Our lady pilot explained everything very well and made sure everyone had a chance to see the lava flow and waterfalls from both sides of the helicopter. She even went by the cruise ship so that we could get some aerial shots of it.
A great experience!
This was fantastic! we saw flowing lava and I have some great pics!! Well worth the money if you love volcanos.... and who doesn't
Realizing the check-in person at the counter, the pilot, and the ground crew people serve many passengers a day, day after day, the overall experience felt like just another ho hum day on the job for the Paradise personnel. But for us, the anticipation was for a very special, once-in-a-lifetime, bucket list type of adventure. The trip itself was safe and wonderful. The volcanoes, the falls, albeit from a rather high elevation, were amazing to see. However, the elderly couple seated up front with the pilot were quite disturbed that the passenger door had been removed and were unable to take photos for fear of falling out. Of course they were securely strapped in, but uncomfortable throughout the flight. So . . . on a return to Hilo, we would probably explore one of the other helicopter companies for a repeat sightseeing experience.