Kauai Doors Off Helicopter Tour Mauna Loa Helicopters

Story by Richard Bilow; All photos by Richard Bilow

It has always been a bucket list dream of mine to experience and possibly photograph spectacular natural environments from the sky. During my honeymoon in Kauai, I had an opportunity to do it, so I jumped on it. I was looking for a Kauai doors off helicopter tour. I found a company called Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours which is one of the few to offer this option. CLICK HERE to find out more about Mauna Loa.

*Mauna Loa Helicopter tours; all photos by Richard Bilow; courtesy ETG*

Kauai Doors Off Helicopter Tours – Photography

I wanted to take some photographs, but I did not want to shoot through windows. The reflections make it difficult to get clean shots. I’m not a fan of removing imperfections using photoshop. Plus, I have amazing lenses. Shooting through windows softens the otherwise tack sharp photographs needed for my exhibitions.

My wife and I were doing some work with the Hawaii tourism office, reviewing restaurants, a spa and some boat tours to the Nā Pali Coast. However, we had not requested a helicopter tour. So, I decided to look into it on my own. I had sent an e-mail to the company, and long story short, a cancelation by another guest became our good fortune. We were in, if we could get to the takeoff point on very short notice.

I had to strike a balance between coming home with great images and simply enjoying the experience. You are not allowed to change lenses on this type of doors-off flight. Everything loose needs to be tethered, so nothing can fall out of the helicopter. Our pilot explained that the ride gets very bumpy. With all this in mind, I felt that going up for the first time and capturing exhibit-worthy photographs was not realistic. So, a decided to just enjoy the ride much of the time. It was far more important to me, that I shared this experience with my new wife. She is always very supportive of my dreams, and I could tell she was nervous. To be honest, she did me a huge favor. She later admitted she was terrified to be in a helicopter with the doors off.

Kauai Doors Off Helicopter — *Na Pali Coast, Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours;*

The Weather & Safety

The weather changes quickly in Kauai, and the helicopter tours cannot always fly. The forecast was not favorable at all for us. In fact, the early flight was canceled. We just had to drive to the take-off point and take our chances. Luck was on our side that day. There was a nice break in the weather. The early morning rains turned out to benefit us, because a lot of waterfalls were flowing. Everything just came together in our favor.

Our pilot (Blake Andrews) was a total pro. My wife grilled him before we took off – questioning how long he had been flying, etc. I was impressed with how he took it all in stride. He chuckled, as he set her mind at ease letting her know that (as of 2018), he had been flying four and a half years with Mauna Loa. Prior to that, his flying experience also included an additional three years on the Big Island. She was satisfied, so off we went!

The Flight- Kauai Doors Off Helicopter

It was an amazing 55 minute flight and Blake gave us a full history of Kauai, which I did not expect. What I had not anticipated was just how bumpy the helicopter ride would be and how this would impact my lens selection. Shooting with my heavy telephoto lens was not easy. After banging my lens into the side of the door opening, I decided to enjoy most of the flight with my camera by my side, not up to my eye.

The pilot maneuvered the helicopter quite close to the waterfalls as well as the dramatic terrain of Nā Pali. It was a stunning visual experience for both of us. As we flew through a canyon towards the ocean, the rainbows we saw were beyond belief. Have you ever seen a circular rainbow?

Taking a Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours with the doors off was the best decision I made on that trip. Also, sharing a solo flight with just my wife (and the pilot) was beyond incredible. What an experience!

If this type of tour is on your bucket list, Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours may just be the best helicopter tour company in Hawaii. It certainly was the best fit for Kathy and I. Book your flight close to the day you arrive. That way you will still have time to do it, if your scheduled flight gets canceled. http://maunaloahelicoptertours.com

Fin out more about our experience on Mauna Loa Helicopter Tour – CLICK HERE for the 2nd story in a series of articles titled Finding Love Later in Life.