the PDF version

Flight of the Month – July 2003
Hawaii Islands Tour
Introduction
Aloha ! After Alaska and Switzerland I thought you Too Much FS pilots deserved a break
somewhere a touch warmer ! And they don’t get much more luxurious than Hawaii ! The
Hawaiian Islands are actually a chain of volcanic Islands, and are a popular holiday destination.
I have to admit that I’ve always wanted to visit Hawaii after seeing the popular TV show
“Magnum, P.I.” which, as it happens, was recently re-broadcast in full on UK TV, and which
brought back some very happy memories !
So, to the Flight. After flying into Honolulu International you decide to book a luxury sightseeing
tour of the Islands with a local company. As luck would have it, the owner is happy to let
“suitably qualified” pilots take the controls, so you get the chance to fly some vintage amphibians
if you so chose ! All flights will be VFR with a certain amount of instrument work.
Preparation
It stands to reason that if you’re going to fly the Islands you’ll be passing over substantial
amounts of water, so if possible, get hold of a good map ! Here are some good sites to find out
about this month’s location:
http://www.gohawaii.com/
http://www.alternative- hawaii.com/menu.htm
http://www.state.hi.us/dot/airports/
http://www.airnav.com/airports/us/HI
Personally, I use a map from the International Travel Map series (No.268, Hawaiian Islands)
which is available either from your local map stockist or from here:
http://www.itmb.com/sample_details_of_itmb_maps.htm
(Image courtesy of ITMB)
Of course, for those who have FSNavigator, you already have a reasonable map built in !
Given their small physical s ize, there are quite a few add-ons to cover the Hawaiian Islands, both
freeware and payware.
The following are all available at http://www.avsim.com (and elsewhere):
Scenery :
lanaiv2.zip by Bill Melichar. 1.7Mb
hilov2.zip by Bill Melichar. 1.6Mb
kona.zip by Bill Melichar. 1.8Mb
lih.zip by Bill Melichar. 1.6Mb
kahu.zip by Bill Melichar. 1.7Mb
lanai_city,_hawaii.zip by Robert Bakhuis. AFCAD file, 163kb
Also the excellent Honolulu International scenery by Lago (payware)
Mesh/Landclass:
hawaii-10m.zip by Raimondo Taburet & FSFreeware. 13.6Mb, Payware
Hawaiian Islands 9.6m mesh & landclass by FSGenesis. 65Mb, Payware
hawaiian_islands_30m10.zip by M. Maxx. 5.4Mb, freeware
kauai30m.zip by M. Maxx. 2.2Mb, freeware
hnl30m1011.zip by Orlando Sotomayor. 3Mb, freeware
As this is to be a scenic tour of the Islands, I would recommend that you get hold of some mesh
at the very least. I use the package from FSGenesis.
Now for your transport ! The Islands are best seen “low and slow”, and you can maximize your
options if you use a floatplane or amphibian. Two of my favorites are these:
Grumman Duck
ddg-j2f-6-v2.zip by Heather Sherman & the Duck Design Group. 16.9Mb including period radio
tunes ! Also needed, ddg-upgrade -v3.zip by HS & DDG. 2.9Mb. Numerous repaints available.
Grumman Goose
sgoose2.zip by Mike Stone. 408kb
goose_panel.zip by Dorian Davis & J.L. Stubbs. 1.0Mb
goose_panel_upgrade.zip by DD & JLS. 14kb
Numerous repaints available.
Both available at Avsim.
Also ideal are the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver or DHC-3 Otter, both widely available in
Floatplane and Amphibian forms. Of course, if you fly helicopters, these will also do very nicely,
just make sure you use one with floatation bags ! It’s up to you what you are comfortable flying,
and there are enough airports throughout the Islands for you to stick with wheeled aircraft if you
want !
Tour One – Oahu
Select the first of the enclosed Flights, FOTM_Jul_Oahu.FLT which will put you in a default
Cessna 182S at Ford Island NACF Runway 22, and you can now load your plane of choice.
