ismael chang ghalimi

First Independent Mission

Today, I flew to Apple Valley Airport (KAPV) with my friend John to pick up a puppy that should make the delight of his three kids. This was my very first mission conducted for an independent third party. Of course, not running a Part 135 operation, all I could do was to share the cost of the flight fifty-fifty with John. Nevertheless, it was pretty cool to finally put all this training to good use. Another nice thing about this flight was the fact that it allowed me to log my 250th hours, a requirement for the commercial pilot license that I expect to get later this year. I logged a total of 4.7 hours of cross country flying on N53224. I’m loving it…

First Open Water Flight

Today, I rented a Cessna 172 Skyhawk NAV III (N1468E) operated by the excellent Flight School Hawaii for my first flight over open water as pilot in command. I flew with instructor Paul Mikolajewski from Honolulu International Airport (PHNL), which is located on the island of Oʻahu, to Kalaupapa Airport (PHLU), which is located on the island of Molokaʻi. Even though we got a fair amount of turbulence due to a 30 knots wind, the flight was absolutely fantastic. It was my first departure from a Class B (Bravo) airport, and the flight took us alongside the highest sea cliffs in the world, located on the north shore of the island, which was used to shoot Jurassic Park III. Here is a shot of the island, courtesy of Hawaii Pictures:

Once we reached the Eastern tip of the island, we turned around and landed at Kalaupapa Airport. We immediately took off thereafter, not because Kalaupapa remains in activity as a leper colony, but simply because we were running out of time (a student pilot needed the plane for his first flight). We logged 1.9 hours of cross-country flying. For my next trip to Hawaiʻi, I am planning a flight to Kauaʻi.

Many thanks to my dear friend Arnold for his invitation to the islands!

First Trip to Lanai

Today, my good friend Arnold took me for a superb flight to Lanaʻi. We rented a Cessna 172 SP operated by Flight School Hawaii, and flew from Honolulu International Airport (PHNL) to Lanai Airport (PHNY). Once there, we got lunch at Four Seasons Resort Lana’i, The Lodge at Koele, of which I am adding a picture courtesy of Four Seasons:

The island is beautiful, and was chosen by Bill & Melinda Gates for their wedding on January 1, 1994. They actually got married at a sister Four Seasons property, the Four Seasons Resort Lana’i at Manele Bay, but the Lodge at Koele would have made for an even more intimate setting. Anyway, my friend Arnold performed nice landings at the end of both flights, and there could not have been a better way to start a vacation on the islands. Many thanks for the invitation!