Imagine flying in a helicopter over molten lava—so close to it you can smell the sulfurous gases and feel the heat (we're talking temperatures exceeding 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit).

Then imagine doing it with all four doors of the chopper off!

You might think that's something only policemen, geologists, photographers and film crews would dare to do, but that's not so. Paradise Helicopters has been offering the Doors Off-Feel the Heat Tour over Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, for a decade, and it's even drawing thrill-seekers who've never been in a whirlybird before.

“;It's like going up a skyscraper in an elevator that isn't enclosed,”; said Rob Payesko, the company's director of business development. “;The exhilaration of seeing the incredible beauty and power of a volcano eruption from the air is enhanced exponentially when you feel the wind whip by you through an open door as the helicopter reaches speeds of up to 110 miles per hour!”;

Even better, all four passengers get a window seat for this 45-minute adrenaline rush.

As with Paradise Helicopters' other tours, Doors Off soars between 500 and 3,000 feet in elevation. Since all tours are subject to weather conditions, flight paths can vary each day. Doors Off's route usually goes from Hilo International Airport over Hilo Harbor, rain forests, waterfalls, macadamia nut farms and massive Mauna Loa Volcano to Kilauea—where the action is at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The pilot follows red-orange rivers of lava from their source to the sea. He also keeps his eyes peeled for skylights (breaks in the ceiling of lava tubes that reveal magma flowing inside), and fires that ignite as fiery lava consumes trees and other vegetation.

Another amazing sight is Jack's Lava House, the only occupied residence remaining in the Royal Gardens subdivision, most of which was destroyed by lava flows between 1983 and 1990. Owner Jack Thompson has been living alone there ever since, and the only way to reach his remote bed-and-breakfast is via helicopter or hiking two miles across a vast field of ebony lava.

Tour-goers hear legends of Pele, the volatile Hawaiian volcano goddess, who supposedly makes her home in Kilauea. Headsets with two-way communication enable them to converse with the pilot and each other throughout the trip. The chopper circles over points of interest several times so passengers seated on both sides get unobstructed views.

“;For scenic aerial tours there's no better aircraft than a helicopter,”; Payesko said. “;It has larger windows than a plane for better viewing. It's closer to the action; helicopters can fly as low as 500 feet from the ground, whereas airplanes have a 1,000-foot minimum. Helicopters also are able to hover over sites, can land in isolated places that planes can't get to—and, of course, have the ability to fly with the doors removed.”;

According to Payesko, Paradise Helicopters' fleet of five Hughes 500 and Bell 407 helicopters are aerodynamically designed to fly with their doors on or off. Removing the doors results in additional wind drag and fuel use, which is why Doors Off costs $35 more than the Fire and Falls Adventure, the same tour done with the doors on.

“;Although our pilots don't need special certification to fly the Doors Off tour, they go through rigorous training above and beyond what the FAA mandates,”; Payesko said. “;All of them are checked out regularly by our chief pilot and director of operations, and our helicopters are serviced and maintained according to strict standards.”;

Payesko recently did the Doors Off tour with his 6-year-old son and 74-year-old mother, who's from New Jersey. “;My mom has visited the Big Island several times and done a lot of activities,”; he said. “;She said the Doors Off tour was the most fun, exciting, interesting, awe-inspiring thing she has ever done. Needless to say, my son loved it, too!”;

The ability of helicopters to get to spectacular areas that wouldn't otherwise be accessible is a boon to sightseers. “;It's the difference between watching a video about Kilauea erupting to actually being there,”; Payesko said. “;You see, smell and feel the awesome power of Pele. The Doors Off tour is a rare adventure—an opportunity to experience something that can only be done on the Big Island with Paradise Helicopters.”;

In fact, Payesko said, “;That's how we came up with our slogan, 'Fly Today ... Remember Forever.' When guests return home from their vacation, we wonder what stories they will tell. We hope the experience they have with us will be a lasting memory and a story they will tell fondly for years to come.”;

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Bulletin have won multiple Society of American Travel Writers awards.