Specialized Helicopters

Once in a lifetime! That’s how if felt to be flying in the open-​air bi-​plane last evening.
It was dusk, the lights of Watsonville were just coming on. Our views were stupendous– we flew out to the coast — the best part for me! The Sunset Beach coastline, the last light shining behind the point at Pacific Grove, the lights inland and the smooth ocean. Very memorable. Such a unique experience– perfect gift for a special occasion! I can’t recommend this trip enough– and our pilot, Mike Nelson, «nailed» the landing– we weren’t even certain we we on the ground yet!

Loved everything about this place they have a great wale watching tour and can do anything with helicopters and planes full service aviation service this place rocks!!!

I took the introductory helicopter lesson today and it was perfect. From the comfortable and clean office, to the young lady at the front desk who provided me with good tips on flying, to my instructor Paul who shared with me with so much knowledge and was friendly and professional. I highly recommend Specialized Helicopters.

Did a short Heli tour this morning with a couple friends. Paul, our pilot was funny and informative. Gorgeous views and he pointed out some cool features of the area to us. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Worth every penny.

Great people, great experience and great price. I always freak about flying and this young pilot Ken, was awesome and ride the helicopter so smooth. I can tell flying with plane is not the same ad flying with helicopter. Thank you Specialized Helicopter to give me and my family great experience :) trip was worth it every penny :)

When thinking of a way to propose I wanted to do something unique and different from what everyone else was doing that I know. My girlfriend at the time had no idea what we were doing on valentines day. She was hinting on me proposing on valentines day but I told her that I have no idea what we will be doing and that I still need to purchase a ring. So 1 week before valentines day I started researching and came across specialized helicopters and their Big Sur tour. The weather was supposed to be cloudy but turned out beautiful with plenty of sunshine.
Pros:
— Very professional staff (Jessica was awesome)
— Offered great help in planning the proposal (they were all in on it)
— Great location
— Great prices
— Awesome views
— Big Sur tour
— Played music during the whole helicopter ride
Cons:
— None
The whole time my Gf was blindfolded so she had no idea where we were going or what we were doing so it was a pretty awesome surprise for her!
We saw whales in the ocean, amazing views, people skydiving, etc. Overall very happy with the experience. I proposed while we were flying over the Big Sur bridge! She was completely shocked. They let me record everything with my Go Pro and she thought that it wasn’t mine all along until at the end when I told her that it was mine. So we have a great video for good memories!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Completely speechless! We booked a trip from Watsonville to Big Sur and had an amazing experience. Everyone from reservations, check in and our pilot (Chris) was excited to see us and to ensure we had a great time. I’ve seen the coastline by foot, car and commercial planes but never up close like in a helicopter. Stunning. We saw several whales (~30) and a few Dolphins as well. Chris was a great tour guide and very safe pilot. I would recommend them to anyone!

Just got back from my photo flight with Ken Foehl. He picked me up at the South County Airport and flew me around to my 5 sites in the South Bay.
I was extremely impressed with Ken’s flying and professionalism, he also had a great sense of humor and was easy to talk to.
The photo flight went very well and I was very pleased with how easy it went. We found and shot my sites without any issues!
I will definitely be calling Specialized again!

This is as good as it gets! These folks are friendly, likable and totally professional. Went out of their way to make sure our Big Sur trip was everything we wanted and more. They even made suggestions to our day which proved to be a bonus. From Jessica in the office to Chris, our pilot… Top-​notch all the way! If you’re considering a surprise anniversary present (as I did!) wine tasting, or simply a quick tour of the bay, contact the great people at Specialized!

Ho-​lee crap! I WILL be bringing guests here as often as possible. These guys are awesome! We went on the 20 min ride today and holy wow is all I can say super awesome customer service and awesome pilot :) very cool and very reasonably priced. You guys rock and I’m sure I will be seeing you soon!

I wanted to check off «learn to fly a helicopter» from my boyfriend’s bucket list. I also wanted to use the experience to propose. My experience first started with the online chat feature available on their website. Even though I was not able to make a phone call at the time Chris was able to answer all of my questions over chat. Later, I called spoke with Jess who helped me through all the rest of the booking. She even helped me with restaurants to hit after the big event. She’s just hands-​down amazing. When we finally got there a month later, we came in on a Sunday, and met Steve our pilot. He was in on all the surprises that I had planned and was top-​notch and super smooth; never giving away any hints. He did the ground lessons with my boyfriend and then took me and my son with them for their in-​air lesson. It was truly amazing to be IN a helicopter knowing MY boyfriend was flying it. So cool! The view was spectacular. We stayed quiet in the back so that Steve could do his teaching. Meanwhile, we watched the beautiful coastline below us. Steve strategically suggested that we land at a particular spot they have available to them. That was my queue to get ready with the ring. Steve was gracious enough to take some pictures for us while we «did our thing.» Thankfully, he said yes and we were on our way back to the airport again. Steve showed my boyfriend how to hover the craft and then landed us. The experience was…5+++ stars. They have an amazing team with a fantastic operation. Even their hats are cool (which I purchased 2 of) as well as a framed photo from in front of the R44. I cannot thank them each enough. They will always be part of our future :)

Highly recommend Specialized Helicopters for a unique and beautiful experience of the Monterey Bay.
My boyfriend of 10 years worked closely with the staff to plan a storybook proposal. Jessica at the front desk was helpful in planning the best day and time for flight, she was very informative overall. The staff did a great job of keeping the secret and remaining professional despite the anticipation of what they knew to come.
It was a clear and beautiful day. Our pilot, Ryan, was very knowledgeable about the landscape. He was a great guide, pointing out unique and exceptional views. His personality only added to the great experience we had!
Being Santa Cruz natives, we got a completely new perspective of the town we have known and loved!
Thank you Specialized Staff for the phenomenal service!
Don’t forget a camera, sunglasses and sunscreen! All a must!

