Hawaii - May 27 - Plane rental, ultimate and Ala Moana Center

Really high atop the "things to do on Oahu" list was of course: go flying!  I found Barbers Point Flight School through Open Airplane (even though I haven't actually gotten checked out through Open Airplane yet).

Sweetening the deal was their tail number - not too far off of the 411BP that I fly so often back in Santa Barbara.

We actually went on two flights around the island - one clockwise and the other counter-clockwise.  That allowed for me to fit Melch, Drayas and Val (my mother-in-law) in with myself and the instructor.

So the extremely astute observer might notice that the photos below are actually sometimes from opposite sides of the plane.

The flight was phenomenal.  We flew around the entire island, twice.  The instructor was pretty friendly and helped when necessary but generally just let me do my thing.

The views were just awesome.  I tried to take photos as often as I could, but every reef, every valley and cloud, was just stunning.  I've been coming to Oahu for a while now and driven pretty much everywhere that one can drive and it was such a cool thing to see how it all fits together from the air.

I took stop-motion videos in both directions:

And of course the photos:

Dillingham Field 

Hale Iwa, looking south towards Honolulu

This is just awesome

Flying around some rain and under a rain cloud near Kahuku

Awesome Valley

Kaneohe Bay

Kaneohe Marine Base

Me, Melch and the Sam (the CFI)

Kaneohe/Kailua area

Kaneohe/Kailua area

Olomana Peak - where we hiked on Saturday

Approaching Waimanalo Bay

Makapu'u Point

Hanauma Bay, Koko Head and Hawaii Kai

Diamond Head, Waikiki, Honolulu

Downtown

Aloha Bowl

Honolulu Airport

Pearl Harbor

Hangin' with my brother!

Val enjoying a new view of her old stomping grounds

Actual route of one of the flights

 After the flights and a bit of ultimate, we went to Ala Moana center for some Genki Sushi.  Genki Sushi is a "fast food" sushi joint like they have in Japan.  Plates are pre-made and move around on a conveyor belt.  If you want something special, you can order it.  It used to be that special orders would be brought out by the wait staff, but the more modern Genki experience includes little cars on tracks that zoom out and deliver whatever you requested.  Usually within a minute or two.  Tons of fun.

Spam Musubi! 

Each special order vehicle was different - race car, space ship, train, even a surf board!

Really, what a phenomenal day.  Got to see Oahu in ways we never had before.  Got to take Val up for her first small plane ride.  Sunset ultimate right along the ocean at Ala Moana park.  Fun Sushi and goofing off in Ala Moana center.  Great adventures from sunup to sundown.