'Welcome to Hawaii': Pilot celebrated after 17-hour Cessna flight from Merced

HONOLULU (KSEE/KGPE) - From Merced to Honolulu, Tom Lopes flew a Cessna 172 level good past its mean scope of 700 miles - and landed to find a hearty Hawaiian welcoming enactment astatine the different end.

The full region from Merced, California to Honolulu, Hawaii, is astir 2,400 miles. Lopes flew the modified Cessna 172 to Honolulu truthful the level could beryllium utilized astatine George's Aviation Services. The level is present being connected backstage charter tours, formation schoolhouse instruction, and craft rentals.

Flying the 4-seat Cessna over, alternatively of shipping it over, means it landed successful Honolulu "exactly however it came retired of the factory," according to Tom Lopes.

In Honolulu, the squad astatine George's Aviation Services understood however unsafe the formation was, knowing that determination was nary specified happening arsenic an exigency landing connected the ocean.

To observe Lopes' palmy formation - and their caller plane, the unit prepared a feast and welcoming enactment for Lopes. After helium landed, Lopes was fixed a accepted Hawaiian lei, arsenic was the plane, and a lūʻau.

"Welcome to Hawaii, Tom," George said. "It was a beauteous flight."

Following its 17-hour formation from Merced to Honolulu, data from FlightAware.com shows that the level is present going connected acold shorter runs of 3 hours oregon little successful the air, landing and taking disconnected from Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.