Biggest Little Airshow

It’s not every day we civilians can drive over to Ford Island. The Biggest Little Airshow gave up a chance to drive over the bridge to Ford Island and enjoy a wonderful show.
Well planned event accommodated the masses by providing an organized parking layout and bus transportation to and from the Pacific Air Museum where the activities were held.
Once into the event area, you are greeted with bleachers and tents to watch the show. Food vendors (Aloha Beer) were there to quench the thirst of hundreds with bottled water and of course, beer.
Hangar 79 homes the retired decommissioned gets and carriers. The Exhibits and Pacific Air store sits in Hangar 100 ((I think it’s 100; in any case, its next to Hangar 79)
The air show amazed hundreds with the scale sized planes and engines that performed literally like real life jets. Kudos to the makers and the remote fliers.
I attended the Sunday event; and even at the late hour of 2 pm; people were still in the bus lines filing in to attend the finale of the event. Simply amazing.
Thank you, Unilocal for giving me the opportunity to attend such a great educational event.
(ps– I am a climate control person and being under the hot sun is not my idea of fun BUT the Biggest Little Airshow was a definite reason to compromise my climate control attitude)

It’s quite sad that most tourists can say that they’ve visited more places on Oahu during their vacations than I have in my entire life… lol! When Unilocal announced that they would be giving away free passes to this event, I took it upon myself to be open to this new experience even if my interest in it wasn’t all that great. To be honest, I really didn’t know what to expect.
The Biggest Little Airshow took place on June 4 & 5, 2016 on Ford Island (right outside the Pacific Aviation Museum) from 10 am to 4 pm. You usually need a DoD pass in order to gain access onto Ford Island, but none was needed on this weekend. The security guards just waved us on as we crossed the bridge to get onto Ford Island. Signage and people directing traffic were abundant so we were able to find the parking lot with ease. There was also a free shuttle that took people from the USS Arizona Memorial to the event.
There were full scale planes displayed outside the check in. Check in was a breeze. Bags are allowed, but they will do a quick check inside. They do not allow coolers, outside food and beverage, and pets (only service animals). Thank goodness that they allow you to bring your own water bottles, though. It was a scorching hot day!
We checked out Hangar 79 first to get out of the sun. There were HUGE fans inside to cool off. There were full scale planes and helicopters, as well as radio controlled sized planes for attendees to view. People could also sit inside a couple of the planes. I took the opportunity to sit inside the Northrop F-​5A Freedom Fighter that was acquired by the Imperial Iranian Air Force in 1969 (painted with classic Republic of Korea Air Force markings honoring General Kim Too Man, a legendary figure in the Republic of Korea Air Force). There were also uniforms for people to try on and crafts for kids — make a glider, make an airplane out of a water cup. The part of the hangar that sparked my interest were the real bullet holes in the glass windows on the hangar doors. They were from the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Such history in this place…
The actual airshow didn’t start until 1:00 pm, so we just walked around the event looking for something to do. There were radio control flight demonstrations, rides for kids, a rock wall, snow to play in, other full scale airplanes to check out, and food/​alcohol booths. We tried to take a look in the Pacific Aviation Museum, but there was an admission fee of $ 12/​person. Luckily, we were able to find a table to sit at to kill some time under the eating area tent. We tried to find something to eat, but only ended up with some garlic fries from Teddy’s Bigger Burgers. Food choices included: kielbasa, brautwurst, hot dog, giant cookie, bumbucha nachos, kalua pig nachos, cheese nachos, churro, pretzel, cookies, lemonade, other various drinks, Papa John’s pizza, slushee, shave ice, popcorn, funnel cake, deep fried oreos, burgers, chicken tenders, and corndogs. The Laniakea Café in the museum was also open for food options.
The airshow consisted of demonstrations of remote controlled warbirds, jets, and helicopters. We stayed to watch some of the jet and helicopter performers. It was pretty neat to see them zooming through the air at fast speeds and soar high up into the sky. The music they played in the background added to the entertainment. The helicopter we saw did some incredible tricks that you’d never see a helicopter do in real life. I also heard that there was going to be a Jelly Belly candy bomber at the end of the show dropping jelly beans for the kids. We didn’t stay until the end, but that must have been fun for the little ones.
Tips for future attendees:
1. Don’t follow your GPS… just follow the signs and people directing traffic for the event. Your GPS (for the Pacific Aviation Museum) will take you in a different direction.
2. Bring an umbrella, your own water bottles, and put on sunscreen. It’s going to be HOT!
3. Try to find the schedule of events prior to attending. The main airshow doesn’t start at the beginning so you might want to go later in the day.
A big high-​five and hug of ALOHA to Unilocal Hawaii for the 2 free passes to this event that I otherwise probably wouldn’t have attended or even known about without their announcement.

