Description
Honolulu Soaring (also known as The Original Glider Rides) was established in 1970 and has operated continuously from Dillingham Airfield on Oahu’s North Shore. In 1970 (as today) the airfield was a military-owned facility on lease to the State of Hawaii for civilian use.
The view from a bubble-topped sailplane is out of this world! High above Oahu’s famous North Shore, average visibility is 30-40 miles. Take a ride with one of our million-mile pilots, and watch the breathtaking beauty of the island unfold below. It’s an experience you’ll want to share. Our 46th year !
We are Hawaii’s oldest and largest soaring operation, having been at Dillingham Airfield ‘Since 1970’. What a wonderful way to see the island, in our sleek high-performance aircraft, soaring the skies over northwest Oahu. Panoramic vistas unfold as your pilot guides you in this bubble-topped aircraft; on the wings of the wind with sights and sensations never experienced before. It’s thrilling, it’s serene; and it’s HAWAII!
Scenic Glider Tour
Your piloted Scenic Glider Tour will start with flight along the lush Waianae Mountains with rugged cliffs, cattle and horse trails; panoramic views of Oahu’s world famous North Shore including Waimea Bay; a glimpse of the Satellite Tracking Station at Kaena Point, and colorful windsurfing sails off the beach at Mokuleia. Depending on the length-of-ride and weather conditions, you can see all of the North Shore and most of the interior of the island including Pearl Harbor, Diamond Head and Honolulu to the South. A 20-minute flight can attain altitudes of 3,000 feet or more, and longer flights are available. Mother Nature sometimes has a say in where we can fly and how high we can get (because of cloud-cover and wind-conditions), but rides of up-to-an-hour are available. Seating is “cozy”, so we suggest that you initially make your plans for flights of 30 minutes or less.
Add-on flight activities:
Aerobatic Loop-D-Loop Ride: You can spice up your scenic tour and include 7 – 10 minutes of aerial aerobatics. Complete with parachutes, you climb into the cockpit alongside an experienced aerobatic pilot and take a look at the world from a whole new perspective, up-side down! You call the shots, mild or wild, and decide how many aerobatic maneuvers and what kind of ride you want. Available for single-passenger riders only; maximum passenger weight 205-pounds.
Eagle Mini-Lesson: “Hands-on” Intro Flying Lesson that lets YOU do some of the flying! This is an introductory flying lesson in conjunction with your scenic tour. Your intro flight-lesson will be with an experienced FAA certified glider (sailplane) pilot, and you’ll be able to choose how much of the flying you’d like to do. You’ll be amazed at the ease of working the controls, and you’ll get an introduction to basic flying maneuvers. Available for single-passenger riders only.
3 in 1 “Combo” Soaring Flight: Experience a real “rush“!!! Sign up for both an Aerobatic Ride and Mini-Lesson as part of your single-passenger piloted Scenic Tour!
For MOST people, especially if you have not been exposed to small-aircraft flying, we recommend flights of 15, 20, or 30 minutes. Longer flights are available, but sometimes a “slice”-of-life will give more enjoyment. ‘Longest’ is not necessarily ‘Best’.
What to Know
Daily
Because of the excellent flying conditions in Hawaii, we operate year round. Our hours of operation are 10 am to 5:30 pm and sometimes later in the summer months when the days are longer.
Guidelines
Maximum weight for all single-passenger scenic flights is 270 lbs. (Maximum height 6ft 5in)
Scenic tours for 2 passengers can have a combined passenger weight of 350 Pounds with each person being of average size (170 lbs, 5ft 9in)
Maximum weight for all single passenger aerobatic flight is 205 lbs (Maximum height 6ft 1in)
Minimum Age for Solo Gliders: 14 years old
Driving Directions [ show ]
Directions from Waikiki / Downtown Honolulu to Dillingham Airfield
**Approximate drive-time = 55 minutes** (40 miles)
Get on the H-1 Freeway WEST-bound. Continue on H-1 West – past Pearl Harbor, past Aloha Stadium, past Pearl City. Two exits past Pearl City is the H-2 Freeway NORTH-bound.
Take the H-2 North until it ends about 8 miles later.
At ‘END OF FREEWAY’, the H-2 freeway BECOMES the City Street, Hwy 99; and you will continue thru 5 traffic signals (about 3 miles).
Just before Traffic Signal #5, there is a FORK in the road, and there are 3 or 4 ROAD-SIGNS giving the choices:
Hwy 99, North Shore, Haleiwa, Dillingham Airfield .
If you continue THRU Traffic Light #5, you are on the road to Dillingham Airfield .
If you were looking at a map, the next 6 miles after Traffic Light #5 is designated as Hwy 803;
(but there are NO ‘803’ signs posted); [ don’t worry ] …
Hwy 803 is a 6-mile stretch of road; 3 miles of straight; 3 miles of “windy” down-the-hill.
At the beginning of the windy-road, you are at 500-ft elevation
and at the base of the hill, you are at 20-foot elevation.
