Aerial - Road To Iao Valley

So here is my Aloha Friday question to you – have you been on a helicopter?  Here’s a more specific question for those of you who live on Maui or has visited Maui – have you seen Maui by air?  OK, I haven’t and haven’t  been.  However, looking at the photos here on this post, I am definitely saving some money to ride one!

My friend Kris (a.k.a. @webnelly and @mauibyphoto) has been on a helicopter to enjoy the Maui view.  He highly recommends it. He is from Chicago but this guy has a heart for Maui and has been here many times.  I would definitely listen to his recommendation.  He says do it – see Maui by Air.  Here’s why:  “Maui By Air” at Flckr are absolutely spectacular!

aireal

Now,  as I have told you, I have not been on a helicopter ride but I am hoping to get in one soon.  One helicopter tour operator that came highly recommended is Air Maui. Another friend, Chris, knows it well, and I asked him to write more about it so I can post it here, Here is what he says:

The obvious question is why and how is Air Maui a different Maui helicopter tour? They have more than a decade of a perfect safety record and their pilots are experienced and friendly. While other companies might boast the same thing, Air Maui’s story is truly unique. Young warrant officer Steve Egger returned from Vietnam where he had flown Huey helicopters in combat. He was planning on working his way up from civilian to helicopter pilot working for Air Kauai. But then came September 11, 1992, a significant date for the Hawaiian islands, the day Hurricane Iniki caused devastation and ruin to the island of Kauai. It took time for Kauai’s tourism to recover so Steve’s adaptability and resolve led him to form his own company on a different island, Air Maui.

aerial - valley waterfalls

Whether you live in Maui or you’re a visitor, they have tours on which you’ll see Maui and Molokai through a perspective unlike the one you know or which you have read about in guidebooks. It’s mystical from this perspective— verdant valleys dripping with waterfalls, jagged coastlines and the myriad of ocean blues and greens. You’ll take these visual postcards with you well beyond the time you’re in the air. They’re the only carrier offering a 45-minute experience of West Maui/Molokai, giving you a glimpse of the inaccessible. They share with you the Valley Isle, proud of the 500 inches of rain that give the greenery life.

Ok, so Chris has a lot to say about Air Maui, but I think you get what we mean. And just for added reference, even Oprah flew with it – and we know that Oprah chooses the best.

Maybe on my next post about Maui by Air, I’d be blogging my own experience.  Aloha!

Speaking of Aloha, this is my Aloha Friday post, and many of you knows what that means.  Please do not forget to leave a comment on this post and then visit other participants whose links are found at An Island Life.

* Thanks @webnelly of Kaanapali Dreamin and Maui By Photo for letting me use your photos 🙂