This is an overdue post but the memories are still fresh. After spending a few days of online research, I found that Rainbow Helicopter doesn't only do aerial tours but also offers a discovery course for those who want to learn how to fly. Purchased this package as a surprise for my husband and it's ranked one of our most memorable experiences. I took the backseat with the doors off, while the very experienced (read: female ) pilot /instructor carefully and patiently taught my husband how to communicate, navigate and fly the helicopter while in the air, up front. This was the perfect package as most helicopter schools only offer instruction for those who are pursuing a flying license, and has minimum required hours of flight instruction time. Look no further than Rainbow Helicopter if you're interested in doing a tour on (above) O'ahu. The views from the air are unbeatable. I recommend this company if you're looking for a doors on or off tour.. and if you're wanting a bit more of an adrenaline rush -- a discovery flight course for an introduction to flying. read more

It was a beautiful Sunday morning on the day of my helicopter tour! Prior to boarding, you watch a short info./safety video, receive a life vest, and a clear phone case on a lanyard to use on the ride. After that, you take a short golf cart ride to the helicopter. Friendly staff directs you where to stand for photos and where to enter the helicopter. Once all passengers had their seatbelts fastened, Pilot Conor started our tour. (*Staff member Malia recommended doors off. ) Conor gave interesting commentary throughout the tour as we experienced the beauty of Oahu. It was breathtaking to have an aerial view of the "nooks and crannies" of the island from the island's coastline to the mountains! Highly recommend Rainbow Helicopters! Staff was professional and friendly from start to finish. This was truly a 5-star experience! read more

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Highlight of our Kona trip The customer service and hospitality of the team was exceptional! We booked a private flight with just the two of us. I was just over the weight limit. Had to reschedule for different day on bigger copter that holds more people and would be with other people. However, on that flight, the other passengers couldn't make it. So we ended up private after all. Wilson was a great host, Michael "Turtle" was a great knowledgeable pilot, I forget everyone else's name. But they were all very hospitable. The flight was amazing. 1.5 hours of coastline and waterfalls, canyons, valleys, and picturesque views of the largest volcano Mauna Kea. Very smooth ride. Even though the pilot said "turbulence" in areas. We barely noticed any. Highly recommend paying extra for the pictures AND video package of your flight. One half of video image screen is inside, bottom half is outside. read more

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What an amazing experience!!! From start to finish this tour was hands down one of the best experiences I have ever had! Malia was so happy, friendly, professional, and she made me feel safe. I went on an hour tour. The tour takes you around the island, south side, east side, and north side. Conor was my pilot. He was great! Loved that he explained everything clearly about what to expect and also fun facts about Oahu. Completely eye opening to see the island by birds eye view. Nothing like it! The water was breathtaking and the land was so green and lush. I highly recommend taking this tour. I also highly recommend touring with the doors open. I could really see everything with no obstruction. I truly felt safe and just enjoyed every moment. This experience will definitely be a memory I will always treasure. read more

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Can I provide more than five stars? This helicopter experience over Oahu was one my family decided. Rainbow helicopters was extremely good and it became my favorite experience of the trip. We took the open door helicopter ride for an hour. We had good safety training. It was a safe experience and we were strapped up, with our phones in cases. Our pilots Julian and Lucien were very knowledgeable and happy to answer any questions. They also made enough turns for both sides to see the main points. And the island views- a beautiful view of lush green mountains, sacred waterfall, sky blue ocean (saw a turtle), reefs, beaches and farm and Pearl Harbor. Thanks so much to Rainbow helicopters for an unforgettable experience for my family! Make sure to take a comb/ brush because your hair will be messed up after! read more

