First Chopper Flight For Luke

I had a helicopter shoot scheduled for Friday and Monday my buddy Curt called to say he would be flying his Boeing 767 in on thursday night. So I decided to move up to a four seater R44 helicopter so that Curt could come along and I could take my son Luke on his first helicopter flight.

When I need to fly low and slow for a photo shoot I call Ben Fouts at Mauna Loa Helicopters, the finest flight school in the Pacific if you want to learn how to fly a paper weight without wings. We climb aboard, strap in and take off to shoot four construction sites in Kona.

Here is the new fire station being built at the Kona Airport.

Here you see the site of the new St Michales Church being built. The original St. Michaels was built in 1850 but was severly damaged in the 2006 earthquake. It was torn down earlier this year and a new church will be up and worshipping god next year.

My good friend Curt is used to sitting in the very front seat of a jumbo jet, but today he seems happy to sit in the back and enjoy the view.

Luke enjoyed his time looking out the open door trying to spot some of the many tiger sharks the chopper pilot has been seeing lately.

The view from the front seat.

The flight crew.

We return to KOA with the sight of Haleakala, Maui off in the distance. 

 

 Luke, Curt and I had a good fun flight. I was glad Luke's first flight in a chopper was with me and Curt. Who knows what helicopters will look like throughout Lukes life, maybe flying cars will finally be zooming about, but Luke will always remember his first flight with his dad and uncle Curt!

Aloha,

                 Brian