Genesis Helicopters

Wow, I just can’t say enough about this Genesis Helicopters. What an experience, I’m so glad we took the 65 minute, doors off tour. It was amazing!!! Definately the highlight of our trip to Oahu. If you only can do one excursion, do this! The views were breathtaking, I’ve been to Oahu eight times and never did I see some of the places Jeff showed us. Incredible.

Great customer service! Very friendly and helpful. I purchased a groupon and the customer service walked me through on how to use it. 1 day before our reservation, my wife became sick and I called Genesis. They rescheduled us with no problem :) Unfortunately, a few days before our reservation, I received an email that the helicopter was to be grounded due to mechanical issues :(My wife and I are local so hopefully when the helicopter is up and running again we can take that helicopter tour.

I bought a groupon for this and called to schedule a trip a couple of days before the departure to Oahu where we were staying for 10 full days. I was told that they are fully booked for the next 2 weeks! Good thing that I called within 72 hours (Groupon refund window) and did not click to view the voucher. Otherwise I would loose hundreds of dollars! In the end I am glad we did not go as I just learned a sad news that their helicopter crashed in the water.

Best experience ever! When looking for something unique and memorable to do for me and my wife on our 20^th anniversary, I came across Genesis and knew it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, especially since neither my wife or I had ever flown in a helicopter. We had an amazing time. The staff was engaging and courteous. The pilot was knowledgeable and accommodating. We live on Oahu and do alot of cruising around; seeing our island from the air offered a whole different perspective on the beauty that we exist in. From being able to see the reef beneath the waters of Waikiki Beach, to getting up close to the top of the Ko’olaus, to cruising over the rainforests of the uninhabited back valleys, to a wide angle view of all the surf spots along the North Shore, to the grand finale of the USS Missouri and USS Arizona memorial, we enjoyed every second and are looking to our next opportunity to be able to take this flight. And next time we’re bringing our kids!

Have been on several helicopter tour rides before and this has been the best due to the skill of the pilot/​owner, Jeff. He flys with such smooth precision that you can eat some soup onboard. Unbelievable.

What a fantastic experience. Jeff the pilot and Jonita were amazing and such a pleasure to do deal with. They accommodated my wife with her health issues and made her first flight an experience to remember. Thanks Genesis!!!

RECOMMEND TO ALL!!! very nice staff and pilot, wonderful experience, definitely worth it!!! Next time, I will try the 65mins tour!

4 of us took the 65 minute tour and it was AWESOME!!! Our pilot was the owner, Jeff. He was skilled, personable and sets you at ease if you’re afraid of height. The weather wasn’t too good plus it was windy but because of the awesome views it still turned out to be a GREAT tour! I am 60 years old, born and raised here. All you see is traffic everyday. I didn’t know how beautiful this island was after taking the helicopter ride. Thank you Jeff for an awesome ride and also to Jonita who took our reservation and had us watch the video to prep us for the ride. Aloha and mahalo!

This was hands down the best part of our trip! The whole Genesis team was wonderful to work with and our tour was amazing! It was a great way to see the whole island and we saw the most amazing rainbows on each side of the island. We will do a helicopter tour with Genesis every time we are in hawaii!

I cannot say enough good things about this company. From the moment we were picked up at the hotel we were treated well. Jeff is AMAZING and showed us some INCREDIBLE views. He even requested clearance to fly over the hospital where I was born. Super awesome guy! The doors off experience in my opinion is the only was to go. All you need is your camera and a light sweater. You’ll be glad that you had both. Today (thanks to Genesis Helicopters) was just Perfect perfect perfect!

