonkers. Unlike anything you've ever experienced.
Liftoff was so smooth, the only indicator of us leaving the ground was a very slight bump. We rose above the tree line, and gradually the horizon grew until the whole north coast became visible. It's just... weird.
Weird may sound like a generic word for such an event, but it perfectly describes that feeling. Imagine you're on a rollercoaster as it takes that initial dip from the highest point, that belly-churning feeling you get. Take that, add a large pinch of the unknown, and mix thoroughly with the jaw-dropping awe of seeing the world unfurl in front of you.
Is weird the best word? I don't know.
All I knew was, 'This is awesome!'
I was going to love my first ever flight in a helicopter around Hawaii.
How Does It Feels To Fly In A Helicopter?
Without warning, the nose dips and the helicopter flows effortlessly forwards. When you're tilted forwards, you expect to do down as well, but in a heli you just don't. It felt like it shouldn't be possible. Yet here I was, floating across the Hawaiian skies in a little glass bubble.
I didn't know what I expected, but it wasn't this. I guess something like being in an aeroplane or rollercoaster? But it's not like that at all. It's new. I've never felt it before or since.
Down below, competitors from the World Surf League were battling it out in the breaking white waves. They just looked like dots.
Diving and climbing along the crest of the breeze, we made our way along the north coast. The feeling got stranger and stranger as we swung left to right, and back again. I have never been to space (shocker, I know), but it's how I imagine it to be. That feeling of weightlessness, of moving unnaturally, like you've beaten physics somehow. That's the best way I can describe the feeling.
Whatever this feeling was, I loved it. Amazing!
What You See On A Helicopter Tour Of O'ahu, Hawaii
Ok, let's pick up the pace. The story and the pictures are going to come at you thick and fast now!
Leaving the northern shore, we headed inland, which meant nose down and stepping on the gas.
We soared through luscious green valleys, with views in every direction. In a word: breathtaking.
As the valley narrowed, weathered cliffs encroached, and we got up close and personal with their rugged, patterned faces.
Below, the quad bike tours were screaming across the valley floor. Everyone was having the time of their lives, and that's what travelling is all about.
Suddenly, the pilot pointed out a small ridge up to the right and announced that we would be landing on it.
Looking at it, it didn’t look possible. But apparently we were doing it anyway.
Check out the photo below; we landed with inches to spare. As the rotors came to a standstill, the doors opened, and what greeted us was some of the best views I have ever seen.
The Ridge
As we stepped out on the narrow ridge, our jaws dropped. We couldn't believe where we were, or what we were doing. We'd flown to this impossible ridge, and Hawaii was laid out below. It was all too emotional if I'm honest. Silence fell for a good few seconds as we lapped it all up.
To repeat, we were on a mountain ridge that's inaccessible by ground, within reaching distance of the clouds, with Hawaii sitting under us. Not for the first time in this blog, words don't really cover it.
It was insane. I could have been in Jurassic Park. In fact, I was. I was looking out for Pterodactyls.
After we caught our breath, we had a climb around the ridge, as our pilot told us about details about the area. Turns out there's far more than beauty on display here.
How Helicopters in Hawaii Play
After an overexcitable 20 minutes or so, we climbed back into the helicopter.
After going through the safety checks again, the captain started up the rotors. Then he came over the heaset and asked one of the most surprising questions I've ever heard.
Don't quote me on this, but it went along the lines of, "Do you want to take off the normal way, or the fun way?"
Wow.
Before I could even press my microphone button, Rob screamed, "The fun way!!!" just as an incoherent shriek went out from the passenger in front.
The 'fun' way it was!
We bunny-hopped our way to the side of the ridge, and ended teetering back and forth on the skids on the very edge. Suddenly it dawned on me what was going to happen. But by then, it was too late.
Fuck.
We slipped off the edge, and started careering down the side of the mountain. All I could think was, "This reminds me of Florida."
