Ahhh!! Sweet memories. Billeted in the Ilikai Hotel on the 32nd level with views of next-door Hilton Village and Waikiki beach stretching to Diamond Head. A thousand yachts tied up at the marina with the odd female body clad in bikini showering on the jetty. The resonance of deep-throated notes from conch shells as lamps were lit by lap-lap clad native Hawaiian employees running the gauntlet of strategically placed illuminators, announcing the commencement of a night of inestimable fun for the tourists, sadly excluding we students who were about to be introduced to the thrill of learning to operate a DC-9 on back-of-the-clock rostered training flights.
Who was it who said this performing fighter-like aircraft had to be handled with extreme caution immediately after take-off? With elongated fuselage and the increased power of later model engines compared to those operated back in Australia by TAA and Ansett, these wizened pros, the Hawaiian Airlines instructors, demonstrated the ease with which a 25-degree banked turn off the deck for noise abatement compliance, was handled with confidence-building ease.
Back-of-the-clock operations ensured a minimum of conflicting traffic to and from Honolulu International airport, making the introduction to this magnificent pilot's aircraft practically stress-free. While the eventual introduction of simulators put finish to such endorsements, the memories linger on, to the boredom of the ear-bashed younger generations.
Lest we forget!