This was the funnest little airshow ever! If you got there early, after you pass through the maned gate, you were directed to the parking area. If you got there late, you would have been directed to the overflow or the extra overflow or just shuttled yourself in from Pearl Harbor. Some can even choose to bike into Ford Island.
The all-​day event had kiddie rides, food vendors, models, displays and airshow. Its an enjoyable time for all ages.
Thanks for the free admission!

Thanks so much to Unilocal HI for the complimentary tickets to the Biggest Little Airshow! I brought my dad along with me, and we had a great time.
As Dad has base access regularly, we had no issues driving over to Ford Island from town. Since we got there around 11:30am, we were directed to park in overflow parking and ride the shuttle schoolbus to the event on the airfield. Once we got off the shuttle, we were able to enter through the prepaid ticket line with no trouble.
There were a bunch of things going on, from the open exhibits in the hangar to the kid play area, food area, and airshow. We didn’t partake in the food or kid activities, but had a good time checking out the exhibits and watching the model plane airshow. It was cool that there were a bunch of model planes on display with owners on hand to answer questions — the planes looked extremely realistic, and I was surprised that several of the larger models use real jet fuel to operate!
My suggestion would be to bring an umbrella for shade… or at least a hat and sunscreen. It gets really hot out there on Ford Island! I noticed several signs that said no outside food and drinks were allowed into the event, but when I got there I saw a bunch of people there with food/​drink and even their personal hydroflasks. I would have definitely brought my water bottle with me had I known they were not being too strict!
TL;DR — prepare for sunny weather, great exhibits, and amazing model plane airshow!

I promise, I was there. (For the record, so I wasn’t a no-​show.)
Just at 3:30, because my ticket said «Sunday, AT 4:00.»
So…I showed up at 3:30, when everything was pretty much winding down. But from what I did see, it was pretty dope.
The hanger and museum were both really neat, and definitely worth checking out.
Even though it wasn’t a real air show, I will say that the model planes definitely looked like real planes soaring through the air when they were at a high enough altitude.
I wish I could say more but given the brevity of how long I was able to hang out, I missed out on getting to meet everyone there on Sunday. But hey, that stuff happens.

Many, many, Mahalos to Unilocal for the free passes to this wonderful event. My sister, little niece and I had a blast and all slept very well afterwards. The parking was well organized this year and we were able to drive in on Sunday and get parking very close to the venue with no trouble at all. The volunteers did a fantastic job and I am thankful that they were posted all around the area to keep things moving seamlessly. We arrived at lunch time and enjoyed the nice selection of lunch offerings, settling on sausage from the hilariously named, Sausage Fest, and a burger from Teddys. As expected at any event like this the food prices were a bit steep, but it was anticipated in advance. If you want to save a lot of $$$ plan on eating in advance. The museum displays, volunteers and staff were so wonderful & user friendly. We entered the hanger, took some photos and took part in interactive experiences. We truly appreciated the time and effort they put into preserving the history and could tell the pride and joy they took in their work… so a huge thank you to all the Pacific Aviation Museum volunteers and staff for their awesomeness! The show itself was very interesting. These model planes are no joke! they sound and look almost like the real deal and their operators are obviously very skilled. It would be interesting to know more about the planes and operators other than what the announcer shares throughout the show, perhaps on the event website. They put a lot of time and money into this so it would be interesting to see how one gets into a hobby like this. The only slight bummer of the day was that there were only a few kids rides /​activities and they were mostly for bigger kids. We got the wristband for my 4 year old niece and she could only really get on 2 of the rides so we just did the little planes once and then let her run up and down the same slide until she was exhausted. I saw some folks with younger kids give their tickets away all together because their kiddos were too young for all the rides. Otherwise it was a very well orchestrated and unique event! I can’t wait to go back to museum and spend more time sans little ones soaking in all the history. The mightly mo nearby is hosting picnics on the pier on various Fridays throughout the summer so this is really the time to get out to Ford island and enjoy all the activities there.

