Pacific Steppingstones: Honolulu

CXLIII

Aviation, perhaps unsurprisingly, had an early start in Hawaii, where the need for quick connections between the islands increased dramatically as the 20th Century dawned. In 1889, a balloonist went aloft at Kapiolani Park in Honolulu. It did not take long after that for dreamers to imagine inter-island dirigible flights that never materialized. 

It was not until 1910 that one J.C. Mars flew a Curtiss P-18 biplane at an exhibition in Honolulu. Although he had thousands of people watching him he made little money as most could see him from the surrounding hills without paying admission. 

“Bud” Mars brings the airplane to Hawaii, 1910

In 1913, Tom Gunn, a Chinese-American, flew the first seaplane from Honolulu Harbor on a sightseeing tour (it cost the amazing sum of $25.00 for a single passenger).

Tom Gunn, a native San Franciscan, introduced flying to China in 1910, and made more than 800 flights for Sun Yat-Sen’s emerging government

In 1916, Sun Yat-Yung, like Tom Gunn a Hawaiian of Chinese extraction, became Hawaii’s first in-State licensed pilot. Sun, who learned to fly both landplanes and seaplanes, later went to China where he became Aviation Minister to Sun Yat-Sen. He founded the China Air Force (C.A.F.) and opened the first aircraft factory in China. He also encouraged the founding of the China National Aviation Corporation (C.N.A.C.) and of what eventually became the American Volunteer Group (A.V.G. or “Flying Tigers”).

Sun Yat-Yung, the original Chinese warplane “Rosamund,” and the first members of the China Air Force (C.A.F.) shortly before his death in combat in 1923 when Sun was killed by a warlord

Aviation in Hawaii, like many other things, has a strong military cast to it. In 1917, the U.S. Army based the first seaplanes in Hawaii at Fort Kamehameha. That same year, the Army began inter-island military flights to Maui and the Big Island (Hawaii). The Army purchased Ford Island in Pearl Harbor in 1917 as well, and in 1923 Ford Island became part of the rapidly expanding naval base there. 

 

The first attempt to fly from San Francisco to Hawaii was undertaken by U.S. Navy Commander John Rogers in August 1925. Rogers was forced down in the ocean but was able to rig a sail to his seaplane and sailed a fair distance toward Honolulu. He was credited with having flown 1,841 miles, a world record for the time. Honolulu later named its airport (now Honolulu International) for John Rogers. It was the first full-service civilian airport in the Territory.  

John Rogers Field in 1927. The adjacent Keehi Lagoon became part of the airport when it was dredged and outfitted for use by seaplanes and flying boats

 

Honolulu International Airport today

Cmdr. John Rogers U.S.N.. There is some question whether “Rogers” should be spelled with a "d." No two sources agree. Rogers was killed in a plane crash in 1926

Until 1929, the only way for Hawaiians to travel between the islands of the Territory was either privately or via Inter-Island Steam Navigation Company, founded in 1883.  On January 30, 1929, Inter-Island began offering air connections between Oahu, Molokai, Maui and the Big Island. Known first as Inter-Island Airways, the airline originally used S-38s to transport both passengers and mail; eventually, Inter-Island Airways became known as Hawaiian Airlines.

An S-38 of Inter-Island Airways

The S-42 served Hawaiian Airlines from 1935 to 1946

Inter-Island Steam Navigation ceased all but cargo transport in 1947, turning over its passengers to Hawaiian Airlines, which, to this day, has an unblemished safety record.  

Hawaiian Airlines, in its distinctive “Pualani” (“Heavenly Flower”)  livery,  now flies the Airbus 330-200 to destinations like South Korea, China, Japan and Tahiti as well as continuing to provide the inter-island service for which it was founded