FAQ

Well we wouldn’t fly every day in them if it wasn’t safe.  But let’s talk facts: Our Australian-made trikes are built and stress tested to +6 G’s and – 3 G’s.  This is the same strength testing as airplanes here in the USA.  But the aircraft are only as safe as the people flying them.  We have been flying trikes since 2003, taken over 10,000 people up, and have a perfect safety record.  We’ve never had an engine quit or had to use the ballistic parachute.

You may find it interesting to know that Tom Sanders (Paradise Air’s co-owner) has been coordinating skydiving, hang gliding and BASE jumping stunts for over 30 years with a perfect safety record.  You can see a sample of some of Tom’s projects here.  We believe that safety is no accident, and, in fact, it’s our #1 priority.

We recommend you wear clothing that is comfortable for the day (girls, you’ll be better off in shorts or pants than sundresses).  Before we take off, we’ll give you a flight suit to wear which will keep you warm and comfortable during your flight.  If you get cold easily, you may want a long sleeve shirt or light sweater under the flight suit.  In addition we’ll give you a headset and helmet with visor.

Glasses or contact lenses are fine.  If you want to wear sunglasses during your flight, we recommend NON-polarized lenses to reduce interference with the plastic visor.  Also, be sure to wear secure shoes.  Sandals are fine as long as they have a back strap and are secure on your feet.  Sorry, no slippahs (thong-type shoes) or slip-on shoes.

This isn’t like an outdoor concert “Rain or Shine”.  We don’t want to fly in crap weather either.  The weather in Hawaii changes quickly and is very different in different parts of the island.  Because we are located on the North Shore’s west end, we typically have drier weather than Waikiki and the windward side of the island.

You are always welcome to call us if you have questions about the weather, but don’t let rain at your point of departure get you down.  It’s likely totally different at the airfield.  If the weather looks unflyable, our pilots will make every effort to contact you before you head out.
For that reason, it’s extremely important that you have your cell phone CHARGED, ON, and WITH YOU for the 18 hours before your scheduled flight time.

We also recommend giving us a backup phone number for somebody in your party in case we are unable to reach you directly.  In the unlikely event that we do have to cancel, we’ll do our very best to work with your schedule to come back out.

Since it’s essentially a hang glider with a big engine, if the engine quits… well… it’s still a hang glider and can be safely landed with no power. It’s not uncommon to actually turn the engine off and glide in at the end of some flights (usually best done on our sunrise flights).

Each of our aircraft is equipped with a BRS ballistically-deployed parachute as an added safety measure.