Thank you Unilocal Hawai’i for the tickets to this year’s show. My family and I had a blast!!!
We planned to park at Pearl Harbor and take the shuttle down but we made the «wrong» turn and ended up driving onto Ford Island. I’m so glad we did because it was my first time onto Ford Island and the drive is gorgeous!!!
We parked our van, loaded up the stroller and walked to the entry point and realized no outside beverages or food was allowed. Oops! I wish there were signs saying so before we got to the entrance but no biggie; sent the hubby to bring the cooler back to van and the kids and I watched the remote controlled model planes from outside the event area.
Checking in easy! I simply showed the email from Sherri @ Unilocal,the volunteer wrote down my ticket number and on we were. Thanks again Unilocal!!!
My hubby and I were amazed with the shows put on by the model planes. It really looked like we were watching The Blue Angels… just much smaller planes. The speed and tricks were unbelievable! And who knew model planes had to be safely and correctly landed just like real planes! Learn something new everyday!
My kids were much more entertained with the hands on activities (building mini gliders, dressing up in air suits and sitting in cockpits of military aircrafts) in the Hangar and the rides at The Keiki Zone. Thankfully ride tickets were affordable! They had a blast in the bounce house obstacle course, helicopter rides, and rock wall.
The food court included, but not limited to, Papa Johns, Teddy Bigger Burgers, and BBQ. All the food vendors accepted credit cards and offered fresh and affordable food. Thankfully there were plenty of tables and seats under the tent because the sun was scorching today!
We had hoped to spend some time inside the Pacific Aviation Museum but ran out of time. We can’t wait to finally check it out and for the next Biggest Little Air Show!

Thanks to Unilocal Hawaii, I scored free tickets for my daughter and I.
We attended Saturday’s event and we parked in the overflow parking lot, which had two buses shuttling us to the museum area and back.
As soon as we were dropped off, the check-​in process was smooth to where we were able to roam around checking out the displays of jets, planes and helicopters. There was a kid zone that had jumpers, rock climbing wall and a few rides. They had food booths that ranged from popcorn to Teddy’s Bigger Burger! Bank of Hawaii Mobile was on site for ATM services too! The event also had displays of the remote control jets, which was fascinating especially because I never knew they had jet remote controls AND it flies so high up in the air.
After we toured around, we toured inside the Pacific Aviation Museum, which was amazing! This is a definite must-​see or must-​visit for locals and tourists. I’ll save the experience for a Unilocal review on Pacific Aviation Museum though!
Once we toured and seen everything, we were able to outside by the check-​in area to board the bus to return to our cars.
Hands down, this was one of the most organized events ever. Thanks again, Unilocal Hawaii!