The staff was amazing and professional! Our family truly enjoyed our Santa Cruz tour. We had a wonderful time! We will never forget our day. Thank you to our pilot. A dreamy day! Worth every penny. We are looking forward to the wine tour!

Very good customer service on the phone or online chat. Spoke to Chris and he was very funny and helpful, not like other places you call in for. Excited and looking forward to our helicopter tour.
Will update on experience after tour happens.

My boyfriend gave me the most amazing surprise… helicopter ride in Monterey & Carmel! How cool is that~
I feel so special and loved! Just like those girls on Bachelor TV Show~
It wasn’t scary at all. Since the weather is very calm, the helicopter is very steady.
Specialized Helicopters provides excellent service. The pilot is fantastic! We have a female pilot, she is awesome! She gave us great verbal tour about the area! We have fabulous time!
Don’t forget to bring your camera with you! The view is priceless~

I was lucky enough to take a 15 minute aerobatic airplane ride with pilot Mary Macdonald. I wasn’t sure how my stomach was going to hold up doing aerobatic maneuvers, but it couldn’t have been a better experience. Mary is a very professional pilot and the entire flight was incredibly smooth. After each each «stunt» she asked me how my stomach was doing and if I would like to try another one. Before and during the maneuver she explained what was happening and the best place to look.
Not only was the barrel roll, loop and wingover a total blast, but the scenery of Monterey to Santa Cruz was gorgeous.
On top of it all I brought a 2 GB card and Mary put it in their mounted video camera so now I have the entire flight taped.
I would highly recommend this plane ride with Mary to everyone (and will)!!!

AMAZING experience!
Breathtaking views, amazing pilot (thanks Ivana), quick preparation… everything was perfect about our helicopter ride! We all loved it, including my 4-​year-​old nephew.

Convinced my friend Peter it’d be a good idea to go fly a helicopter. Since he’s been dreaming of doing this since childhood, it didn’t take too much convincing.
We took the intro class, and had the pleasure of getting instruction from Ivona and Wendy. Not only did they give us just the right amount of information, they answered all our questions and helped us feel well prepared for the experience. Plus, they were totally nice about letting us take our fill of pictures before heading up.
The experience was amazing. Got to fly along the breathtaking Santa Cruz coastline, with picture-​perfect weather, and an instructor that’s letting you fly, and explaining what’s happening and why. Getting to try our hand at hovering was the most challenging part, and a memorable way to end the day. The $ 150 we paid for an extra 30 minutes of flight time (50 minutes total), was completely worth it.
Although a private license isn’t quite in the plans just yet, a return trip certainly is. Thanks to Ivona, Wendy and Chris for an unforgettably fun experience.

I am an adventurer. I love it, I live it.
I’m going to obtain my pilot’s license one day. That’s my dream. Now, since I don’t exactly have the ca$$$h money to pay $ 200/​hr x 60hr+ of instructional flight to get it quite yet, I decided to co-​pilot a helicopter instead. You know, just your every day, fly a $ 250k twirly bird around the Santa Cruz coast line type thing.
I’m so glad Specialized Helicopters was featured on Groupon. I never would’ve even thought this was an option. My friends (Hi Chuck!) and I each paid $ 100 for the initial 20mins (That was the groupon 50% off price), then paid another $ 100 for an additional 20mins (might as well get the full experience!!). You definitely want to pay for the extra time. once you’re up there, it just flies by soo quickly.
Captain Chris and Pilot Ivona are excellent. I flew with Ivona. First, I felt what she was doing with the instruments, then I got to take control. I had no idea how difficult flying a bird was! You’re controlling four different levers at a time, and they’re all extremely sensitive. We got to trace the Santa Cruz coast line, above the board walk, and I also tried to follow lines, and even hover.
I definitely studied for a good four hours on rotors, anti-​torque, motors, engines, etc. beforehand because I wanted to be completely prepared and just understand the full experience (all the reading material is available on their website!).
This was absolutely an adventure enthusiast’s dream. I loved every minute and would definitely do it again and pay full price! I mean really, who can say they’ve flown a helicopter? YOU can!

People always dream of flying, for me — why dream. I’ll fly if I want to. This is the best place in the Bay Area to fly you own helicopter. I found a $ 100 Groupon special to fly my own copter for 20 minutes with a few other friends and flying enthusiast. It was well worth it. Just study the required reading ahead of time.
Captain Chris and his crew (I flew with Ivona) do a wonderful job keeping you safe and making sure you knew the basics. The controls are both easy and hard. Taking off and landing is probably really difficult, but flying and maintaining balance isn’t that hard. Ivona even let me try to hover (which takes 8 hours training normally) and it’s not easy because you have to control 4 different levels at once to keep it staying completely still.
Everything is extremely sensitive, so one little millimeter move will make the $ 250k plane change direction just like that. It’s hard to explain in words, so instead everyone go spend that measly $ 100+ and fly it yourself. The views of the Santa Cruz coastline and boardwalk are gorgeous too.