Yesterday I flew from Los Angeles to Hilo which is the biggest city on the Big Island of Hawaii. Hilo is the biggest city but is not as much of a tourist destination as Kona which is on the other side of the island. From Hilo there are two passenger destinations. Honolulu served by Hawaiian and will be by Southwest in 2020, and Los Angeles which is served by a United 738 once a day. It took off as the sun was rising on the west coast and landed just after 9 AM Hawaiian time
Starting our roll on Runway 24L Lifting off and turning Southwest away from the rising sun Flying away from the coast giving us 4 and a half hours of the blue Pacific to look at After more than 4 hours the first views of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea appear It was unusual to have a clear and sunny approach into Hilo because it rains almost every day. Hilo gets more than 130 inches of rain a year (About 10 feet of rain) compared to only 18 inches of rain in Kona which is only a 2 hour drive away. The US average is about 40 inches of rain per year Final Approach from the jump seat, and if you haven’t noticed, the approach into Hilo is pretty amazing Touchdown In Hilo with the tallest mountain in the world looming in the background
Please let me know your thoughts and opinions on the photos!