Talk about a fun-​filled family event! I know, I know, it sounds so cliché but that was definitely the case at this past weekend’s Biggest Little Airshow at the Pacific Aviation Museum-​Pearl Harbor. What makes this airshow the «biggest little» airshow, you ask? The live performances are done by pilots of remote control aircraft. In addition to the main airshow, there were tons of other activities to keep the whole family entertained. The airshow is held on Ford Island, where you usually need military clearance to enter. This event was open to the public and even offered free shuttle rides to and from Ford Island.
Parking was definitely ample; however, the lots they utilized were several parking lots around the hangars so there were many different parking lots available-​some near and some far. They also eventually had to use an overflow lot near the residential area. Check-​in was a breeze, there were separate lines for those who pre-​paid and those who needed to purchase tickets. Old planes and helicopters lined one side of the area which made for great photo ops. Across the aircraft was Hangar 79, where they had aircraft exhibits and activities for kids. Kids had the chance to do an arts and crafts project and make their own gliders and they also had the chance to go inside the aircraft exhibits. The cutest thing was there were flight suits and helmets for kids to wear while they walked around the hangar and take pictures inside of the cockpits.
If that weren’t enough, just past Hangar 79 was the Kid’s Zone which was lined with bouncy slides, a bouncy obstacle course, rides, a rock climbing wall and a snow mound. Yes, a snow mound, which was basically a huge pile of ice which was desperately needed because it must have been 90 degrees out. How they kept the ice from melting too quickly is beyond me but I know the kids enjoyed it. Prices for the rides and activities were pretty reasonable. The entrance to the bouncy areas were only 2 tickets ($ 1 each ticket).
Across of the Kid’s Zone were bleachers that provided an unobstructed view of the runway and on the other side of the Kid’s Zone were food vendors. They had a great mix of food vendors that included pizza, a beer garden, BBQ, shave ice, popcorn, funnel cake, nachos, and a few others. The food was no doubt priced sky high. I recall paying $ 4 for a bottle of Pepsi and $ 10 for the nachos; at least they were generous with the nachos and they piled it high with toppings. Anyway, I had a VIP pass for the air show so I didn’t have to purchase any more food. The VIP tent, located next to the bleachers, included free drinks (including beer and wine), fresh fruit, vegetables, kalua pork sliders and dumplings. They also had little freebies on the dining tables like pens, magnets and flashlights. The VIP tent also came with a great view of the runway and the best part was shade from the sun.
The actual air show was pretty good for an RC aircraft performance show. They got the show started right with the National Anthem and an introduction of the pilots and their aircraft. The show also gave a tribute to the Battle of Midway Warbird Performers. The Battle of Midway was a huge turning point in WWII where the US Navy became the aggressors of the war. The aircraft were pretty good replicas of the actual aircraft and the pilots proved to be skilled in their craft. They did tricks with the RC planes which included duets, spins, and even landing the aircraft smoothly. They ended the show with candy bombings for the kids, thanks to Jelly Belly!
The Biggest Little Airshow seems to be getting better and better every year. The 2016 event included a lot of new vendors and much more activities for the kids. Our nephews had a blast the entire time they were there and it was a plus that they’re already so into learning more about the military and aircraft in general. This is a great, family-​friendly event that I hope they continue to have annually. It exhibits and airshow doesn’t only teach children about aircraft but it also gives attendees a renewed appreciation for our military and our country.

What a great day! Good weather and lots of people showed up for this airshow featuring scale model planes performing awesome stunts and displays. The pilots using remote controls treated the public to numerous take-​offs, tricks, and landings. The helicopter was intense– it literally danced to AC/​DC! A big Mahalo to all of the participants. Along with the fun for kids, fair food, open cockpits and hangars was an opportunity to learn some history (The Battle of Midway), see some history (restored and partially restored vintage aircraft) and become part of an historical Biggest Little Airshow in the Pacific!

Very organized. Short and sweet. Planes were so authentic. Great for kids and kids at heart!