The shuttle ride to the airport was clean and comfortable. The shuttle driver kept everyone talking and made the ride entertaining.
The woman at the desk was extremely friendly and very nice.
Our flight had to be delayed 30 – 45 minutes because of weather, but the woman at the front desk and the pilot kept us informed, showing us the weather radar on the lobby TV, and giving us updates every 10 – 15 minutes.
The flight itself was an amazing experience! Our pilot did an amazing job. He is very knowledgable, funny, a very skilled pilot, and let everyone know exactly what his next move was so that everyone felt comfortable.
The flight was absolutely awesome! It is definitely the best way to see all of Oahu! It is a must-​do for everyone! I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again!
Heads-​up to everyone: The air is colder up in the air, though we came prepared. The middle seat of the helicopter is not the best, but you don’t get much input into which of the four seats you get to sit in since it is based on balancing weight. The staff will also help tie your phone or camera to your body (wrist) so that you can use it on your flight, if it doesn’t already have a lanyard.

This is our first trip to Hawaii to celebrate our 1 yr anniversary and we thought lets do something fun! This doors off helicopter tour of Oahu was the best part of our trip so far! Jeff the pilot is phenomenal and so excited to do his job and show us the island! I would do this again and again! It’s really safe too! Life jackets and tons of seat belts! Please do this on your trip! So worth it!

An amazing experience! The shuttle to pick us up at the hotel was on time. Love the shuttle… comfortable, clean. Driver was great. At front desk, everyone was super nice.
The helicopter experience was awesome. Jim was our pilot. Funny, knowledgeable. Made us feel comfortable, specifically my 10 yr old daughter who sat in the front middle.
Definitely recommend!
Thank you so much! From Teague Family.

Evan was our pilot today and he did a great job! We had the best experience. I couldn’t recommend this more. As soon as we were done I wanted to go again. I hope to do a doors off helicopter tour in as many places as I can. This business was professional, on time, thorough, safe and friendly. Tip, try to sit up front or on the left side in the back. The right back is windier. The middle wasn’t bad if you’re small and with someone you’re close to so you can lean over a lot. The 45 minute tour was plenty.

Amazing!
The only helicopter company that flies with u doors off
Jeff (the pilot) is super nice.
He flew choppers for more than 25 years and 11 000 hours.
You can chat with him while flying, he explains a lot, he is an amazing pilot, very skilled.
The heavy maintenance is done every 100 hours, and once a year.
The Bell chopper is a very safe one (same model from the Santini Air in Airwolf for people who knows the tv show)
The go pro on his head will also record the ATC (air traffic control) and the in flight discussion.
If you want to get the video from his go pro faster, bring a large USB key (minimum 32 gigs as it’s 4K resolution) the 40 $ for the video worth it!
I recommend this company and not the others, at least with this one you get treated with respect and they really take care of you.
Genesis brings you a lot of sensation, it’s cheaper, safe and you get to fly doors off!

A must do on your trip to Oahu. My husband and I live here and learned so much about our beautiful island. We are both semi afraid of heights but decided that we def wanted to go doors off — and we are SO HAPPY we did! What an amazing experience. Like all reviewers, I whole-​heartedly agree with everything positive said about Jim. What an amazing guy and pilot. He is a wealth of knowledge, so fun and funny and makes the trip all the more enjoyable. We plan on doing this trip again when our parent are in town!

I did alot of research on which doors off tour ride to take. After searching many review sites, local Information, and blogs, this place won hands down. We got there and the watched the tutorial. The girl at the desk was
Sweet but she had to answer the phone twice during our tutorial and the second phone call she was on the phone for 10 minutes. I understand that their policy must be to answer live and no call backs but it cut into our flight time a little. Jim, the pilot, is amazing. What people write about him is true. He loves his job and I am sure he has to explain the same sites 10 times a day but you can’t tell. When he talks to you he has so much enthusiasm that you would think its his first tour. He is wonderful. Now 75% of the seats are good. The middle one in the back (if you are the smallest) is not good. That’s where I sat. I was sooo crammed (my shoulders) that I was starting to hurt. After about 15 mins I realized I could put my arms behind the backs of the two people sitting next to me and I was comfortable (and luckily those two guys were my husband and a cool Australian). The Australian said that he did not notice my arm back there so I suggest you do that if you get cramped. You also can’t see as much because you have people to the side of each of you. I think the middle seat should cost less than the other seats. But you still get a nice ride and some cool views. My husband had the side and he really loved it. My tips are: if you are female. Do clip any side bangs off of your face! You will not be able to see with your hair going everywhere. Tip 2: it does get cold up there. They provide sweaters but I think they wash them once a day so if you are germ phobic than bring your own. Tip 3: buy the DVD of your trip. What a special memory you will have for the rest of your life.

