Great people, great experience and great price. I always freak about flying and this young pilot Ken, was awesome and ride the helicopter so smooth. I can tell flying with plane is not the same ad flying with helicopter. Thank you Specialized Helicopter to give me and my family great experience :) trip was worth it every penny :) read more

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Absolutely amazing! I have been on helicopter trips before but this was a good as it gets. The pilot was so much fun - he played music according to the scenery (which was just unbelievable). We took the trip to Santa Cruz - we are local and had friends in town...what a cool way to show off your city! It was worth every penny and such a cool experience. Next we plan to do the Big Sur trip. read more

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Took my hunny on a surprise tour for his birthday. I wasn't sure where we would be going so I called to discuss options. The staff was very professional, polite, and helpful over the phone. When we arrived, our pilot, Chris, discussed options while looking at a map so my hunny could decide where he wanted to go after learning what we would see. We opted for a tour to Santa Cruz and then down to Monterey, flying over the Pebble Beach golf course and viewing those amazing mansions from the air. Chris is an excellent tour guide and made us feel comfortable. It was a very enjoyable experience! read more

I had family in from the Mid-West and was thinking how could I completely blow them away with an Awesome Surprise.... Specialized Helicopters to the Rescue!!!!!!! Amazing from start to finish.... They were professional, polite, caring, funny, and just all around good people. If you want a once in a lifetime Experience............. This is the way to go...... Have Fun.... read more

Wonderful experience! Instructors Ivona and Wendy helped us borrow aviator sun glasses, then let us take lots of fun pictures. We were having such a great time flying that we barely took any pictures while up in the air. The airport is close to the Santa Cruz shoreline, so we got beautiful views right after take-off. Highly recommended. Safe, professional, yet also very fun. read more

I had the Santa Cruz tour with my two daughters, ages 18 and 8. It was our first time in a helicopter, and it was amazing! The helicopter was clean and comfortable and the pilot did a great job. I sometimes get motion sickness but had no problems at all during the tour. Excellent, unique experience! read more

Had a great helicopter ride on a Sunday. Pilot was knowledgeable and helpful, the helicopter was clean and in great condition. It was fun and well organized. I highly recommend it! read more

AMAZING experience! Breathtaking views, amazing pilot (thanks Ivana), quick preparation... everything was perfect about our helicopter ride! We all loved it, including my 4-year-old nephew. read more

Took a sunset flight with my girlfriend on Saturday. It was an amazing experience. It certainly helped that the weather was perfect and we could see up and down the coast. Our pilot was Aaron and he was extremely professional, making sure we were ok. I'm not afraid of flying or heights, but Aaron walked us through the whole process anyway, letting us know what was happening with the helicopter as it warmed up. Once we were up in the air, it was great. Aaron pointed out all the landmarks, flew us over the Santa Cruz boardwalk and hovered for a bit while the sun set. I took a bunch of photos and they came out great. I would highly recommend Specialized Helicopters to anyone looking for an amazing experience. read more

I purchased two Groupons for my son and husband to take a aerobatic plane ride. The staff and pilot were professional and welcoming- even to our little dog! I really appreciated no griping about the coupons- there was none of that. Both boys had a wonderful time- my 15 yr old was nervous but Mary, the pilot, was reassuring and he completely enjoyed it. My husband had a great time as well and found the trip really fun. The flight can be filmed from the interior, it can be personalized as well- you can go farther away, etc. It's all dependent on what package you want. If their schedule allows it, you can adjust your trip on the spot. I would recommend this outfit if you have any interest at all. read more

The personnel at Specialized are absolutely wonderful!!!! They pay attention to detail and make taking helicopter lessons extremely fun as well as informative....keep it up guys!! read more

The trip over Santa Cruz, my girlfriend & I took was exhilarating! Worth every penny. Can't wait to take another trip. Staff was professional, courteous & safe. I recommend Specialized Helicopter tours for a great time. read more

Decided to get my boyfriend a Carmel helicopter tour for Christmas and it was the best money I've spent this year. great views, they even let me reschedule when it rained the day of my original appointment. I highly recommend, if you're going to go, skip the plane and go for the helicopter. it's definitely worth it. so gorgeous! read more

