Take the Leap
Dream Flights
The islands are even more beautiful from the air
Touring all the islands can take four to six hours and requires refueling. Honolulu is in Class B airspace and requires special procedures to enter. If seeing volcanoes on the island of Hawaii is your dream, it may be best to take a helicopter tour instead of flying yourself. Family-owned Safari Helicopters in Hilo can give you a tour of volcanoes and waterfalls. You’ll also find Paradise Helicopters and Blue Hawaiian Helicopters at Hilo. Kona International Airport on the opposite side of the island of Hawaii also has several helicopter tour companies.
How:
- Get a checkout at an island flight school.
- Fly yourself or go with an instructor.
- Take the stress out and go on a helicopter tour.
Resources:
Maui Aviators
Anderson Aviation
Fly Hawaii
Take your vacation to the sky
Get a checkout in a small aircraft during your visit to Hawaii and take yourself on an aerial tour. Especially popular is the circumnavigation of the island of Hawaii, with its Volcanoes National Park. Over the years some flight schools have stopped renting to mainland pilots unless they are willing to go on a cross-country or have previously trained at the school. The reason? Hawaii has huge trade winds that often don’t get below 30 knots all day.
Maui Aviators, located in a hangar at Kahului on Maui, rents to visiting pilots and will send an instructor with you if you desire that dramatic and windy landing. The island of Maui offers plenty in the way of spectacular scenery. Maui Aviators has Cessna 172s to rent.
In Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, Aviation Academy Hawaii is a good bet. They’ll check you out in a Piper Cherokee, Liberty XL2, Piper Arrow, or Beechcraft Travelair. You’ll see shallow bays with marine life, ranches where movies are made, steep cliffs, and shipwrecks. Winds are generally in the teens and 20s.
WHY YOU SHOULD GO
Hawaii is the only state in the United States that is composed entirely of islands. There are 14 airports on the eight main islands.
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