I’ll chime in from Kapolei, on Oahu’s SW corner...
Bring your drone, follow all the aforementioned advice, then have a great time. Helping my father with some real estate ventures over the last few months, I’m on my second trip back here since the pandemic, along with my squadron.
My
M2P and
MA2 are competing for the more picturesque spots, and for shots that require a little more distance. My MP is being used for fishing off the beach, with its drop attachment (generic stuff typically found on eBay). We drop squid-baited hooks with light sinkers just beyond the reef, preferably around a bait ball, and have landed fish typically caught from trolling boats.
West side and North Shore Oahu have great flying spots, and that’s where the best surf spots are right now. South side from Ewa Beach to Honolulu has some restricted airspace with Honolulu Airport and adjoining Navy/Air Force base. East side looks open, but most flying spots are on anti-drone state parks. That’s the area with the easiest spots to see whales, but they’re not migrating until about March.
The middle of Oahu has many great vistas from which to fly, but be aware that Army rotary aircraft from Schofield and Wheeler conduct daily exercises with varying fligh patterns.
Kona would be a great place to fly, so just pay attention to airport traffic and frequent tourist helicopters. The Kilauea volcano area is all state park, so you won’t be able to legally fly there. From pretty much any legal flying spot on the Big Island of Hawai’i, you’ll have a view of a volcano or two, and plenty of lava rock fields.
I hope this helps...
See the Local and Regional section for more specific flying spot info. When I arrived in October, I didn’t get many responses to my post asking to fly with anyone or asking for suggestions. Our local forum members may be too tired of answering the same questions, as seen from historical posts over the last few years. So I went out and enjoyed the adventure of driving around the island with full batteries, checking Kittyhawk, ensuring it wasn’t a state park, and watching for any “No Drone” signage.
Above all, stay away from sacred native lands. Some are well-marked, while others require local knowledge. Send me a PM for more specific info, as I have Hawaiian lineage, and am therefore very respectful of ancestral grounds. Someday, I may post about a very weird flying behavior from my
MA2 over what I learned to be a very sacred beach and lagoon. It’s really about respect out here, more than anyplace else I’ve flown on the Mainland.
The dreaded sign at the Mount Tantalus scenic overlook above Honolulu, with the famous Diamond Head volcano looming in the background. So just drive out of the park, down the hill about a mile, and you’ll come to a non-park overlook from which you can actually fly. Common sense prevails.
Season’s Greetings, and Mele Kalikimaka to you and your ohana.