Specialized Aviation - Flight Instruction Near Me - Watsonville, California

They were awesome! We went on such a nice day, and our pilot did great. The staff were all so friendly, they made it extremely easy to book a tour as well as enjoy our morning. read more

Received a trip for my birthday to take a flight from my parents. Went up in the Baron B55 with Michael and had a blast! Our pilot was very informative, professional and just a cool guy. I highly recommend Specialized and more specifically flying in the Baron. The plane climbs fast and you can see a lot from the cockpit. My parents and I liked spotting out all the golf courses around Monterey. I'll definitely be doing this again! read more

Awesome Sevice, friendly staff. Our pilot Nick was outstanding. Very knowledgeable and extremely friendly. What a memorable experience. Thank you staff for making the flight and experience for the books read more

Staff was super nice! The ride was extremely smooth while our pilot did a great job providing us a great tour of the Monterrey Bay. We took our 4 year old daughter and she loved it!! Until next time .. ;-) read more

Went for their Introductory Helicopter Lesson with a friend as the result of a groupon deal. It was awesome. Their instructors/pilots were professional and friendly and chill. We had a small class which was extremely chill (not like how they make it sound on their website at all). The 20 minute flight was great fun. But be warned: 20 mins is not enough! It's barely sufficient to get you off the ground, make a round out of and into the airport and then work on just a wee bit of controls yourself. All that was amazing for me (GREAT aerial views from the helicopter! I was so distracted I wasn't paying attention to how my instructor Ivona was controlling the chopper at all) but I was there to actually fly a helicopter so I opted for the extra 30 mins. Flying a helicopter is hard. But that's why learning it is so satisfying and fun. The more you relax, the easier it is to learn to get the feel of the cyclic (kind of like the main joystick), but that's completely counter-intuitive since you'd naturally tense up when u're learning something new. Ivona was extremely patient and a great instructor. I will admit, I don't normally spend that much $$ in a single day (I'm a fresh college grad), but it was worth it. I can see myself one day having a mid-life crisis, running off to get my helicopter pilot's license and become a professional helicopter pilot. Prices and advice: - $199 for the introductory class, including theory (which didn't seem to matter much) and 20 mins of flying. They charge $99 for an extra 20 mins, $150 (actually $145 for me) for an extra 30 mins and... I forget what the other option was. I had a Groupon that got me the introductory class for $100. I recommend being prepared to spend at least $99 for the extra 20 mins. - They say on the website that you absolutely have to do the reading, which is quite a bit. When we got there, it didn't seem to matter much if we had done it or not. I will say though that the reading helped me a lot insofar as it made me understand the controls of the helicopter before I actually sat in it. But then again, I like physics. My friend who went with me prefers learning by doing and he didn't think the reading helped much. I personally recommend at least skimming all the helicopter-specific reading, if for no other reason than to see what it covers and understand the controls. - If you go with friends/family, bring a camera! Good zoom is helpful. You spend quite a bit of time learning to fly near the ground so there's plenty of photo opportunities there. - Coffee and snacks available there for purchase (coffee's free, $1 for chocolate bar or cup noodles etc.) - If you're looking at these guys for reasons other than helicopter training (e.g. tours and stuff), they look like a pretty good business to go to too. In general I think chopper rides are more expensive than plane rides, but I was told helicopters are allowed to go much lower than airplanes (1000ft, as opposed to 3000 ft for planes) which means you get to see much cooler stuff especially if you take a tour over the ocean. Also, the front glass windows of a helicopter extend all the way to the floor so you get great views. read more

I went up with Chris to do some video work in one of their R22's a month ago. Chris knew exactly what was necessary, and made me feel comfortable despite the fact I was hanging out the door with my gear. Spectacular results! No question they're the best around. read more

