Tom’s Tips – Big Island Air Tours

This is still an issue the people seem to grapple with. We have air tours of the Big Island, and they are amazing. Volcanic activity will start and stop as is the way of the mountain. When it is fountaining it is amazing to see, when it is not fountaining, it is amazing to see. It is one of the natural wonders of the world and the complete and utter devestation of the area speaks to the sheer power of mother nature.

You can see this area by helicopter or you can see this area by fixed wing aircraft. You will see the same areas either way. The rift zone area is wide and lays before you like a patient on a table, hundreds of feet below. Because the terrain is basically flat as viewed from that height there is no amount of hovering by a helicopter that is going to give you a better view. In tight areas like canyons the hovering aspect is by far a superior capability but not so in this volcanic terrain. The pilots of these small airplanes will criss-cross the rift zone a number of times so that a good view will be had by all. So ultimately, as far as the volcanic area on the Big Island is concerned , you will essentially see it just as well on either the helicopter or the fixed-wing airplane. The big difference you will discover is that it will cost you less on the airplane. In fact if you were to compare a full island flight of the Big Island on both vehicles you would see, after all costs are charged, that you would be saving about $200 per person by taking the airplane. Granted, other areas of the topography might do much better with the hovering capabilities of the amazing helicopters but as far as seeing the volcanic areas that you have seen in the last couple of years on CNN, you will enjoy either.