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We have done a few helicopter rides before. A friend recommended the Rainbow Helicopters tour of the island because he said we'd fly over the city, the coast, the mountains, Diamond Head, Pearl Harbor, etc..... it sounded great. Then when we found out about the " doors off" option we were definitely on board with the trip. Rainbow Helicopters is located in a building with some other charter airlines. We arrived an hour early, as directed, and we proceeded back to Rainbow section of the building. A girl met us and told us to wait in the lobby and she would come and get us. We waited, and waited, for over 45 minutes. Other parties were called but not us. (We had never actually been checked in.) We walked back on our own and were told we were really late! She had forgotten about us! After checking in, things went much smoother. We watched a brief safety video and stored our belongings. They also gave us life vests and cases for our phones. Then we were escorted by golf cart out to the tarmac. Our pilot was Emma, and she was fantastic! She pointed out all the areas for us including the Diamond Head crater, the North Shore, Sacred Falls, Pearl Harbor, the Dole Plantation , and much more. We flew almost completely around Oahu and our 45 minute flight was extended to 60 minutes because she was trying to avoid some clouds. Emma flew up close to Sacred Falls and we would have never been able to see this if we weren't in a helicopter. She also gave us so many interesting facts about the island and even pointed out sea turtles and whales when we were over the ocean. After our tour we were taken back by golf cart and we had our belongings returned. We could have purchased a video of our flight if we wanted to. They also had a few items; shirts, hats, stickers, etc. available for purchase. I would definitely recommend using Rainbow Helicopters to tour the island and get a great overview of the area......and if you do it; doors off is the way you go! (Just make sure you have a jacket or hoodie, closed in shoes, and a ponytail holder for long hair. It gets really, really windy!)io read more

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What an amazing plan for a couple hours out of the day. We just planned this on a spontaneous moment with zero research. So glad we did this. For roughly $800 for 2 people for 1 hour to go around the island and be given a lot of great sights and information from our pilot Lucian. Will do this again for sure!!! read more

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A great first helicopter experience! I booked my reservation via Airbnb. Price was soo worth it. It didn't felt rushed and I got ample amount of videos/pictures for the memories! Service was excellent and exceeded my expectation. They thoroughly went over safety videos and were knowledgeable whenever I had any questions. Beautiful views of the whole island!! They ask for your weight so they can safely balance the weight in the helicopter. You had the choice to do doors on or off. I can't believe my first time was with DOORS OFF!! Don't worry you wear a seatbelt! The ride was smooth and the pilot was engaging and informative on the sightsees. I recommend going on a helicopter at least once in your life! Bucket list crossed off my list :) 10/10 would do it again read more

Rainbow Helicopters - Stunning views!! - Aerial Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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Born and raised on Oahu, I've seen so much of Oahu...or so I thought. The helicopter ride opened my eyes and opened up my island like I never expected. Even a beach that I've been to countless times, opened up and showed me unseen things from this unique perspective. We went with the door off option. That really immerses you into the scenery. Like an infinity pool in the sky. We did the 60 minute, Royal Crown of Oahu tour. Our pilot Corey was awesome! He made sure that we didn't miss anything and circled around spots like Sacred Falls. Highly recommended for first time visitors or lifelong residents of Hawaii. read more

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Hands down a must do while in town! The 60 minute tour is perfect to see all the hot spots from the clouds! Tobias, our pilot, couldn't have been better! Very informative young man who told us every detail! Charming tour! Very cool seeing some celebrity homes as well! read more

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Helicopter ride was on my bucket list of to-dos (in life, but even cooler in Hawaii!) and I was so glad I was able to come here! Shout out to Helen for arranging this, and Congrats to Johnny (you're the only reason there was a reason to come here haha)! Parking: extremely spacious. You can try to park in front of the entrance, or there is a huge parking lot to the left of the entrance where you can park too. Check-in: not sure how different it is during regular times, but we came on 2/13/21 for a 6pm flight. I believe you need to arrive at least 15 minutes before your flight time to sign-in, watch the video, and strap on some gear. Service: extremely friendly people! They all have such great humor. Maybe because we were also the last ride of the day so they were excited to get off work? haha Pro tip: recommend wearing a jacket (probably without hood so it doesn't whip you in the face lol) since it does get cold despite the sun being out. Overall, we had an extremely fun time! I would recommend if you have the extra time and means to do so! read more

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Very professional staff who updated us on what to expect on our helicopter tour. We decided to do the doors off which was quite scary but the view was spectacular! The pilot was very knowledgeable and narrated the entire time. We were pretty high up where the view were simply amazing. We flew by the windward side, Pearl Harbor, Kaneohe, Pineapple plantations and pratically everywhere you wanted to see! It was an hour tour and worth every penny! read more

