Now before I start I suggest you familiarise yourself with these two threads:
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=82101
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=82279
Basically I’ve found myself with a spare few days off work where I don’t actually have much to do for a change. Most of you will probably remember that last March I embarked on a round-the-world trip, arriving home last Summer. I managed to write those two threads above but then got completely tied down with trying to find a new job, starting my PPL and girlfriend moving to uni. I was just sat here thinking that it’s about bl00dy time I finished what I started and shared the rest with you!
According to the second thread, the last shot was me leaving LA for Hawaii, so that’s where I’ll start. We first spent a week on Oahu (the most populated island, the capital being Honolulu):
We then took a trip to the much quieter and beautiful island of Kauai, which is where Jurassic Park etc was filmed. We flew on a Go! CRJ. The CRJ was not very nice to fly on, particularly shoulder space in the cabin. Here we are departing HNL:
The cabin, plus an incredible wingview as we approached to land at Lihue airport:
A quick look in the cockpit of the CRJ.
We spent 3 days on Kauai staying in a very surreal little town, it felt like we’d stepped back to the ’70s with ancient American pick-ups and a single, wooden built diner the only place to eat.
We then flew to the ‘Big Island’ on a Hawaiian 717, via HNL (this was meant to be on an Aloha 732, but as you may remember they went bust about 5 days before we were due to fly them 🙁 ). Hawaiian Airlines were very professional and it was good fun being sat at the back by the engine.
We then had 2 hours to wait at HNL where I snapped these very sad looking Aloha 732’s awaiting their demise.
I also caught a few of the colourful Hawaiian domestic flights, some very nice schemes.
By the time we flew onward to the Big Island it was night so the best I could manage was a quick cockpit shot on exiting the aircraft.
We spent another 3 days there, getting to go and watch the active volcanoe and bump in to live sea turtles whilst strolling down the beach.
By: PMN - 17th February 2009 at 12:13
Lucky for me I’m going there in …….. 3 weeks!
Don’t say that. Nicholson already has States withdrawl, you’ll depress him even more!
I make it 21 days until you fly west on your A340-600 and I fly east on my 777-300 you first rate WAC! 😀
Paul
By: A Spalding - 17th February 2009 at 11:32
San Francisco was a fantastic city, and definitely my favourite in the US alongside New York.
Lucky for me I’m going there in …….. 3 weeks!
As said to you before mate, excellent stuff!
By: Old Git - 14th February 2009 at 16:12
Great stuff – I am sending this as a link to my youngest daughter who wants to do a round the world trip (and take aircraft photos for me at the same time:D). Looking forward to the next instalment.
By: wannabe pilot - 11th February 2009 at 17:07
Thanks everyone for all your kind comments. I will endeavour to get Part 4 up soon, which I imagine will be New Zealand and Australia…
By: Airline owner - 10th February 2009 at 14:59
Have to say San Francisco seems an amazing city. Hawaii seems awesome too. Brilliant pictures there Dan. :). Cant wait to see next section of your RTW trip. 🙂
By: T5 - 10th February 2009 at 01:37
Another fantastic read and some brilliant shots, too. Well done! 🙂
By: PMN - 8th February 2009 at 23:40
Superb work from what looks like a truely incredible trip. I remember so well when you set off for that yet it was almost a year ago. Scarey!
Again, very high class photography. I’m looking forward to part 4!
Paul
By: RIPConcorde - 7th February 2009 at 20:04
Better late than never eh.;) Awesome stuff again.
By: steve rowell - 6th February 2009 at 22:12
Great report Dan…San Francisco is my favourite US city also…have you ever seen so many Japanese tourists in your life as there are in Honolulu???
By: Grey Area - 6th February 2009 at 20:28
I thought long and hard about it, Dan, but there’s a bit too much non-aviation content to let it stay in the Airline Images section.
Whatever section they’re in I’m sure plenty of people will want to see your pictures, mate. 🙂
By: wannabe pilot - 6th February 2009 at 18:57
Thanks everyone, comments greatly appreciated.
Craigston_Tom, yes those are the houses used in Mrs Doubtfire. San Fran was a stunning city.
Cloud_9, yes I did go to Pearl Harbour. Fortunately for me it was actually my 3rd time in Honolulu. It was only my first time on the other Hawaiian Islands though.
Nice shots, mate.
But this is a trip report really, isn’t it?
Hold on to your hats, everyone…….
If you say so Lance, but the other 2 weren’t moved. Shame that no-one visits the Trip Reports forum…:(
By: Grey Area - 6th February 2009 at 18:19
Nice shots, mate.
But this is a trip report really, isn’t it?
Hold on to your hats, everyone…….
By: heslop01 - 6th February 2009 at 17:57
Great report and brilliantly thorough, great photographs too! 🙂
By: cloud_9 - 6th February 2009 at 17:04
I was just sat here thinking that it’s about bl00dy time I finished what I started and shared the rest with you!
Be honest now, you just wanted to keep us all in suspense didnt you, keep us all guessing, build up the tension and then belt us with yet another fabulous stage of your journey so that we’d all be overcome with jealousy once again…?:D:diablo::p
Great report, seeing those pics brought back my memories from my trip there last year, Hawaii is certainly a beautiful place to visit.
Did you go to Pearl Harbour whilst you were there at all?
By: B77W - 5th February 2009 at 23:58
Fantastic doesn’t even come close to describing this thread, but it’ll have to do!
Roll on part 4!
By: Craigston_Tom - 5th February 2009 at 23:39
Great photos and an interesting insight into your travels. The picture of the houses in San Fran, is that the one they used in Mrs. Doubtfire?
By: LBARULES - 5th February 2009 at 22:00
Another brilliant thread, Dan, can’t wait for the next part! 🙂
By: Mark L - 5th February 2009 at 17:35
Great shots mate, looking forward to part 4!
By: wannabe pilot - 5th February 2009 at 17:04
From here we went to Maui on an Island Air Dash-8 and my battery died when I got on the plane (there was a lot to remember being a backpacker) but I did get a shot of the ‘departure lounge’ at Kona airport.
Maui is an absolutely incredible place, it has so many qualities in such a small space. The waterfalls were out of this World.
As were the natural diving boards (yes I had a go, and yes it was brilliant!).
It was then time to get back to Honolulu for one last time before flying back to LA. We flew back to Honolulu via Kalaupapa and Molokai, 3 hops on a Pacific Wings caravan for about $25. As predicted, it was one of the most entertaining flights of the entire trip, especially landing on Kalaupapa which is a 600m strip carved out of a lava flow on the edge of the island of Molokai. The flight from Kalaupapa-Molokai was then an entire 9nm long!
Molokai airport:
And then I asked the pilot if I could sit in 1C for the final leg back to HNL.
From here we jumped on our UA 767 back to LA:
Just 2 quick nights in LA so that I could say I’ve seen Hollywood, then a flight up to San Francisco on Virgin America. The cabin was pretty funky, especially with the purple mood lighting.
I was then pretty happy to have a ‘go-around’ on approach to SFO. I was all too pleased to get another approach across the Bay with the city in the background. 15 minutes later we eventually landed:
San Francisco was a fantastic city, and definitely my favourite in the US alongside New York.
After 5 days it was the moment I had dreaded, time to leave the USA. It had been an amazing 6 weeks and I really didn’t feel like I’d seen enough. Here’s just a couple taken at SFO before we boarded our flight to New Zealand, which will be coming up soon in Part 4.
Sign In
February 5, 2009 at 4:55 pm