Thanks to Unilocal, me and my ohana enjoyed ourselves at the airshow. Was another beautiful day in Hawaii nei and this event topped our day.
Tons of parking with many volunteers posted throughout. They even had parking with a bus shuttling people to and from the event.
There was security enforcing the no food and drink from outside rule. Entry into the venue ran smoothly.
So many photo opportunities to get of the many different planes and helicopters of the different branches of the military. Instead of viewing them in the sky, we all had an opportunity to get close and see how complicated the cockpit looked and how huge these planes and helicopters were.
As much as I enjoyed seeing all this flying beauties up close. I enjoyed the airshow much more! Those pilot’s are top notch! How, I’d love to get a ride, but maybe not. They made moves, that would make any amusement ride seem like kid’s play. Some of those moves were so risky, that I caught myself holding my breath. I would have loved to watch more, but it was just too hot.
So what do you do when it’s that hot? You seek an ice cold beverage! So, we lined ourself in the lemonade line. Where we forked over our $ 10.00 for lemonade in a mason jar. It was $ 7.00 if you wanted it in a cup. It was kind of disappointing that the lemonade was warm. I think the mixture was warm when they poured it unto the ice, making the ice melt instantly. It made the top of the drink cool, but the bottom of the drink remained warm.
I love popcorn, so we stood in line. For $ 3.00 I got a small bag with additional toppings at a $ 1.00 each. So I added Furikake and mochi crunch. However, when I got the bag, they had no butter, so the Furikake didn’t stick to the popcorn. As I started to eat it, the popcorn was so salty, that I just started picking the mochi crunch out. Somebody had a heavy hand with the salt!
The shave ice was okay, the ice wasn’t smooth, but rather chunky. However, when you’re hot and sticky, crunching on some ice brings some relief.
The keiki enjoyed the man-​made snow, to beat the heat. Cost was 2 scrips. There were some rides and rock climbing put on by Extreme Fun.
Maybe the event should consider making it later in the afternoon, say 3:00 p.m. till 8:00 p.m., this so people could stay later and beat the heat. Also, if there were more food vendor’s that would be awesome!
Either way, we’ll return again!

I wanted to check this airshow out mainly to revisit the fascinating Pacific Aviation Museum and photograph the USS Oklahoma memorial, which is very well done. Oh yeah, the airshow itself sounded cool, but I assumed that because the planes were «little», they would be battery operated remote control toys.
I was wrong! They don’t call this the biggest little airshow for nothing. The planes are remotely controlled, but they are huge, they are fast, and they mostly guzzle actual fuel (some even jet fuel, a few I think were electric). Some of the planes were painstakingly built as accurate scale replicas of actual World War II era aircraft. The details and craftsmanship were impressive. Many were not mass-​produced, commercially available craft, but custom made works of art. Several (most? all?) of the pilots were real-​life aviators. You could view several of the planes up close and talk shop with the pilots, some of who are award winning (that may be an understatement).
Admission to Hangar 37 required an additional fee, but Hangar 79 access was included in the airshow admission ($ 5.50 if you purchase online, link below; $ 5 at the Pacific Aviation Museum entrance; family discount available). You can see many different types of restored full size WW2 era aircraft, murals commemorating the 74^th anniversary of the pivotal Battle of Midway, and even don a jumpsuit and sit in the cockpit of one of the aircraft and pretend you are a pilot for a photo op.
Outside, there were many different food vendors (shave ice, pizza, popcorn with arare, lemonade, plate lunch, etc). There is also an air conditioned café and water fountain in Hangar 37 and bottled water for sale in the Hangar 37 gift shop. The gift shop, which you are free to wander through, has steel pennies from WW2, MREs, and many different aviation and WW2 related items. Toy planes? Check. Souvenir hats? Check. Leather bomber jacket made of thick, antique leather? Check! Also, astronaut ice cream and grapes.
Back outside for the kids and kids at heart, there was a pile of actual snow for kids to play in, bouncy houses galore, rock wall climbing, and many other activities.
It was a beautiful sunny day. It got pretty hot out there in the bleachers without any shade. Some people brought folding chairs, others umbrellas. Hats and sunscreen at the minimum highly recommended. Aviator sunglasses would be fleek, and also useful.
Highly recommend this event to all. Don’t miss Day #2 tomorrow, Sunday, June 5, 10 am to 4 pm.
Online tickets (but you can save 50 cents by purchasing at the museum directly) and event schedule:

