For my husband's birthday while we were on Oahu, I purchased a 1 hour Discovery Flight from Lani…read moreLea Flight School. While it was the most expensive discovery flight service I found, it was the only one that had openings last minure (I had only started looking for a flight a week before our trip) so we went with it. We had a great time! The Lani Lea offices are very nice. Prior and after our flight we were served drinks in the waiting area, and after the flight we got snacks too. The team was very hospitable, and also took photos of us on the plane before our flight. We did the 1 hour island tour, and since it was at the end of our trip it was cool to see all the places we had visited, but from the sky! We flew on a Cessna 172P with instructor Matt, and would recommend the experience again. It was a little bit windy and rocky, but I brought ginger candies so I wouldn't feel as sick. My husband got to fly the plane, and I sat in the back and watched. Matt said that it is up to us - my husband could decide to fly as much as possible, or take a break just to take photos. Even if you don't want to fly the plane yourself, it's still a neat experience.

Had a horrible time with Lani lea flight school, they told me i had an appointment with them on…read moresunday the day they told me they were open but saw they were closes and i asked twice to make sure if they open on that day 3 months in advance for a lesson out here while im on vacation, the day comes i get no calls and i try calling and no answer, i show up in person and like i expected the store was closed and walked around for an hour asking other stores if they had another meeting spot which i went to and no one was also there, they are super unprofessional and i wouldn't recommend anyone to try flying out with this school

Great service. Their website is in Japanese only, but for you English speakers just give them a…read morecall. Emi scheduled our helicopter tour, and even picked us up from our hotel on-time. She was super nice. What a great experience - ask them for their specials.

AWESOME helicopter tour! I did this on my 25th birthday as a present to myself (2nd present…read moreactually - Hawaii was my first present!) I booked and the person picked me up and dropped me off promptly. There was another couple from the mainland on the helicopter tour with me and the pilot was nice enough to let me sit next to him in front (although the husband seemed pissy when the pilot asked him if I could sit in front). Anyway, the pilot was really cool. I told him I was afraid of heights and when we were going through some turbulence, he kept talking to me to make sure I wouldn't freak out. We veered off course and got to see more than what was planned for. He also pointed out every landmark and some whales (or what he thought were whales!) as well as gave some interesting facts/history about the things he was pointing out. If you're ever in Oahu, give them a call! They are super friendly and super professional!!!

Probably Will Be The Best Part Of Your Vacation! Excellent Tour! Some Important Details If Your…read moreTaking Photos. I was the solo admission, but was paired with another family of course. The company team allocated everyone fairly. One person from the family in the front. The rest of the family sat in the back. I was solo, so I was the other person nominated in the front. The helicopter can seat 6 passengers. 2 in front, which have full view of the front of course and sides. 4 in back, only the two passengers on the sides have windows. We had 5 passengers total, not including the pilot. You can bring camera equipment like a mirrorless camera or DSLR with a long lens, but make sure it is not extremely long and intrusive. I highly advise against bringing very large camera gear. You are only allowed your one camera with the lens attached at all times, no camera bags, no extra lens. Please be mindful of this. Nicole was our pilot. She is excellent! If you get her as a pilot you are in good hands! She is patient and mindful of all passengers during and after the flight. She gives everyone on the flight multiple chances and opportunities to see everything by performing multiple turns to allow all passengers on all sides to see while keeping it smooth. She narrated the key points while also allowing periods of quiet ambience to enjoy the breath taking views of Oahu. Whatever questions you asked, she answered professionally and with courtesy. Every pilot has their own unique music playlist in the background. Nicole had Deadmau5 - Ghosts N Stuff (Nero Remix); Lin-Manuel Miranda, Opetaia Foa'i - We Know The Way (Finale); Weezer - Island In the Sun; Coldplay - Clocks; Chicago - Saturday In the Park. There are a few others I didn't list or I don't recognize, but also I am being bias and I'm just recognizing the songs I personally enjoyed and listened to. The flight was about 55 minutes approximately, based on video you can purchase at the end, from take off to landing. My vacation was not very long in Hawaii, approximately a week. Out of everything I have done from hiking, driving, dining, and so on this was probably the number one highlight out of the whole trip! If you are able to do this helicopter tour, please do it, it is something you really don't want to miss. And if you can bring a "nice" camera, your smartphone won't capture some of the impressive details you will miss. This was by far the best experience ever! Mahalo, Nicole and Blue Hawaiian Helicopters!

This is definitely a once in a lifetime experience!…read more We knew we had to book this as soon as we were coming to Hawaii! We found this experience through hotel website, and booking was very easy and quick to do! After booking, however, it was a little hard for me to find the email booking, but good thing I'd created a calendar invite with the information I needed! Transportation is not provided, get an uber. Chris was our pilot and he was so funny and entertaining for sure! He provided us with great info on island, history and a lot of funny jokes to keep us entertained! Good thing is you can bring your phone to record and take pictures, but they also provide full video and pictures for you to purchase!

