We booked a complete island tour with Maui Air after looking at all the reviews of similar operators. In our opinion Maui Air exhibited the best all round balance of reviews. On arriving at the heliport we encountered problems with the parking ticket machine, my advice is to pay the $5 cash, I could not work out how to use the credit card facility.
The check-in staff were very friendly and helpful which made us feel comfortable as this was the first time we had been in a helicopter. The safety briefing was professionally performed as was the photo opp. and boarding process. Better safe than sorry.
The excitement really builds as you leave the heliport (for the guys, the lift off feels like you are in an action movie as your fly fast and low across the airfield to the song “Running down a dream”). After clearing the field we climbed to 10,000ft and flew over the Haleakala crater. From then it’s an amazing experience as your fly round cinder stack, through valleys, across plains, and deep into ravines and gauges with stunning views of waterfalls (some dropping 2000ft). These views are unique, unreachable by land. Background music changes to suit the scenery.
Our pilot, Dylan Dacus was very entertaining, making sure that everyone was able to see the sights. He also provided commentary on geology, natural history and Hawaiian myths during the flight. Having heard much of this before on other land tours we specially appreciated some of his, more original, takes on evens. Dylan’s enthusiasm is genuine as he said he really appreciates the opportunity to fly helicopters.
We paid a premium to sit next to the pilot, in my opinion it was worth it for a full panoramic view. At the end of the tour we bought the photo and video. Having seen it recently I recommend you buy it, the quality is very good and it help remembering what a great time we had.
Odpowiedź od gospodarza
Jun 2018
Thank you so much for doing your research and choosing to fly with us. You are absolutely correct about your pilot Dylan. He has a very calm confidence about him and his tour is very real and not super scripted sounding while he flies which makes him an incredible pilot that we are so lucky to have. Thank you also for taking the time to post a review and feedback about your entire experience with us. Enjoy the video and we will hope to see you again. Aloha!