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Took a ride with Turner. My 2nd flight either Rainbow amd my parents first Turner was a great pilot and guide. The island is beautiful of course amd the views from the copter were awesome. If you have a chance to experience this, I highly recommend. Raim ow is a first class operation and you will not be disappointed! read more

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What a unique way to experience O'ahu. A door less helicopter tour of the island has been on our bucket list for ages and we're glad we did it. Our experience started with the check-in. We were advised to arrive 45-60 minutes before our flight. Our check-in process included weighing for load balancing, a brief video presentation on safety, and fitting for life jackets. Once all checks are completed, we were chauffeured directly to our awaiting pilot and helicopter. Our flight had a rather interesting twist. Weather conditions prevented us from visiting the waterfalls, however our amazing pilot, Cat, provided us an alternative flight route. We lifted off from Honolulu Int'l flew past Waikiki and Diamond Head. We even reached Hanauma Bay before back tracking over Honolulu. We spent some time touring Pearl Harbor and completing figure 8 turns by Ford Island. This was all done in a door less helicopter. The views were breathtaking. The tilt and turns of the helicopter was an epic thrill as we stared down into the water and land. No doors holding us and only our secured seatbelts. What a rush! We return to Honolulu earlier than expected due to inclement weather. We still had a lot of fun despite the shortened flight and alternative route. Our pilot, Cat, identified points of interests and made sure we enjoyed every minute of our flight. We will book this helicopter ride again when visiting Honolulu. Staff was amazing and efficient. read more

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I cannot rave enough about what a fantastic experience we had! From start to finish, Rainbow is a well-oiled machine! We arrived, were checked in swiftly, had a safety briefing, got geared up with camera holders, and were put onto a golf cart to take us to our helicopter. The staff took pics for us with our cell phone, got us safely into the helicopter, and we were off earlier than scheduled. There was another couple plus our awesome pilot, Oliver. He was a great guide! Friendly, informative, and did some cool twists and turns to help us see the waterfall, Pearl Harbor, the ranch where Jurassic Park and King Kong were filmed and other exciting things. The ride was the perfect amount of time. We didn't see any sea life but it was really phenomenal. Felt almost private. Doors off is the way to go (although I was in the middle and always had someone in my picture). Tip: Do wear a sweatshirt; it gets chilly! And do take note that they record the whole ride and anything you say during the flight (for sale, course). I have no idea how we'll top this anniversary! read more

Wow! I can not begin to put into words how much I enjoyed this trip. Josh was AMAZING! And ladies easy on the eyes . Josh (the Pilot) explained everything as we went around the island. A hour just was not enough. It is so beautiful and you quickly realize its more than Waikiki. A whole other side that most will never visit. This gave me a appreciation of this Island and I look forward to future trips to the other side. Looking at Pearl Harbor from above was something I can not even explain. If you can do this excursion, TRY! Ask for Josh! He made everyone feel comfortable and willing to answer questions. Thank you! My first time in a Helicopter! The staff were all awesome! We plan on doing this excursion again when the whales come back. (Thank you Josh)! read more

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Greatest highlight on my trip to waikiki beach. The pilot was really friendly and the entire crew was friendly and accommodating as we ran late due to a delay on our end but they were very understanding. Definitely recommend!!! read more

Rainbow Helicopters - Helicopter - Aerial Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We booked this 45 minute Helicopter ride prior to arriving in Oahu. We were scheduled to be picked up at 9:55am. Chad and Doug picked us up at 9:54am. They were very sweet and professional. We had a great conversation during our drive to the airport. We were greeted by Susan and Cheyenne who were welcoming and very professional. They weighed us in and guided us to the next step. We then met Kyle who got us into our emergency air bags and how to use them in case anything happens. We then were driven to the air field by a golf cart. Our pilot was Cat. She was informative and funny. We did have the doors off and it was a slightly bumpy ride as it was windy. We enjoyed the ride and would highly recommend it! read more

Rainbow Helicopters - Aerial Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

We really enjoyed our doors off helicopter tour. They have four different tours. I recommend the 60 minute tour. We got to see all the major landmarks and sights from a birds eye view. Sebastian was our pilot. He did a fantastic job pointing out everything below. It really is a must do when you visit Oahu. Very, very glad we did this tour. It was well worth it. read more

