A helicopter tour of Kauai is a must, particularly for first time visitors, and the doors off Hughes 500 allows you to see the island’s beauty without, for the most part, having to look through windows. If you like to take pictures, this most definitely is the way to go. The staff make sure that all travelers are properly buckled in and that all understand safety precautions, so no worries there; and the pilots have years of flying experience (ours had at least 10). My wife was apprehensive about flying doors off but her apprehension disappeared as soon as she was buckled in and we took off. We highly recommend the Hughes 500 Helicopter Adventure offered by Airborne Aviation.