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!
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