Here is what you need to know BEFORE you take this helicopter tour. First, it’s freezing. Wear long pants, layer up and wear the heaviest coat you brought. They offer sweatshirts for you to wear, but by the end of the day they were pretty smelly after customers had worn them all day. Second, take into consideration the time of day of your tour — too early or too late and the light is poor.
Third — and this is the entire reason for this review — YOU NEED TO KNOW it’s a great tour for every person in the helicopter — EXCEPT ONE. Here’s how it works: The helicopter holds FIVE people: 4 customers and the pilot. If you are lucky enough to be the «co-​pilot»… congratulations. You have the best seat in the house: up front, next to the pilot, with a beautiful 360 degree unobstructed view of everything. Behind the pilot and co-​pilot are THREE seats. This means two people get to sit next to the open doors with a great view, and ONE VERY UNLUCKY INDIVIDUAL is stuck in the middle hump seat — nowhere near the doors-​off experience and completely unable to see the ground or much of anything at all. That unlucky person was me.
This hump seat is also directly behind a huge post which holds the rotor and greatly obstructs your view out the front of the helicopter. The only time I saw anything clearly was the few times when the helicopter banked to one side. I spent the entire flight trying to peer around one side of the rotor pole and hanging over my husband’s lap in a desperate attempt to catch a glimpse of the ground. My photos mostly feature my husband’s arm and/​or the helicopter frame. Pictures out the front of the helicopter were impossible.
There is no way to request seating because it is all based on weight. They weigh you at the airport before you get on the helicopter and then it’s just a roll of the dice as to where they sit you. There is NO WAY that poor person crammed in the hump seat should pay the same amount of money as 1) the copilot who clearly has the best seat; or 2) the other two passengers both sitting next to the open «doors». In my opinion, this middle seat should not even be sold but I understand why they do it: to get in a party of 4 in the helicopter.
I don’t know how the other helicopter tours are configured but definitely ask before you sign up. The disappointment over this ride pretty much ruined my vacation. (The Genesis folks said I should have been informed of the seating by my hotel, who booked the ride, but who knows?)
TO THEIR CREDIT — they did offer to refund my ride, which was very nice of them and the owner was extremely kind in making this offer. I felt too guilty to take them up on the refund because technically they DID take me up in a helicopter with the doors off so I didn’t feel right about riding for free, and again, I thought it was very nice and generous of them to offer the refund and it was the most they could do.
The folks at Genesis were all very nice. My disappointment was not with them at all. I am writing this so that you will know BEFORE YOU BOOK that you have a 1 in 4 chance of sitting in the hump seat, crammed between two people staring at and straddling a rotor pole the entire time, and not experiencing the Magnum PI thrilling, doors-​off helicopter ride you booked. Unfortunately, I am still looking for that ride.
UODATE: Feb 2016. This company just crashed a helicopter into the ocean in Pearl Harbor, leaving a 15-​year-​old boy in critical condition. My ride was uncomfortable, but at least I got away with my life.

We had a great flight with Jim earlier this week. It was truly an awesome experience throughout; from our first call to reserve our seats, getting picked up by Jason, going over the safety stuff with Jim’s funny daughter and of course the flight itself. I felt like safety and customer satisfaction was their number 1 priority. Flying without doors is truly an amazing experience. I had no expectations and after landing I was pumped to go up again! Even my 65 year old mother felt at ease with Jim behind the «wheels». The view was amazing!
I def recommend the longer 1h flight were you get to fly over the mountain range and a beautiful waterfall. Yes, it’s a bit more expensive but it was so worth it! Would fly again with these guys in a heartbeat!
Thanks to Jim and his great crew!

Really loved this tour. Jim was our pilot and he was funny and knowledgeable, but above all talented at flying!
The doors off really makes it worth it, the other ones feel kinda neutered.