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This was absolutely the best excursion! We had pilot Riley, and he made the ride smooth & very educational. Great photo opportunities! Highly recommend read more

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It was an amazing experience. You get to see how beautiful the island is. It's an experience that you will never forget. The staff were great. read more

Such an amazing experience!!!! Kerry was our pilot and she made us feel safe and secure which was a plus because we were first timers. Kerry was informative and very kind. The tour was beautiful I recommend the experience with rainbow helicopters. read more

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I had an amazing experience with Novictor on Oahu! One of my friends, Andy, is a passenger with them a lot for his work and so our group was Andy, his wife, myself, and our pilot Oskar. We set out around 2pm and had an hour-long flight that focused mostly on the east side of the island, crossing over the main nature preserve in the middle, and ending near Pearl Harbor. Oahu is gorgeous, of course, and I'd visited one of the sights the day before (Kualoa Ranch). Jurassic Valley is completely different from up in the air. I can't even describe it to you. We went doors-off for better photos and while I was a little apprehensive at first, you and everything on you is strapped down so there's no chance of anything (or anyone) falling out. I felt completely comfortable in the front seat next to the pilot and enjoyed my time immensely. A little hint for those of you who might get motion-sick: take a half-pill of Dramamine before you go up. read more

Rainbow Helicopters - One of the photos I took on my helicopter ride with Novictor! This is Mokoli'i, or Chinaman's Hat, in Kane'ohe Bay - Aerial Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

My husband and I were looking for a different kind of tour for our first time in Hawaii and in Oahu. Walking in Waikiki to one of the tour places, everything was pretty much sold out and we were able to pick up a last minute helicopter tour because another couple bailed. Geoff was our pilot and he was very professional. We were able to get in our full hour tour around the island and the view was incredible! We got to go very close to a waterfall and see the sunken ship at Pearl Harbor. I was very scared at first, but my husband was excited to do it with the doors off. I would highly recommend- it was so beautiful! read more

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My first ever helicopter ride and I must say I already want to do it again! the sights here in Hawaii are like no other. On our way there maps guided us the right way but Novictor is inside the white building where it says it is even tho their name isn't anywhere. Just Incase anyone else gets lost. Everyone here was so friendly and accommodating. Had the best time on the 45 minutes Isle unseen Tour I believe was called. We got to see the whole island without doors on the helicopter and it was sooo neat ! Something like I've never experienced and so glad I did. Aric our pilot was a great tour guide! I would recommend them for sure if you're looking to go on a helicopter look no further! read more

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Doors off helicopters are a must on all of the Hawaiian islands. Rainbow was professional, fun, and organized. Will fly with them again. read more

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First time in a helicopter! This company was outstanding! The crew and pilot made our experience wonderful! We will definitely be back again! Thank you for such a wonderful experience! read more

Rainbow Helicopters - Aerial Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

With Ida as our pilot, we enjoyed a beautiful scenic 60-minute tour over the island of O'ahu! Plus, we felt very safe and calm throughout the flight. This is definitely a 5-star company, and we're glad that our concierge at the hotel led us in the right direction! read more

We did a helicopter tour of Hawaii and it was beautiful!!! We enjoyed our selves and the flight instructor was awesome as well. Everyone was so friendly here. This was the best helicopter tour I've ever done. We did the doors off tour and man was it beautiful!!! I don't rmbr the length I think we did the 45 or 1hr tour and it was perfect. It is expensive, but that was expected. I would highly recommend this place!! read more

Rainbow Helicopters - Aerial Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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The best experience ever!!! Highly recommend if you get the chance. A 20 min helicopter tour of Waikiki with the doors off best view you'll ever see! We were greeted by Paul who's as our pilot and 2 other people. Went over safety instructions and took a little a little ride on a golf cart to our helicopter. Amazing views from above and to have the doors off made it even better. I've taken a ride in NY before and this tops it all! Our pilot not only flew us but also gave us all the history background of some famous sites. These pictures says it all. read more