We were facing 45 degrees down, nosediving to the floor. Flashbacks to that flight. Bumps were shaking the cabin. Just as I thought we might be in trouble, the rotors cut back in.
We kicked up with force, yet again at an almost impossible angle, and lifted off the cliff-face to swing level. The adrenaline was pounding, and, not for the first time today, I experienced a whole new facet of travelling.
Bring on the rest of the helicopter tour around Hawaii!
Looking Down on Oahu
Once we had regained our breath, hearts, and testicles - which were now somewhere around the rib cage - we made our way to the east of O'ahu.
We swept across the island gracefully, gliding through the gentle breeze. Shortly, we came face to face with the winding Stairway To Heaven, a controversial staircase running up the side of a mountain, which is illegal to climb. The mountain was shrouded in low-lying mist, flanked by gigantic, powerful waterfalls. These waterfalls seemed to fall for eternity, crashing back to earth somewhere in the darkness below.
Further south came the large peak of Diamond Head, where we hovered and learned about its importance to Hawaii. Hidden within are bunkers and walkways, which once played a massive role in the defence of the island.
From there, we followed the coast along the world-renowned beaches of Waikiki, and over the capital of O'ahu: Honolulu, including the vast Aloha Stadium. The stadium is home to the local footy team and, even with our immense view, it dominated the skyline.
Shortly after, we were back where our day had started; Pearl Harbour.
However, this time we were directly overhead. This new perspective only enhanced our experience from this morning's visit. Seeing this the way the Japanese bombers would've seen it, you see how easy a target it was. It's so open. It increased my respect for the veterans I talked with earlier, the courage they showed fighting back against that onslaught is... incredible. I was lost for words.
You cannot help but get emotional as you look over the USS Arizona Monument, which stands vigil over the shallow graves of those who died in the attack. From the skies, you can see the scale of the wreck, which lies submerged in the waters below.
We then flew over the current fleet of US battleships, aircraft carriers, and gunboats, which stood motionless in the harbour.
The Last Leg of Our Helicopter Hawaii Experience
We span back past Honolulu to head back to base.
I could have stayed floating over O'ahu all day, exploring its outcrops, mountains, beaches and cities. The few hours we had were never going to be enough. When you see the world like this, you want more.
We followed another valley north, through the central and western highlands of O'ahu back to base. On the way, we passed Hawaii's main airbase, and looked down on the huge fleet of helicopters lined up, ready for action.
Weirdly, after so much beauty, it was this that I remember so vividly about the flight. I couldn't believe just how many were here on this small island in the Pacific. It was a remarkable display of power. I remember thinking there must be even more helicopters scattered across Hawaii's islands. If there's that many here, there surely can't be any left in America!
We flew past pineapple fields, mazes in the shape of pineapples, and over people sipping Pina Coladas on the superb beaches back on the northern coast, finally arriving back where we started to begin our descent.
My Lasting Thoughts
The island takes on a whole new meaning when you witness it from the skies. It connects things, and shows you the big picture. If you get the opportunity to fly in a helicopter in Hawaii, take it without hesitation. It's unreal.
Truly, my helicopter tour over Hawaii had been everything I could've hoped for, and more. The views, the adrenaline hits, the excitement... this tour has it all.
It is something I will never forget, and would recommend to anyone. It's one hell of a ride, from takeoff to touchdown.
However, I can't wrap this up without addressing the elephant in the room: the cost.
The magnum ride costs us around $350 (£275) each.
Ouch.
Yes, it is a lot of money. But what it is is a once in a lifetime experience, and that is worth paying for.
I would pay it again, and, if I did, I'd return to the Magnum of Paradise Helicopter Hawaii.
After that, there is no chance of me ever worrying about a flight again!
Im from oahu and one of my bucket list adventure is to see oahu from a helicopter.Reading this story makes me want to do it today. Mahalo for the info.
Hi, it’s good to hear that we’ve inspired you to take to the skies. Please let us know what your flight is like when you’ve done it.