A real treat, worth the money! We went on a Santa Cruz tour for New Year's Day with Chris the pilot. The day was gorgeous and Chris was friendly, informative and fun. He did a great job of 'tour guiding' while not being overly scripted. We learned about the area, saw marine life, and even our own house! Jessica, the Office Manager, was professional and accommodating. I had scheduled the flight for New Year's Day, but she thought it was for New Year's Eve Day. She was great about rescheduling for NY's Day and working with my schedule. I highly recommend giving this as a gift or as a treat for yourselves! read more

We recently went on the Big Sur Sky Safari and were literally blown away. Chris and his staff were extremely helpful, going very far out of their way to ensure we had the best possible experience. The aircraft was state of the art, clean and roomy (I am 6' 2 and had no problem relaxing). To say the flying skills of the pilot were excellent would be the understatement of the year. Chris was so smooth with the aircraft that we were immediately put at ease. The professionalism, excellent as it is, acts more like icing on the cake - the flight itself was beyond words. Immediately upon hitting the coastline our senses were overloaded with post card scenery, expansive views and tons of wildlife. We saw a pod of anywhere between 50 to 80 dolphins, more seals than we could count and a 50 foot gray whale! The coastline around Pebble Beach and 17 mile drive was other worldly and we had to work hard just to take it all in. When we reached our turnaround point, Chris took us up into the mountains and we got to experience some exciting flying and more beautiful scenery. On top of all this, the whole crew went out of their way to help me with a smooth proposal to my girlfriend. On all counts, they exceeded all expectations and helped to make our most special day unforgettable. Chris immediately got me pictures of the flight so that we can remember our day forever - and we will. THANKS GUYS read more

Absolutely incredible. Surprised my wife with a charter from Monterey to San Francisco, and couldn't have been any better. Neither of us had been in a helicopter before, but we were immediately out at ease and the sights were breathtaking. Highly recommend. Very professional, very friendly, very expert pilots. read more

I did the aerobatic airplane ride with pilot Mary Macdonald. She was awesome, she explained each maneuver before doing it and checked how I felt after each stunt. She was very professional and flew the plane very smoothly. The landing was great. All the maneuvers she did were so exciting, I could have stayed in the plane with her all day!! I would recommend this plane ride with Mary to anyone!!!! read more

What an amazing experience! The pilot was so accommodating and his commentating if the area was on point. Thank you Brian! He even flew a little inland and did a fly by of our shop. The sunset was perfect and the overall experience was a 10! read more

Saved our trip after another company fell short! Jessica was amazing and fun to coordinate the flight with. And Chris was a very informative, laid back pilot. Absolutely recommend this place and their staff! Can't wait to go back! Thanks for an amazing adventure! read more

A good friend of ours takes helicopter lessons at Specialized Helicopters and had us join him for his one hour lesson. We joined him and his instructor on a ride over the beach and then the hills surrounding Santa Cruz. The flight was amazing, and instructor exhibited a focus on safety and proper technique that demonstrated the professionalism demanded of his charge. This flight was followed by my friends buddy taking an hour lesson, and I got two hours on the ground to admire the other aircraft and chat with the staff. The craft and hanger were spotless, and there is always a correlation between cleanliness and safety. Do your homework, but I would have no reservations flying or taking lessons with Specialized Helicopters, or grabbing a seat for a ride on the beautiful biplane. If the sun is shining, there is no better way to spend a day. read more

Thank you, Chris, Wendy, and Ivona for one of the best days of my life! I couldn't bring myself to leave after my classroom, exam, and flight. I feel as if I had white glove service. The pilots were so knowledgeable and friendly. They really seemed to care that we had a terrific time and were very safe. They also did not mind that I fired off questions all day from my reading. I had anxiety that maybe I was not prepared enough but they put me at ease right away. It was terrific and a life long dream of mine to fly a chopper. I could not have enjoyed myself more. I will certainly be back again. read more

Took the Santa Cruz helicopter tour and it was a blast! Steve was our pilot and was patient with all our questions. They accommodated our 6 month old baby by giving her little earphones! Sooo much fun and a beautiful way to see the coast. read more

Did a short Heli tour this morning with a couple friends. Paul, our pilot was funny and informative. Gorgeous views and he pointed out some cool features of the area to us. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Worth every penny. read more

Well maintained equipment and very friendly staff make this a great place to go for a tour by air in the Bay Area or to take lessons if you want to learn to fly yourself. read more

Had an amazing helicopter ride with Alex over the Big Sur coastline. We saw whales. Alex was terrific. I can't wait to do it again.