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Our recent trip to Oahu was a first of everything. For starters, I've never gone on a helicopter ride! I was a little apprehensive of the "doors off" option, but you must choose it or else you will regret it! The views are absolutely amazing with the doors off. Trust me. Make sure to allow ample time before your trip to book the tour. They offer a shuttle service to pick you up near your hotel (our driver was very nice and even offered random tips of local areas that we drove by - for example, we drove by the Baskin Robbins where former president Obama used to work during high school). When you arrive at the location, you'll listen and watch a safety video and you can borrow their necklace phone pouches to carry your cell phones. The ride itself was awesome - though if you are sensitive to motion sickness, I recommend taking a dramamine before (usually I get motion sickness but I was totally fine without it). Though there were some winds, we were luckily blessed with good weather for a ride. We were able to circle around popular spots such as Diamond Head Crater, the wide view of Kualoa Ranch, Chinaman's Hat, Dole Plantation Ranch, Pearl Harbor, and definitely a lot of beautiful greenery! It's pretty well worth the price! I highly recommend it! read more

We signed up for door off tour and it's the best we've ever tried in our whole life and we definitely recommend everyone to try it read more

Rainbow Helicopters - Door off - Aerial Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Did the 1 Hr flight, doors off with Jojo flying us around and it was such an awesome experience. A must do if you come to Oahu. You see the island in a whole new way with great views of everything. read more

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Great experience. Thank you Rainbow Helicopter Tours for an amazing and memorable experience. Kieran was a great tour guide and pilot. read more

Fantastic!! Exceptional tour around the island with a very knowledgeable young pilot called Hayden. Price is very reasonable given that flying time was an hour. read more

Rainbow Helicopters - Aerial Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Bastion was our pilot and he was very informative about the areas we flew over. We did the one hour tour about 11am flight with doors on. Went sleeveless and no jacket needed with doors on. Saw basically whole island almost and Bastion would change directions so both side of helicopter could take photos of certain key points of the flight. The only downside was that we had another person we didn't know on our flight so someone from our party couldn't sit upfront. Also masks were required to be worn for whole flight. This was my first helicopter flight. Would recommend overall. Don't bring anything with you except maybe your phone or a small camera - they won't let you take it with you. read more

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I can't give this yelp* review 100 stars so 5 will suffice. I've been up in a helo three times around the world (Thailand, NYC, Hollywood sign), none were as badass as this tour around O'ahu. It was a last-minute decision and I'm glad I went. The initial team at the check-in desk were super fun, professional, young but they went through all the pre-flight deets with a super simple infographic presentation on the TV where we left our stuff and picked up our flotation device (per FAA). They were pretty busy with several helos taking off and coming back but our wait was insignificant. They seem to be pretty efficient. Once in the air after a pretty simple "Here's how you talk, here's how you hear" instructions for the headset, we were off. Our pilot Oskar was full-on badass and gave us a great, highly-informed details on where were going and what we were seeing. He pointed out all the surf breaks I surf, gave us some super cool island history as we floated past Waikiki, around DH and off towards Kahala. I won't go into detail of the island deets Pilot Oskar gave us but he knows his stuff. We circled a few spots, went through Kualoa's valley, saw a few waterfalls despite the rain. We flew through some drizzle deep in the valleys and man, that was pretty surreal. North Shore was fun because it's summer and it wasn't winter swell time so seeing a passive Waimea was kinda nifty from the air. Going past the Dole plantation was cool. Oskar told us a lot of history about the whole island and that was just as intriguing as seeing the island from the sky. If you're considering a helo ride, I'd strongly urge you to book with Novictor. They're professional, fun, and well-informed about all the fun spots all around the island. read more

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Got this for my husband as a gift and I am so glad I did. He absolutely raved about it and really enjoyed his experience. Worth the price ! Such beautiful memories to capture. Love this new view of the island read more

Amazing experience! Our pilot, Tony, was an excellent flyer, very nice and very knowledgeable about the island. We flew around the island, with the doors off (100% recommend), it lasted about an hour and provided a completely different prospective. Will definitely come back to Rainbow Oahu in the future! Mahalo read more

Rainbow Helicopters - Aerial Tours Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

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I'm so glad I picked this place for my first helicopter ride! We did a private tour for an hour and every minute of it was spectacular. Our pilot was Cat, she was very informative and a pleasure to talk too. She explains and share information pretty much on everything we saw! Staff was really good too, from the front desk to the boys who helped throughout until it's time for our flight. Overall, this place is amazing! read more

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