Why should you consider a ‘Doors Off’ helicopter flight?

Nov 8, 2020 | General Information

Each of the Hawaiian Islands of Maui, Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island, will generally have a couple of companies that will offer a ‘doors off’ flight. The vast majority of flights will be ‘doors on’ flights. But why might you consider sitting inches away from ‘nothing’ when you could be sitting next to a perfectly good door, which is closed?
Before we answer this question, realize that the reasons we give are simply not going to sway the majority of people to try to experience this. Our reasons, as you will see, will be based upon such things as utility and logistics but please understand that a more important factor for most people has to do with the emotions surrounding a sense of comfortableness and of course, fear. We know that after years and years of selling helicopter flights to tens of thousands of clients, that the vast, vast majority of them would not even contemplate the notion of going up in helicopter without doors. No way. There is simply not even a modicum of thought involved in this decision, in fact it is not even a decision, it’s a forgone conclusion. The brain says ‘no’ without thought and that’s it. And that’s just fine. That’s how grandfathers live to be grandfathers, they choose the prudent path.
But for others, there is another path, one based upon excitement and adrenaline. For these people, there is something really fulfilling to the soul to stretch the normal boundaries of what their inner primal core might be suggesting against. But in all reality, what this comes down to, is allowing the soul to soar but with a knowledge that you have considered all aspects of the situation. They have decided that it is worth pushing the envelope because they are choosing what they might consider the best logical reasoning to subdue the primal warnings of what Freud might have called the ‘Id’. They’re going to go for it because for them, it makes sense.
And so, here are the reasons it makes sense:
Your photographs will be a 100% better. No glare from the window, no shadows, no streaks.
Your visibility will be better. When you are sitting next to an open door you have a much wider range of vision in which to point your camera. Your angle to the horizon and to the areas in front and behind provides a much, much larger scope of visability.
Where ever you are up there, you’re experiencing it like it is. ‘This is what it feels like being in the open air 3000′ above the ground’. You’re somehow more connected to the experience. It’s more palpable.
Just be aware that:
Anything that is not tied down is going out the open door. It’s not unheard of for people to lose their smart phone in one split second as they are setting up the shot and get it too close to the swift air speeding by the cabin.
Which leads too: it will be gusty. If your hair is not tied down it ‘will’ be in knots upon your return.
It will, or at least might, be cold. Most helicopter companies will provide you with a suit to wear to keep you warm but if not, you should take care of that yourself.
So there you have it. It its right for you, you should do it. Take the ‘doors off’ flight’. You will come back to earth with a memory ever so enhanced by the involvement of all your senses.