Typically, there’s a snack and time for some homework.
On Friday, there was touchdown — when a five-seat chopper landed at Kahakai Elementary School to give after-school students an up close encounter with pilots and life in the sky.
And quite the entrance the Mauna Loa Helicopter made.
It thundered in from the north, and when its yellow fuselage with a red stripe suddenly popped into view, the children screamed with excitement.
“Traitor! Traitor!” called out student Keakoa Christman, as he watched the chopper make several passes above the field before landing, including figure-eights, as keiki ran from fence to fence waiting in anticipation. “You’re a traitor helicopter, you’re not going to land!”
The event was put on to introduce students to alternate paths beyond college, said Holly Mandel, the fly-in coordinator and company compliance officer.
The children were all participants in the A+ program, which works with children whose parents are not home when they leave school.
More routine activities for the program include recess games, a snack and study time.
But Christof Lechner and Jonas Hitthaler, along with Mandel and Natalie Lee, the base manager, let the keiki explore the chopper after they landed it.
Lechner spoke to the keiki about aviation, while Hitthaler gave them a tour of the aircraft.
Kamaile Alford said the headsets were nice and hot when she tried them on.
Being a pilot was a new career option, she said, especially as helicopters are loud.
The children all had the opportunity to sit inside for a short time with the doors closed.
“It’s a good thing we took the keys out,” said Hitthaler, of the children who wanted badly to fly.
Despite the number of helicopters that criss-cross the Hawaiian sky, few of the children had ever seen one up close.
Kaylee Robertson, a third grader, was impressed by the noise and power of the aircraft as it landed. She’d never been close to one, beyond having a chance to sit in it.
Mandel, who is looking for other places to let the helicopter visit, said they want to show students that there are more options than going to college, getting a degree and entering a career.
That was one of the reasons she was glad Jonas Hitthaler, 21, was in the crew. Hitthaler began flying at 15, earning his fixed-wing certificate in his native country of Italy. He immigrated to the U.S., earned his helicopter certification and began flying at 18.
He said it was enjoyable to show off the aircraft.
“I wish we would get to ride in it,” said Daedree Gangano, a kindergartener.
There was one child who did get to ride out.
Ricky Mandel joined his mother on the return flight.
“Not a bad way to leave school,” said Holly Mandel.
