Great Hawaiian
Air Race fliers
wing it for kids
Forty-seven modern and vintage
By Susan Kreifels
planes make it the largest
air race here since 1927
Star-BulletinForty-seven planes took off from Honolulu Airport under clear skies this morning as the two-day Great Hawaiian Air Race got under way.
The planes, both modern and vintage models, created a colorful spectacle, taking to the air in five waves starting around 8:30 a.m.
Such a gathering of aircraft has not happened in Hawaii since the 1927 Dole Air Derby, the only other major air race here.
The 575-mile race has raised more than $50,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Hawaii, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening diseases. Co-organizer and pilot Willie Tashima said plans already are under way for next year's race.
Among the participants is Eric Barto of Maui, who said he has been flying with his father since he was 5.
This is the first time the two will be racing in their 36 years together in the air, but Barto is hoping his years of flying and sailing in the islands will give them the edge in the race.
"We're going to give it our best shot," said Barto, flying a single-prop Piper Archer.
Teams -- several of them composed of fathers and sons, and married couples -- are from 22 states and Australia.
By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Naomi Kawazoe and Mark Christensen walk hand-in-hand to
their Mooney airplane before the start of the Great Hawaiian
Air Race at Honolulu Airport.
In today's leg they were scheduled to fly past Waikiki before heading to Molokai, Lanai and Maui, where participants will spend the night.The aircraft are expected to return tomorrow after swinging by the Big Island and Oahu's North Shore.
Pilots and crew gathered for a sunrise breakfast today at the Island Seaplane Service dock near Keehi Lagoon amid an atmosphere of excitement and good cheer at weather reports predicting a few bumps along the way, but otherwise good flying.
About half of the pilots are from Hawaii, but only a handful have raced.
One of them is Aimee Kuprash, for whom the race has a special meaning. Her step-grandfather, Art Goebel, won the 1927 Dole Air Derby.
"It's certainly meaningful," said Kuprash, a Honolulu resident. "I have history and family connections. I grew up here as a kid."
Tashima is also an experienced racer. The former surgeon said he has raced around the world, as well as around South America.
All the planes taking part are Hawaii-based.
The oldest is a 1947 consolidated Vultee L13A, a military photo reconnaissance and air ambulance aircraft with a 41-foot wingspan that shadowed the others. Rob Moore of Makakilo, a retired Air Force colonel, bought the vintage model five years ago in Alaska.
Moore said he would be the "last to go and the slowest." His three passengers included Colin "Spike" Haenel, 10, one of the youngest to fly in the race.
Ole Moyer and wife Elizabeth of Maui were the last to leave. They said finding a baby sitter for their 4-year-old son held them up.
A banquet will be held tomorrow night at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, where more than 30 awards will be given in several categories of aviation speed and proficiency.
