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Next was our turn: Matt and I were up front, with Matt in the center (and I was hanging a bit outside). Casey and Mark were in the rear; Casey on the port and Mark on the starboard. They, too, were hanging a bit outside the helicopter (you'll note from the previous photo that there were no doors on the birds). Casey evidently wasn't as amused by the ride as I was.

The takeoff from the ground was very gentle. We're about at our touring altitude in this photo, where we can see Port Allen, Hanapepe, and Kona Coffee fields (on the left).