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In The Sky: Jon Reed (vol.7) |
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Written by Jon Reed
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Monday, 04 June 2007 |
Flying in Hawaii
I had seen some beautiful stuff before but this was beyond anything I had seen. Flying at 500ft off the water to uncontrolled fields, whales breaching, 2000 ft waterfalls. It was our playground.
After a quick ground school and FAM flights I was off in the right seat of a CE 208B Caravan. It was an amazing plane. Slow in cruise but it would do whatever you asked on take off and landing from the short airstrips cut out of the jungle where we flew many of our passengers.
The days were brutal. 17 legs a day sometimes, throwing bags, making manifests, loading, unloading, briefing and handing out water. IFR and VFR, It made for long days but I couldn?t get enough.
A few months went by and the chief pilot called me in. Three guys had just left and they needed to fill the slots ASAP. Did I have the Mins for 135 IFR? I ran home, grabbed my logbook and made it just under the wire. My first shot at Captain! I was on cloud nine.
Three of us made our way to Wichita, Kansas, to Flight Safety for a week long Sim and ground school in the Caravan. It was my first ground school
and I couldn?t get enough. We all made it through without a hitch except for one guy who had never left Hawaii. He didn?t even own a winter coat. We walked out of the airport into the below 0 wind chill and he started yelling, "?What is this What is this?"? We all started laughing
..he had never felt anything that cold before.
Back in Maui, I got signed off and I was back on the line. Another aviation lesson: First few days as Captain, the stuff usually hits the fan. Whether it is just that you are not used to it, or Murphy?s Law, it seems to be the norm. I was no exception. Tropical downpours all over the islands. A bunch of GPS approaches down to mins in narrow valleys, lightning and having to cancel a flight on account of weather stranding us in the middle of nowhere on the big island was my welcome back. We rode it out at the gate agents house and flew home in a few hours. What a first day! I got home, soaked and tired but I will never forget that feeling. Captain for the first time. That accompanied with ?what did I just get myself into?? It was amazing though.
I had incredible flights in Hawaii and built up experience that I still use today
but the people is what sticks with me the most. More importantly a group of people on Kalaupapa on the island of Molokai. They are the last remaining group of a colony of people with Hansen?s disease. Formerly known as Leprosy. They all undergo regular treatment so are not contagious but have chosen to live out the rest of their life on a beautiful settlement at the base of 3000 ft cliffs. We would fly them back and forth to Honolulu or fly medical personnel or supplies into the colony. I was at first a little uneasy about the whole thing but when I started to get to know them all that faded away.
These people have been ravaged by the disease. Many are missing hands, feet, eyes, it is a terrible condition. But judging by their behavior it is nothing. The people in Kalaupapa were some the warmest, kindest and happiest people I have ever met. Here they are barely able to walk sometimes but always had time for a joke or a smile. Nothing would phase them and I still think back to those days and find inspiration from them. The best example was one of the older women in the worst shape barely could get on and off the plane, she could hardly see
.we landed and pulled up to the gate. Before I knew it she was out the door and as I looked around she waved goodbye as she peeled out in her 1960s Ford Pickup. Puts getting cut off in traffic or the wrong latte at Starbucks right in perspective. My problems were nothing compared to them and I often think of them and smile.
They are truly an inspiration.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 04 June 2007 )
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