At the end of a long week, month or year, it’s only fair to take some time off, forget every responsibility behind and treat yourself to some long pampering holiday. However, deciding what to do with your holiday or just finding the best destination spot can be a challenge for vacationers and travelers alike.
Hawaii, however, is a dream holiday destination for many people and has continued to attract millions of visitors each year. This place offers breathtaking scenery of spectacular white sand beaches, lush valleys and exotic forests hosting a wide variety of bird species.
This place is also a haven for surfers and watersport lovers with dramatic swelling waves ideal for wakeboarding, kneeboarding or skiing.
Ohau is the third-largest island in Hawaii and a great vacation spot you should plan to visit over the holidays. Covering 597 square miles and has 112 miles of coastline, Ohau has the best of both worlds — scenic attraction sites and a host of watering joints where you get to experience the city’s buzzing nightlife.
One of the amazing activities that you must try when visiting this place, is a helicopter tour. Oahu helicopter tours offer a perfect sightseeing adventure for nature lovers and allow a unique view of the island. If you’re looking to try out helicopter Hawaii Oahu, you should consider these three elements to find the right service.
1. Safety is Key in Helicopter Tours
Choosing a helicopter tour involves some critical decisions and one of them is the safety of the helicopter. Safety here involves all aspects of caution from licensing, regulation and flight certification by the Federal Aviation Administration.
All certified tour helicopters must be accredited with an FAA Part 135 Air Carrier. Pilots with this certification are subjected to a high level of training and long hours of flight than regular aviation operators.
In addition to certification, you should also look at the crash and accident records to ensure the proposed helicopter is in good condition. This information can be accessed from the National Transportation Safety Board, which has an exhaustive database of flight crashes.
2. Tour Helicopter Seating Arrangement
Knowing the seating capacity and arrangement of a tour helicopter will help you determine how many people you can have on-board. While most passenger helicopters can comfortably carry 6 people, two at the front and four at the rear, there are other helicopter Hawaii Oahu tours with a seating configuration of up to 12 passengers.
If you want the best view while on a helicopter tour, try the window seats and avoid the seats in the middle which offer limited spectacular views of Oahu.
The two main types of tour helicopters are Eco-star and A-Star. Built with a single-engine, these aircraft are specially designed for air tours with their awesome speeds and fuel-efficient. Between the two, Eco-Star has ample cabin space and large windows for maximum visibility. It features a silent rotor system that minimizes noise inside for a quiet and mind-relaxing tour.
3. Early Booking to Enjoy Discounts and Find the Best Helicopter Tour
For helicopter Hawaii Oahu tours, consider booking early in advance to enjoy discounts and better rates. Book online if you can but you’ll need to be always on the lookout because such deals run out pretty much fast.
The above-mentioned factors will help you make an informed decision when choosing a helicopter Hawaii Oahu. However, in addition to seat configuration, helicopter safety and booking online, there are some things you also need to keep in mind. Such as:
- Air sick! Take medications
- Avoid wearing loose clothing, jewelry and sandals.
- Follow guidelines and instructions given by the pilot
- Avoid eating heavy meals before an hour to the tour
- For better views, avoid dark clothing to reduce window glares