As you descend the hill, you will be able to see the North Shore coast-line,
and off to your LEFT will be the Waianae Mountain Range.
Unless visibility is limited by cloud-cover or haze, you will be able to see where the mountain tapers-off.
That is about the location of Dillingham Airfield , on the way to the northwestern tip of the island, Kaena Point.
AT THE BASE OF THE HILL is an INTERSECTION blinker-light; …‘YELLOW’ for you.
This is the intersection of Hwy 803 and Hwy 930. GO STRAIGHT THRU the intersection.
You are now on Hwy 930. Just for your information, Hwy 930 starts at the TRAFFIC-CIRCLE at Haleiwa (about 1 mile away),
and makes a 90-degree turn at the blinker-light INTERSECTION, and continues out towards Dillingham Airfield and Kaena Point.
FROM THE BLINKER-LIGHT INTERSECTION continue ahead for about 1 mile. Look for a ROAD-SIGN for MOKULEIA, and next to it, a small GRAPHIC-SIGN with an airplane.
These signs point towards the underpass of a bridge; go under the bridge. A half-block beyond the bridge, and on your left, is Waialua Intermediate & High School .
Continue about another 5 miles to the airfield.
Dillingham Airfield is a 2-mile-long airstrip, parallel to the highway, with a green chain-link perimeter fence-line.
There are 3 entrances to the Airfield. Entrance #1 is for the SKYDIVE activities (and the interior service-road for the
airfield). Entrance #2 is 1.5 miles further, and THAT is the Glider-port entrance.
As you enter the GLIDER-PORT parking lot, there is an OPEN-SIDED SHELTER-BUILDING
straight-ahead. This is the RECEPTION area. Ask for The Original Glider Rides/ Honolulu Soaring, and check in with “Mr. Bill”.
Directions from Turtle Bay Resort – North Shore to Dillingham Airfield
**Approximate drive-time = 45 minutes**
Get on Kamehameha Hwy (Hwy 83) going South and West.
Continue past Sunset Beach, past Pupukea (TRAFFIC SIGNAL), past Waimea Bay.
About 3 miles past Waimea Bay is the next TRAFFIC SIGNAL.
Go straight thru that 1st Haleiwa traffic signal, you will come upon ANOTHER traffic-light in about 1.5 miles;
and you will get into the RIGHT-HAND TURN LANE which will bring you to a TRAFFIC-CIRCLE (counter-clock-wise traffic) AT THE OTHER END OF HALEIWA.
HUG THE CIRCLE.
One of the exits out of the traffic-circle indicates destination MOKULEIA / Hwy 930 That’s the direction you want. You are now on the start of Hwy 930.
ABOUT 1 MILE BEYOND THE TRAFFIC CIRCLE is an INTERSECTION blinker-light; …‘RED’ for you . This is the intersection of Hwy 803 and Hwy 930.
TURN RIGHT after stopping at that intersection.You are now continuing on Hwy 930.
FROM THE BLINKER-LIGHT INTERSECTION, AFTER MAKING THE RIGHT-HAND TURN, continue ahead for about 1 mile.
Look for a ROAD-SIGN for MOKULEIA, and next to it, a small GRAPHIC-SIGN with an airplane.
These signs point towards the underpass of a bridge; go under the bridge.
A half-block beyond the bridge, and on your left, is Waialua Intermediate & High School.
Continue about another 5 miles.
Dillingham Airfield is a 2-mile-long airstrip, parallel to the highway, with a green chain-link perimeter fence-line.
There are 3 entrances to the Airfield. Entrance #1 is for the SKYDIVE activities (and the interior service-road for the
airfield). Entrance #2 is 1.5 miles further, and THAT is the Glider-port entrance.
As you enter the GLIDER-PORT parking lot, there is an OPEN-SIDED SHELTER-BUILDING straight-ahead.
This is the RECEPTION area. Ask for The Original Glider Rides / Honolulu Soaring, and check in with “Mr. Bill”.
| Check In: | 10 minutes before tour time |
| Flights depart: | Between 10 am and 5:00 pm daily |
| Food Served: | n/a |
| End Time: | Varies by actual flight-duration option selected. |
| Duration: | 15, 20, 30, or 40 min flight options (All flight durations subject to existing weather conditions.) |
| Includes: | Scenic tour, add-ons available for additional fee |
| Bring: | Casual Attire, light sweater, camera |
| Required: | n/a |
| Location: | Dillingham Airfield, North Shore Oahu, 8-miles West of Haleiwa (about 55 minutes from Waikiki) |
| Transportation and Parking: |
Transportation not included. Ample parking available at the airfield Glider-port . |
| Notes: | • Maximum weight for all single-passenger scenic flights is 270 lbs. (Maximum height 6ft 5in). • Scenic tours for 2 passengers can have a combined passenger weight of 340 Pounds with each person being of average size (170 lbs, 5ft 9in). • Maximum weight for all single passenger aerobatic flight is 205 lbs (Maximum height 6ft 1in). |
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