Wings of Aloha open house draws thousands to Hickam

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – More than 11,000 people got an up-close look at military aircraft and equipment Saturday during the “Wings of Aloha” Open House at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

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The free event ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and featured six static aircraft, military equipment and more than 45 interactive booths.

Attendees also had the chance to enjoy musical performances and other activities throughout the day.

The event hoped the interactive nature could help show the community how they do their jobs.

“I’m local, born and raised, Kailua boy,” said 1st Lt. Kapena Chee. “So this is a great opportunity for the rest of the local community to come out and see what we do, see how we execute our mission and what their support means to us.”

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Chee hoped to pass the enjoyment and work on to the next generation who were just like them growing up.

“I’m so happy that people are able to get excited and we have our young keiki who are excited about these kinds of planes and so anything that we can really do to pass it down and pay it forward,” he said.

The event also featured a flyover with two F-22’s but was missing a C-17, which had been retasked earlier in the morning to fly emergency equipment to Kauai in the wake of Hurricane Lowell.

The event was open to the public, though attendees 18 and older were required to have a valid U.S. REAL ID.

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