How long does a typical scenic helicopter tour last?
The video does not specify the exact duration of the tour, but it shows a continuous flight covering significant distance along Oahu's coastline, valleys, and offshore features. Tour lengths typically range from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the operator, so confirm the duration when booking with your provider.
At a glance
Length
13 min
Channel
Learn and Explore
Video from
Aug 2023
Rating
⭐⭐ Great video · 2/2
Best for
Families with young children, prospective aerial tour travelers, and helicopter enthusiasts
What this video answers
How long does a typical scenic helicopter tour last?
What makes helicopters different from airplanes for touring?
Will I be able to take photos from the helicopter?
How safe are scenic helicopter tours?
What time of day is best for a helicopter tour in Hawaii?
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What to Expect from This Hawaii Helicopter Tour Experience
This video follows Blippi as he explores an actual helicopter tour over Oahu, Hawaii. Before taking flight, Blippi meets Doug, the chief pilot of Magnum Helicopters with over 5,000 flying hours, who walks him through the MD 500 helicopter's components—from the main rotor that creates lift to the tail rotor that controls direction. The educational segment covers why helicopters have landing skids instead of wheels, how the cyclic and collective controls work, and the different types of helicopters used for rescue, firefighting, and air tours.
The video is designed for families with young children curious about how machines work and what Hawaii looks like from above. If you're considering booking a scenic air tour in Hawaii or want to understand helicopter basics before your own flight, this gives you a realistic preview of what the experience involves, the aircraft you'll fly in, and the stunning island views you'll encounter. The combination of hands-on learning and actual flight footage makes it practical viewing for anyone planning this type of adventure.
Key Moments
Highlights from the Oahu Helicopter Route
Close-up inspection of the MD 500 helicopter, including the engine, rotor systems, landing skids, and cockpit controls with all gauges and instruments
Takeoff and climb into the sky with views of green mountains and valleys directly below
A dramatic waterfall cascading down a steep mountainside, visible from the air
Coastal scenery showing beaches, small towns, the ocean, and a sand bar just beneath the water's surface
Coral formations visible in shallow reef areas near the shore
The University of Hawaii's research island studied for marine life and plants
Essential Details Before Booking Your Hawaiian Helicopter Tour
Tour capacity: The pilot can accommodate up to four passengers in addition to themselves in the MD 500 model shown
Aircraft type: The tour operator uses an MD 500 helicopter, a small touring aircraft with open-door options for photography
No doors: This particular helicopter has no doors, providing unobstructed 360-degree views and photos during the flight
Safety equipment: Headsets are provided so passengers and pilot can communicate during the flight; seat belts are required like in a car
Pilot experience: Magnum Helicopters operates with experienced pilots; the pilot featured has over 5,000 flying hours and 20 years of experience
Best viewing: The video shows clear daytime conditions with excellent visibility of waterfalls, coral, and mountain terrain
Frequently Asked Questions About Hawaii Helicopter Tours
How long does a typical scenic helicopter tour last?
The video does not specify the exact duration of the tour, but it shows a continuous flight covering significant distance along Oahu's coastline, valleys, and offshore features. Tour lengths typically range from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the operator, so confirm the duration when booking with your provider.
What makes helicopters different from airplanes for touring?
As the pilot explains in the video, helicopters can hover in place, land and take off vertically without needing a runway, and slow down before descending. This allows them to reach remote areas like waterfalls and fly much closer to terrain, giving you perspectives that fixed-wing aircraft cannot provide.
Will I be able to take photos from the helicopter?
Yes—the video demonstrates that the MD 500 model has no doors, which gives passengers completely unobstructed access for photography and video. This is a major advantage for capturing aerial images of waterfalls, coral reefs, and coastline without reflections or window glare.
How safe are scenic helicopter tours?
The video emphasizes safety through the pilot's extensive experience (5,000+ flying hours), proper seating and belt procedures, and use of flight instruments to monitor altitude, speed, and engine status. Reputable operators like Magnum Helicopters maintain strict safety protocols, and pilots undergo rigorous training and certification.
What time of day is best for a helicopter tour in Hawaii?
The video shows clear, sunny daytime conditions with good visibility of distant mountains, waterfalls, and ocean detail. Early morning or late morning flights typically offer the clearest visibility and best lighting for photos before afternoon clouds build up, so book earlier in the day when possible.