I am a current private pilot and decided to add a glider rating. It has been 20+ years since I…read morefirst flew a glider. Brian and Yuko have a fantastic operation. This is the only winch tow at the airfield and is by far my favorite way to get to release altitude. This is an amazing place to add a rating. I am looking forward to my ongoing training here!

Although I visit one of the islands every year, it's been many, many years since my last visit to…read moreOahu. On this visit, there was one definite item on my list of things to do...and that was to go soaring! As a power and glider pilot, I've been lucky enough to be exposed and get training under various conditions. But the one condition that has always eluded me was ridge soaring. But here on Oahu (in particular, Dillingham Airfield) ridge soaring is fairly predictable and common. On a scouting drive to the airport, I met up with Brian who courteously gave me all the information I needed to set up a lesson in the following days. He stayed in touch with me by phone as minor changes detoured our arrangement slightly. Arriving at the airport a few days later, I got to watch sailplane operations...both winch and aerotow. Brian next introduced me to the flight instructor that would accompany me on my flight..."JJ." After the standard discussion about my piloting experience, JJ and I were buckled in and ready for our winch launch in a Grob103. Now most of my glider experience is through winch launching. But when I was told they typically winch to just 900 ft, I was a little skeptical as that is the altitude I'd usually be at when preparing to land. But this is their turf and I completely trusted in their professionalism and expertise. Releasing at 1100 ft (we got a little extra altitude), JJ had me bee-line directly for the ridge on the south side of the runway...and just like that...lift! So up we went! After just a couple passes up and down the ridge line, we'd gained just over a 1000 ft of altitude. With altitude, we could now extend our soaring range along the ridge. On this particular day, we found some really strong lift and some sink as well. But we worked a couple areas that had really strong lift and eventually made it up to 3800 ft. Besides seeing a few other sailplanes, you get a spectacular view of the coastline that stretches north (AKA North Shore)....waves as far as the eye can see! We also spotted a few whales breaching and making big splashes just off shore. But for me, the real beauty is awesome views in all directions...like the large windmills in the distance and clouds right above you. Even the green treeline on the ridge we soared above was a true sight to see from the air. Seeing everything from the air, is just better in my book! Of all the things I did on my vacation to Oahu, this tops my list of fun things I did! As we flew, I had numerous questions about ridge soaring which JJ promptly answered and explained. It was great to meet and fly with people that knew the game so well. If you are ever on Oahu, I'd strongly suggest you take a ride with HGSA. If you're a pilot too, take a formal lesson...you might be amazed at what you can learn from the unique conditions this area offers. Much thanks...Brian and JJ! If either of you are ever in Prescott, Arizona, come check out our winch operations!

We shot a commercial here, inside the Center's "practice" plane which it uses to train future…read moreaerospace engineers and mechanics. I played the non-speaking part of what I'm calling "bitchy middle-aged Asian woman," aka Passenger Extra No. 25. It was a great set, authentic-looking, comfortable, and not too moldy/smelly. There were props from the plane's actual flight days, I think, still aboard, such as fake suitcases and old Hawaiian Air magazines, barf bags, safety instruction cards, and so on. Rehearsing and shooting the same 10 or so scenes in multiple takes, over several hours, on a hot summer Sunday afternoon, was not as bad as you'd think. The production crew arranged for an A/C truck (and stuck a few hoses from that huge air conditioning unit through pukas in the plane's emergency exit section, to cool us), tented craft services next to the nearby building, and a generally professional shoot. Bathrooms were right around the corner from the building and plane, so we were generally well-fed, well-hydrated, and comfy. I have a feeling this interior location had been used for Lost? Hawai'i Five-O? And any other island video productions with scenes that call for being inside of a plane. You'd think the flights overhead would make sound recording impossible, but it wasn't that bad, really. One small clip-on light, a medium-small light bank, and a reflector, plus the natural light streaming from the plane's windows, was all the camera crew/gaffers seemed to need, to light the three main "talent" performing the bulk of the story. [Plus a camera and all that stuff.] Fun that Honolulu CC's PCATT rents this out to local and Hollywood film crews. The most interesting "flight" I've ever been on, sans the take-off, flying, and landing parts, of course.

Highlight of our Kona trip…read more The customer service and hospitality of the team was exceptional! We booked a private flight with just the two of us. I was just over the weight limit. Had to reschedule for different day on bigger copter that holds more people and would be with other people. However, on that flight, the other passengers couldn't make it. So we ended up private after all. Wilson was a great host, Michael "Turtle" was a great knowledgeable pilot, I forget everyone else's name. But they were all very hospitable. The flight was amazing. 1.5 hours of coastline and waterfalls, canyons, valleys, and picturesque views of the largest volcano Mauna Kea. Very smooth ride. Even though the pilot said "turbulence" in areas. We barely noticed any. Highly recommend paying extra for the pictures AND video package of your flight. One half of video image screen is inside, bottom half is outside.

What an amazing plan for a couple hours out of the day. We just planned this on a spontaneous…read moremoment with zero research. So glad we did this. For roughly $800 for 2 people for 1 hour to go around the island and be given a lot of great sights and information from our pilot Lucian. Will do this again for sure!!!