By J. Davis, EAA 588164
During the month of January, my wife and I were lucky enough to spend several weeks exploring and enjoying three Hawaiian Islands. As usual when we travel, visiting aviation-related attractions was a priority. We spent the first few days of our stay near Honolulu on the island of Oahu. There is a large military presence on the island, and we decided to visit the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, located at the military base on Ford Island at Pearl Harbor. We took the aviators tour, which included guided tours of Hangars 37 and 79, as well as a tour of the restoration shop. In addition to all the static aircraft displays, the behind-the-scenes tour of the ongoing B-17E Flying Fortress restoration was of particular interest.
A few days later, we took a short flight over to the island of Maui. We rented an old (’86) VW Vanagon camper and spent more than a week exploring the back roads of the small island. The southern road to Hana, located on the southeast coast of Maui, is a 50-mile road that took us more than four hours to navigate. Single lane through the lush jungle, we literally couldn’t shift out of second gear until we neared Hana. It was along this remote road that we visited the resting place of Charles Lindbergh. Who knew? Diagnosed with fatal lymphoma and given just a short time to live, Lindbergh decided to live out his life on Maui. He was buried under a simple granite stone in the plush gardens behind the Palapala Ho’omau Church in Kipahulu, Maui, in 1974.
Next we visited the small civil airport in Hana (PHNM). The only action we observed there was the hourly (or half-hourly) takeoff and landing of a sweet two-passenger Rotax-powered trike belonging to Armin Engert, EAA 446523. Armin spends his days giving tourists flights around the island, after flying in each morning in his Cessna 182! Tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it.
Another short flight took us from Hana Airport (PHHN) on Maui to Hilo International Airport (PHTO) on the east coast of the island of Hawaii (locally known as the Big Island). In Hilo we discovered Banyan Park incorporating an “Avenue of Banyans.” Each of these giant trees was originally planted by some sort of renowned individual. After a short search we located the one we were most interested in. It was planted in 1935 by Amelia Earhart, just days before she took off for her fateful flight. The tree has flourished in the tropical climate of Hawaii
As I write this, we are killing time waiting for our six-hour overnight flight from Hawaii to Vancouver, followed by a short hop to our home airport, Victoria International Airport (CYYJ). It has been a fantastic three weeks in Hawaii, and a great way to celebrate 40 years of marriage! But I’m looking forward to once again being PIC of my own aircraft, pictured below.