Big thanks for Unilocal and Emi for the tickets. Decided to check this out today since it was my day off. Took my brother along with me since he is in the Military and would appreciate it. We came around 12 pm and it was pretty packed. Luckily volunteers were there directing us to the location and where to park.
There’s a lot of different planes you can look at and I saw some kids dressing up and taking pics. The air show was exciting for me because I like to see the different maneuvers they make the plan turn and spin and fly as high as possible. I like that you did not have to wait long until the next plane would take off and put on a show. Definitely something fun for the kids and those who love to fly or like planes. They had rides and some kind of ice mound for kids to play and enjoy (you would need to purchase scripts to ride).
There was a variety of food vendors like papa johns, teddys bigger burgers, a lemonade stand, BBQ stand, hot dog stand and funnel cake stand. Great that they took credit/​debit card but there was also an ATM machine available.
It was really sunny and hot so it would be best to bring a hat or a huge umbrella. Also sunscreen up! Also a beach chair/​folding chair if you wanna relax and watch the air show.
We decided to also take a look at the Pacific Aviation museum which was also filled with different planes and history. It’s $ 15 for military and kamaaina so have your IDs available. It’s a short museum but filled with interesting fun facts.

Huge thank you to Unilocal,Emi H., Sherri F., and U.S. military for making this event possible and blessing us with the opportunity to be active attendees at this great family fun event!
Wear comfortable clothes and footwear, pack and take very minimal items with you and for your family, bring sufficient cash, sunscreen, wide brim hats as weather gets humid. Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor is located on Ford Island. Drive on Ford Island, show your military ID if this is requested at checkpoint. Otherwise, people can park at Arizona Memorial and catch free round trip shuttle. If driving on Ford Island, there are signs that will lead driver to free parking. No coolers, outside food and beverages are allowed. Inform staff if you must bring beverages and snacks that they are for your child/​children. Staff will inspect all carry on items upon entering premises. After entry point, there are three connected, clean and modern restroom portables.
There is Hangar 79, a covered building equipped with various military aircrafts. So cool to see children dressed in occupational one piece brown suit, sitting in aircrafts while mom or dad takes photos. I brought my 3 year old and he did not mind waiting in line to enter several of the aircrafts, to experiment with gears, switches, buttons and the best part is to capture moments on camera. My 3 year old enjoyed taking pictures on outside and inside of military aircrafts. Children also have the opportunity to make styrofoam airplanes and fly them across a circle stand.
Outside of Hangar 79 are white tents for purchasing scripts ($ 1 for 1 ticket). Get ready to spend minimum $ 2 or more on scripts redeemable for keiki fun which includes snow area, rock wall climbing, helicopter ride, and pirate ride. There is also free dinosaur bouncer ideal for older children.
Be prepared to spend cash for beer, Papa Johns pizza, shave ice, popcorn, lemonade and juice booth, churros, funnel cakes, nachos, Teddy’s Bigger Burgers and fries. I do not recall seeing booths offering debit or credit card transactions. Find big white tent to enjoy your meal, snack or beverage in the shade.
Highlight of our adventure is we love watching simulated controlled aircrafts from airplanes to helicopters fly in the sky, some at 180 degrees, 360 degrees, accompanied with smoke and high speed! Fun! Fun! Fun!

First off Big Mahalo to Unilocal & Emi for getting us free tix to this event. The aircraft & ‘pilots’ were great. Lots of cool planes on display & planes were always flying. You never had to wait long for the next ones. This year they had Papa Johns, Teddy Bigger Burgers & a few other booths with funnel cakes & lemonade (and more). Just the right variety. Part of the show area is also the Pacific Aviation Museum. So def had to check that out too. They did the traditional candy drop for the kids at the end. All in all… great afternoon on Ford Island.
The bus situation to & from the parking area was kind of a cluster, but it wasn’t that bad. Definitely wear sunscreen & you can take chairs. Oh, they had a beer tent too… but only Aloha Lager & Red ale.