This video is genuinely helpful because it removes the mystery from what a helicopter tour actually involves. Too many people book these experiences blind, worried about safety or unsure what they'll see; this gives you the real thing—a pilot explaining the aircraft, a candid flight, and specific landmarks you'll recognize if you book the same tour operator.
What stood out most was how clearly the pilot walked through the helicopter's systems and why they work the way they do, and how the footage of Oahu from the air shows you exactly the kind of views you'll get. If you're on the fence about whether a helicopter tour is worth the cost, this is the perfect preview to help you decide. I'd recommend it without hesitation to anyone considering this experience.
Years on the front lines of helicopter tour coordination — not as a travel blogger, but as the person responsible for making every guest experience go right. Managed 2,000+ cruise guests weekly as Shore Excursions staff aboard the Pride of America in Hawaii
Personally coordinated with helicopter tour operators to confirm age, weight, and safety requirements.
Blippi explores the parts of a helicopter, briefly talks about the history and uses of helicopters, and learns all about how they work. He then points out sights like waterfalls, Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach as he takes a scenic helicopter tour.
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Video transcript for “Hawaii Helicopters - Full Episode Blippi Educational Videos | Kids TV Shows Full Episodes” Accessibility
A full written transcript of this video, provided for accessibility. Select any timestamp to jump the video to that moment.
so much to learn about it'll make you wanna shout blippi so much [Music] oh Aloha it's me blippi and look at where I'm at today I'm on Oahu which is an island of Hawaii wow isn't it beautiful here yeah the trees are so green there's so much
Green Grass and the shrubs and trees look so happy oh hey wouldn't it be really cool to see what this beautiful place looks like really high in the sky yeah why don't today we ride a helicopter and see what it looks like and actually Magnum helicopters here on Oahu is coming here to give me a ride
yeah I'm so excited do you hear it oh there it is right there whoa It's So High whoa hey up there oh wow I am so excited I bet everything is gonna look really small from up there oh
hahaha it's Landing oh all right whoa I'm so excited all right now that the rotors are stopped why don't we go say hi oh that was really cool hey who are you hi my name is Doug I'm the chief pilot of Magnum helicopters oh nice to meet you I'm blippi wow this is a very cool
helicopter whoa how long have you been flying helicopters for I've been flying for 20 years wow 20 years that's a very long time do you know how many hours you have flying helicopters I have over 5 000 hours whoa now that is a lot of hours whoa do you mind if I take a closer look at your
helicopter not at all oh come on whoa what a colorful helicopter it's a color orange oh and yellow oh and brown whoa hey Doug what's this thing for that's just a step so the passengers can climb up into the helicopter oh cool oh yeah and it looks like there's some seats back here oh and some seats up here whoa
how many people can fly in this helicopter oh the pilot can bring four people with him if he wants wow cool and what kind of helicopter is this this is an MD 500 wow MD 500 whoa and up there I know what those are those are the rotors right that's right wow and what does this rotor do so the rotor it spins
around like a big fan and it blows the air down creates lift and lifts the helicopter up off the ground oh cool so this Main motor creates lifts so then the helicopter Can Fly And there's another rotor back here that I know can we check it out yes sir wow yeah this rotor is called the tail rotor whoa
and what does this do Doug this could spin the helicopter left and right so it can face any direction that we want it to all right the main rotor creates the lift and then this rotor yeah makes the helicopter turn really cool oh and I know what that is that's the boom right wow and is this the number and letters
of this exact helicopter yes sir they call it the tail number tail number and I have a fun thing for us to do do you mind saying this with me at the same time all right all right let's do it and three five seven m h wow awesome whoa what's this Doug oh this is the engine back here you want to see it yeah I'd
love to all right this is gonna be so cool it's in the engine of a helicopter whoa come check it out whoa I'm gonna be very careful because it might still be hot oh it looks very complicated whoa and back here look how dirty it looks this must be the exhaust whoa thank you so much for letting us check
out the engine of that helicopter whoa can we check out the front yes sir all right come on this way wait a second I know what these are these are landing skids right wow why are they so unique looking compared to an airplane they have wheels and tires right right an airplane has wheels because it has to
land moving forward on a Runway and that's to slow down but a helicopter can slow down before it lands on the ground and actually go straight down wow cool so helicopters can go many many places because they can land and take off completely vertical like that oh cool whoa and this is where you sit yes it is
