MAUI FLIGHT ADVENTURE

By Alan Johnson

hile flying VFC aircraft around the west coast is always a great experience; the opportunity to fly a different plane in new surroundings cannot be passed up!

One of my “bucket list” aircraft to fly has always been a Cirrus. Researching for a vacation in Maui last December,I found an opportunity to do just that. The Maui Flight Academy (mauiflightacademy. com) offered island trips in their Cirrus SR22 for both non pilots and those with pages filled in the logbook. I booked a “circle Maui” trip and

Wset about preparing for the flight.

The academy sent some videos on Cirrus operation, and of the angle of attack indicator. I dug through the operating manual and reviewed the Kahalui airport diagrams. Ready for action, we made it to Maui 2 days late due to west coast weather and the beginning of the December airline chaos.

On the days leading up to my flight date, the weather was not great. Apparently, a “Kona low” was creating a disturbance,producing very strong easterly trade winds and squally conditions.

Flight was scrubbed for that day and set for a week later.

Flight time the following week was no better, the winds were still very gusty and rocked the car en route to the airport. Upon arrival, the owner/instructor Laurance said we are going, and we will find somewhere to fly to. If these conditions were at YYJ, I would be planted in the Dakota having a coffee!

We pulled N808HW out of the hangar, went over route briefings and a lesson on what is different from a 172. The plan now was to fly over to Molokai for a touch and go at Kalaupapa, a 2700ft strip on the end of a peninsula. Two friends took the back seats, I got settled in the left. A major difference from the 172 or Arrow, and certainly a lot more comfortable!

Without nosewheel steering, the taxi took a bit to get used to, as did the sidestick control. Cleared for take-off, acceleration and climb was fast into the 25kt winds. Automatic prop control removed a task, and power was set by percent.

The air was surprisingly smooth, and we leveled out at 1000ft, just under the cloud deck and flying over rough seas. The

Cirrus is a beautiful plane to fly and relies heavily on proper trim, which is controlled by a directional button on the yoke. The Avidyne glass panels provided endless information; it was a lot to absorb in addition to the scenery.

We flew alongside the cliffs off the north coast on Molokai and eventually joined the circuit for a touch and go at

Kalaupapa. Wind was 30kts down runway 05, but still smooth flying. The angle of attack indicator was positioned at eye level on the glare shield, and it certainly made the correct approach angle and speed a lot easier to manage. Waves were crashing alongside the runway and at the end. A very unique perspective!

We returned to Maui at 1500ft to avoid the multiple helicopter air tours coming at us and a good landing on 05 at Kahalui finished the fantastic experience

This is an adventure I would highly recommend for any pilot; I will do it again next time in Maui!

Meantime, I continue to dream of owning a Cirrus.