Virtual Educational Experience with Paradise Helicopters
Paradise Helicopters has partnered with our local community to curate live, interactive educational experiences that we can share. All students and participants who join our virtual educational session will be able to interact live with our guide as together we explore the Island of Hawai’i from the air. Participants do not need to join any platform or set up any accounts. The participants will need a viewing device with a high-speed internet connection, speakers or earphones (computer, tablet, or phone). Participants with audio input or a microphone can participate in discussions and ask questions verbally and those without audio input may type to ask questions. The Virtual Experience includes a 45-minute virtual flight with live commentary, followed up with a post-flight Q&A opportunity.
The initial idea of the virtual education program stemmed from a collaboration with “Upward bound”. Upward bound is a summer program with around 450 extensions across the U.S. Due to COVID-19, their summer program could not offer the two week field trip they usually do at the end of their program. To replace their field trip, they chose to do virtual field trips around the world. A program director in Tennessee said she always wanted to visit Hawai’i and thought about inquiring about doing a virtual helicopter tour with her class. At first, we were going to do a complete live tour, but quickly realized that shooting it from a cell phone with spotty reception probably wasn’t going to yield the best product. Paradise Helicopters Charter team organized a pre-recorded video with our professional photographer team and created a video with an overlay of our pilot, this also gave the students the virtual experience of a live tour as if they were flying with them. We also encouraged student interaction and questions so pilots could answer live.
