Kahana Flying

My last couple of days in Hawaii were forecast to have brisk winds. Kahana was the preferred site and I flew my Firefly speed wing on both occasions. 

The last day in paradise yielded a great 90 minute flight. The flying has been great and the local pilots have been very informative and welcoming. I hope that when pilots visit my neck of the woods, that they feel as welcome as I did in Oahu. 

Thanks to Woody, Thom, Alex, and Duck for their recommendations and camaraderie. On one day a gentleman caught some video of my landing at Kahana - Thanks for sending it along Terp!

kahana from Tim O'Neill on Vimeo.

HI Flying

This year I decided to pass on the Rat Race and (much to my lovely wife's enthusiastic approval) we headed for Oahu instead.

 We've been to the islands countless times in the last 30 years, but I've never brought my PG gear along. This time I brought both my Avax XC3 and the 16 meter Firefly.

The Oahu crew is very welcoming and I had no problem hooking up with enthusiastic and friendly locals for site intro and weather beta. Thom, Woody, Duck, and many others made me feel welcome.

According to the local weather gurus (and many are) it has been a squirrelly June but I was able to get two very nice flights at Kahana Bay. The site is a 350' hike-up with an easy LZ on the beach. An easy climb up the ridge, followed by some fat thermals to cloudbase and above, make the flying fun and the perspectives beautiful. I'm hoping to get a couple more days in the air here -

The winds have freshened to speed-wing velocities so I may break out the Firefly. Here are some photos taken with my phone -

I hope everybody is getting some air!  Fly safe -

Above the ridge looking North

Above the ridge looking across Kahana Bay at Ka'a'awa

Happy (if a bit burned) camper

Looking down at the Kahana LZ (the keyhole on the beach)