on this side that's the pilot seat right there oh cool oh and What's this called This is called the collective oh Collective I remember that that's what controls the vertical lift right right makes the helicopter go up and down oh cool and this is the cyclic yes and what do you use that for that can steer the
helicopter oh cool and look at all those gauges what are all those gauges for oh we have gauges to keep an eye on the engine also how high we fly and how fast we're flying wow they look very complicated you must be very smart wow and there's different types of helicopters right like
firefighting helicopters like Rescue helicopters or police helicopters and what do you say this is this is an air tour helicopter oh an air tour oh perfect I was actually thinking I could go for a ride around here oh and this would be a great helicopter for it because do you see the doors
no you don't because there's no doors do you mind if we go for a spin that'd be great all right where should I sit I'll come around here hop in the front seat with me all right cool [Music] oh so just climb on in sure climb on up all right cool so high up here wow so cozy how do I get get started well
let's put your seat belt on make sure it's nice and tight okay just like in a car gotta buckle up all right all right now what now take that orange headset right there put that on so we can talk to each other oh cool yeah orange is one of my two favorite colors all right hello hello so are you
gonna wear one too yes I will all right let's do this I'm so excited whoa whoa oh here we go wow it feels so cool to be fine whoa look at those trees to the left oh they're so green whoa check this out that is a big
mountain do you see how steep it is wow it goes straight up and down let's enter the ocean whoa check it out that looks like a small town next to the ocean wow wouldn't it be nice to live there whoa and look over there there's that big mountain we saw from the ground
wow it is so cool how there's trees at the very tippy top of it wow now that is some blue water wow Doug you're such a great pilot you brought me all the way out to the ocean wow isn't the ocean so fast I bet there's a lot of sea creatures that live out here
wow look at the top of the mountain do you see that town down there wow I bet they have some pretty views not like beers like these though it's like we're a bird caca this is so beautiful now that is the deep valley whoa in the beaches stretch for so long whoa you can't even see rocks on these
Mountains they're totally covered by trees and bushes and grass I bet there's some animals that live in here whoa check out that waterfall it is so tall wow it looks like the water starts from the top and falls all the way down to the bottom wow cool this is so beautiful it's like a bird
just flying anywhere and everywhere I want to go well wherever Doug you want to take me whoa the sun is coming out this is so beautiful wow I bet we could get a sun town today hey Doug thank you so much for flying so safe this is so much fun whoa look at this I can see Beach I can
see Farmland I can see mountains wow Oahu is such a special place and so beautiful whoa do you see that yeah looks like something's in the water oh I know what that is that's Coral yeah they're actually living organisms and they look so cool from the air
whoa look at all these instruments and gauges they are very hard to read but they tell the pilot very important information wow look at Doug use that cyclic then we can fly real safe whoa what are these things they're circles but wait a second what is this oh I know what this is this is a sand
bar yeah that's just sand underneath the water but just just a little bit underneath the water whoa check this out this is the University of Hawaii's Island this is where they study a lot of cool things like marine life creatures and plants it's really cool oh there's the patch of ground that we
took off from oh I bet Doug is gonna land right here this was so much fun wow and now we're back safe on the ground wow that was so much fun thanks for the ride Doug you're welcome bliffy all right see you later bye-bye [Music]
he has another tour to go on that was so much fun wasn't it I know well we gotta see a lot of cool things we gotta see that waterfall whoa that water looks so fresh oh and all that Coral yeah at the beach well I sure do love Hawaii wow what a beautiful place
see it spinning up wow and weren't those mountains really tall they're way taller when you're up in the high they're spinning so fast I hope the next tour they have a great time I sure do love Hawaii and I loved
learning how helicopters work with you whoa well if you want to watch some more of my videos all you have to do is search for my name will you spell my name with me ready blippi good job all right
Every video on Helicopter Tour Videos is hand-picked and reviewed by Justin — nothing is added automatically. Each one gets an original written guide and an honest rating: ⭐ 1 out of 2 means a good video worth your time, and ⭐⭐ 2 out of 2 means a great one we would recommend to anyone. The videos belong to their creators — every page links back to the original channel so you can subscribe and support them.
