Any recommendations for a rental in Oahu?

[Matthew]

There’s a chance I can visit Honolulu. I was thinking about finding someplace where I could get a CFI and a 172, or similar, for an hour. Would be cool for this guy from Kansas to get a flight like that in his logbook.

I just started looking at the sectional and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of choices.

 

[beachcitypilot]

I haven't done Honolulu but I did Maui in March of 2023. Here are some suggestions - your milage will vary.

Pilot School Hawaii | Barber's Point Flight School

Pilot School Hawaii: Barbers Point Flight School is positioned to take its flight training courses into the future with modern and sophisticated online training methods and state-of-the-art equipment.

www.hawaiiflightschool.com

Hawaii Airplane Rentals | George's Aviation Services | Airplane Rentals

Whether you are a resident or a visitor to Hawaii, enjoy Hawaii airplane rentals and some of the most exciting flying in the world at reasonable rates.

www.georgesaviation.com

They provided me with a map of all the visual reporting points and local knowledge I would need. I went up on a quick checkout flight and then was able to rent the airplane as much as I wanted for the rest of the week. My wife has only one regret on our trip to Maui - we should have rented and flown the plane every day. It was the highlight of the trip.

Here is a picture she took from the passenger window

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

^^ I Second that.
I did Georges Aviation and it was awesome. I had the instructor come along in their 172 so when I wanted, I could have him fly while I took pictures and video.

 

[Domenick]

I flew out of Maui a couple of times on different trips. The most important lesson I learned was, you can fly low on the windward side, but get a lot of altitude on the leeward side. After thousands of miles of laminar flow across ocean, it hits those mountains and sends the leeward side air into a washing machine. On my first flight I came back with bruises on my scalp from banging into the overhead. Turbulence was so bad I couldn't tune the radio.

Might be an easier ride on Oahu since its highest point is 4000' and Maui's is 10k.

Find a place to do it. You'll have a great time and an unforgettable memory.

 

[SixPapaCharlie]

I flew out of Maui a couple of times on different trips. The most important lesson I learned was, you can fly low on the windward side, but get a lot of altitude on the leeward side. After thousands of miles of laminar flow across ocean, it hits those mountains and sends the leeward side air into a washing machine. On my first flight I came back with bruises on my scalp from banging into the overhead. Turbulence was so bad I couldn't tune the radio.

Might be an easier ride on Oahu since its highest point is 4000' and Maui's is 10k.

Find a place to do it. You'll have a great time and an unforgettable memory.

Oh yeah, its bumpy out there.

 

[Pinecone]

I did George's Aviation on Oahu. Flew the DA-40 for a new make/model.

We did a flight to Lanai to get checked out to do island to island if I wanted to later. They had no issues with my GF riding in the back (with consideration of W&B).

You can also do an Oahu checkout. Or just do a sight seeing flight for a one off. Nice people, flexible.

The hardest part is finding the most current chart of the VFR departures and arrivals. The are MANY versions online.

 

[iamtheari]

I need to go back to Hawaii to go flying. It seemed like most places required non-residents to do a checkout and their rental on separate days, and that wouldn’t work with my schedule when I was there.

Instead, we rented a replica 356 Speedster on Maui and drove as far on the Road to Hana as we could without starving.