Thank Emi and sponsors for the tickets to see this event! There were many helpful volunteers hiding and directing the traffic when you enter Ford Island.
We came early and got parking that wasn’t too far from the event. Others who parked further due to limited parking that was close to the event had to catch the school bus shuttle to the event.
We got to see the air show! I’ve never seen model aircrafts in action! It was so cool! They even had national competitors and former pilots come in and fly their plane model aircrafts. These aircrafts were the real deal because they flew so fast and did turns and tricks high up in the air. All the children were so excited to see the plane models in action. We decided to check the museum out, kamaaina rates are $ 15. Flight stimulator is $ 10.
It can get very hot, because the main part of the event is the air show outside. Be sure to leave water containers/​bottles at home because you can’t bring them in! They’ll check your bag! Please wear sunscreen, shades, or a hat. You can bring an umbrella for shade because the sun rays really do shine here. Bring a chair so you can sit and enjoy the air show instead of standing up. This experience is very kid friendly and is a great fun way for them to learn about airplanes!
You can buy drinks and food inside of the event so don’t worry about being hungry or dehydrated. There was pizza, sausage fest, teddy burgers, funnel cakes, lemonade, and barbecue. Have fun at the event! :)

The show was phenominal. These planes average about ¹⁄₁₀ the scale, some running on actual jet fuel, some computerized with diagnostics and cost about 5K. It ran from noon to 5pm. Be sure to bring an umbrella, get lots of cool berages then sit down to watch the show. One of my favorites was the T-​Rex Helicopter doing acrobatics that shouldn’t be possible at all but it did beyond the physics, at least of what I know and understand, of aeronautics. It is worth watching again. The last part supposed had a plane dropping jelly bellies that you could go out grab. We decided to stay out of the mad rush not wanting to get stampede on. Some of those kids were big. Beard and all. No thanks.
There were a few food trucks there or you could eat at the Laniakea Café inside the museum. Read my review on that before making a decision.
Thanks Unilocal for the free tickets.

Thank you Unilocal for the free perks. This show was great. This was my first trip onto Ford Island and the Pacific Aviation Museum. Although super hot and humid, the event was really fun. The model and real plane were a sight to see. The details and cost of these machines were incredible.
The air show was amazing. These planes and choppers are unreal. The maneuvers and crazy moves, to me makes it more fun than watching the Blue Angels. The Heli operators are talented and CRAZY.
Food vendors and lemonade stands made the heat bearable. I don’t know if we were supposed to go into the Museum itself without paying, but we did. Aaaah the A/​C was great haha.

I had no idea what this Event was all about. I just went in blindly, trusting my friend, Jules, who invited me as her +1. She had won free tickets through Unilocal — how lucky! Thanks Jules!
We got to Ford Island before the show started so that we didn’t have to catch the shuttles from the overflow parking area at the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. Everything was clearly labeled — the directions, the ATMs, the restrooms, the Kids’ Zone, etc. The volunteers were helpful and organized!
There were many vendors and food selections! We had the Kalua Pork nachos; Mango Lychee Bubble Tea with Ice Cream; Ribs; grilled Corn on the cob; and Lemonade in a refillable jar! Activities for children and adults included dress up as a pilot; make an airplane and fly it through a hoop; look through (and purchase) the used books on aviation; sit in the cockpit of a helicopter; collect candy from the Jelly Belly drop; tour the museum; visit the gift shop; go to the $ 5 concert by Maunalua; see the Nagaoka fireworks show at 8 pm! We spent a total of 11 hours there from start to finish! Time really flew by!
The main event was the «Biggest Little Airshow». Model airplanes were flown individually and in groups. They did tricky maneuvers and had to adjust their flight plans according to the winds just as pilots in full sized planes do. We sat at the top of the bleachers, shaded by a large banner. We applauded the skills of the remote controllers’ upside down techniques; cargo delivery moves; and smooth landings! Amazing! Many of the owner-​operators of the planes have won National Awards in model aircraft flying competitions and are former pilots!
Thanks to Unilocal for being one of the sponsors of this Airshow! It’s a great family activity as well as an educational opportunity! I have a better understanding of this hobby and a deeper appreciation of our Nation’s history! Mahalo to Emi & Unilocal Hawaii!