My girlfriend decided to surprise me and go on a helicopter tour of Carmel on 5/27/12 (at first i wasn't to sure of it, cause I don't like heights but it was really comfortable) our pilot was Ryan. He was awesome. He was supper nice and knew a lot about the area and had really cool sights to see and point out. He was really knowledgable and he explained everything about the air craft and made it very comfortable. We saw two pods of dolphins and Ryan (the pilot) tried really hard to find a whale for use but we didn't find any. This was a great experience. Something we will remember for ever. Ryan made it a great experience. It was worth every Pennie. read more

My sister and I took my dad on a tour as a gift and had the absolute best time! Our pilot was very knowledgeable and friendly. Even though our trip was only 20 minutes we got to see so much. My dad was so impressed he wants to take lessons! Highly recommend as a gift or as a fun outing! read more

Quick and responsive to get us from San Francisco to Monterey when commercial airlines didn't come through - thank you for the quick response because you salvaged our short weekend! From initial phone call to airborne was 1 hour. Will definitely use again! read more

For son's 17th birthday decided to surprise him with a helicopter ride (he's never been in the air/flown) From front office staff, Cody to our pilot Aaron, the staff could not have been more warm and engaging - awesome, down-to-earth crew. Aaron loves flying and knows the area well, and it is apparent. My son was a bit nervous but Aaron put him at ease with his confidant, professional and friendly demeanor. Unsure of how my son would fare on a helicopter, we took the quickie 20-minute trip - he LOVED it! We will definitely return for a longer flight excursion. Way to go Specialized Helicopter - you guys made my son's 17th birthday very special!!!! read more

Specialized Helicopters came recommended to me from some pilots I have been network with. I am looking into getting my commericial license and went from my introduction flight. I flew with Paul H. and he was great. Extremely knowledgeable and professional. Took all the pressure off a first time flyer, explained everything, and answered all my questions. Even let me be more hands on that I was anticipating. Everybody else I met there seemed very professional and friendly. Definitely worth checking this place out. Paul has even followed up with me since and sent a list of contacts and study material that I can get started with . Thanks Paul and Specialized Helicopters. read more

Make sure you don't rely on booking your special day through their website. It is completely inaccurate when it comes to picking your time and date. We booked our trip only to receive an email later telling us they are unavailable and pick another day. Horrible customer experience. Will spend my money elsewhere. read more

There is a person who works here that is one of the most sweetest, kindest people you could ever meet. I see by other posts that she has touched other people's lives like she did ours. She made this trip possiple for my husband who really needs it. She went out of her way to make it happen for us. I cannot believe how inexpensive and amazing it will be. I never imagined that I would be able to afford a present like this! My husband is going to take lessons and then fly a helicopter with a co pilot on his 60th birthday this year on November 19th. I cannot wait to see his face when he finds out this surprise. If it wasn't for Jessica this would not be happening. This has been a dream of my husband's for as long as I can remember. I'm sure this will be the best present he has ever had. I will write another amazing review after the trip. Thank you Jessica for being the person you are and making this trip possible for my husband. See you on the 19th! =-) read more

All flight schools are not created equal. I have fired two flight schools. A lot of them have dirty planes, uncomfortable waiting areas, rude instructors and even dirty restrooms. I searched high and low from Hayward to San Jose to Hollister and beyond. Chris at Specialized is a very interesting guy. He owns a well run operation that's the best I can find. I even fell asleep on his soft and comfortable leather couch in his waiting area while my son was taking a lesson. I am very comfortable here having my son learn how to fly here and I appreciate the way that my son and I have been treated. John is my son's flight instructor and I really like him. He's confident, helpful, knowledgeable.....I highly recommend him. read more

Great place!! Just took another experience off our bucket list. My husband, friend and I took the Aerobatic Plane ride, it was amazing!! Mary McDonald our pilot was fantastic and made the experience terrific!! read more