When ready, take off from Runway 22, and immediately circle to your right at low altitude so as
to pass over the USS Arizona Memorial. Climb to 3000ft as you pass over Honolulu International
(you’ve been given clearance to overfly the airport) and then set your NAV1 to pick up the Koko
Head VOR (CKH, 113.90) and fly towards it, passing over downtown Honolulu and viewing the
rugged terrain to your left.
At CKH, take a sharp left and intercept the Kanehoe Bay NDB (NGF, 265.0) to the north. You’ll
pass by Bellows Air Base and end up over the Kanehoe Marine Corp Base. Still at 3000ft, you
should have a good view of the terrain.
Turn left to 290o and climb to 4500ft. This will take you ove r the Koolau Range towards the
north shore. As you pass over the coast, turn left and follow the coastline to Dillingham Airfield.
Over the airfield, bank left, and pass over the Waiane Mountains, the highest point on Oahu, at
4020ft.
Once over the mountains, start your descent as you head for the west coast of the island. Here
you have a choice if you’ve selected a floatplane or amphibian. You can choose to execute a
water landing or continue round the island and land at Honolulu International or continue back to
Ford Island.
Tour 2 – South to Maui
Select the second enclosed flight, FOTM_Jul_Oahu2 which will put you in the default Cessna
Caravan Amphibian next to the USS Arizona Memorial. Again, you can now select your plane of
choice (but make sure that it floats !)
Take off, and when clear of the harbour, lock onto the MOLOKAI VOR (MKK, 116.10) and
head for Molokai. Suggested altitude, 6000ft.
When Molokai comes in sight, and this may depend on the weather and your visibility settings,
head for the northern coastline and descend to 1500ft. This will give you a good view of the cliffs
as you pass them on your right. If you’re feeling adventurous, try flying south across the island,
but watch out for the updraughts !
Either way, once you’re past the island, turn to intercept the MAUI VOR (OGG, 115.10) and
climb to 2500ft. As you approach the VOR, look out for the West Maui Mountains to your right.
Now you have a choice, either:
a) execute a water landing in Kahului Bay to the north of the airport,
b) land at Kahului Airport, or
c) continue the Tour !
If you’re continuing, you now need to gain some altitude, as you’ll be passing over the highest
point in the island. Passing over the Airport, maintain your heading and aim to ascend to
10,500ft. If your plane can only climb at a modest rate, you may have to circle the peaks until
you reach your target altitude. Don’t forget to “lean” your mixture ! I suggest passing to the north
of the summits then swinging round to pass over them. Magnetic Peak is at 10,008ft.
Once you’ve had your fill of flying over the peaks, clear the area, head for the coast, and start
your descent along the southern coastline for a water landing, or continue round the coast and
intercept the ILS for Kahului Runway 2 (110.10) and land at the airport.
Tour 3 – Hawaii
Select the third enclosed Flight, FOTM_Jul_Maui, which will put you in a default Cessna 182 at
Kahului. Load your aircraft of choice !
Take off from Runway 2, and execute a left hand turn to about 185o which should take you across
the island to the southern coast. Suggested target altitude is 6000ft, but you may need to fly lower
if there’s cloud.
Once clear of the coast, intercept the 114o radial to the UPOLU POINT VOR (UPP, 112.30) and
head towards it on the northwest tip of Hawaii Island. As you approach Hawaii, bank left and
follow the northern coastline round at about 4000ft, noting the splendid cliffs to your right.
Tune your NAV1 to the HILO VOR (ITO, 116.90) and when about 17 miles DME, turn right and
head across the island towards the summits. You may need to start your climb whilst tracking the
VOR, as you need to get up to at least 14000ft, and some amphibians don’t climb all that fast !
Once again, as you ascend, don’t forget to “lean” your mixture !
After overflying the summits (Mauna Kea is at 13,800ft and Mauna Loa at about 13,600ft)
continue to the southern coast and follow the coast round to the left as you descend to sea level.
As you approach Hilo International you can chose to follow the ILS in to Runway 26 (110.70) or
execute a water landing nearby.
Now its time to hand back your plane and enjoy the rest of your trip doing the more normal
“tourist” things !
Alastair Monk
June 2003