Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 2, 1 Pepeluali 2000 — Captain Richarcl Kaʻapuni: at home in the cloucls [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Captain Richarcl Kaʻapuni: at home in the cloucls

Capt. Richard Ka'apuni in uniform. By Joyson Harper

FLYING OVER the blue waters of the Pacific Oeean, United Airlines Captain Richard Ka'apuni reflects upon his Hawaiian ancestry, often marveling at how his ancestors navigated the waters he soars over today. "Sometimes when I'm flying over the Pacific Oeean I feel this connection to the oeean. I feel proud to be Hawaiian, proud to know my ancestors navigated these same waters without the benefit of modern technology." As a veteran pilot for United Airlines,

Ka'apuni has flown the skies of Europe, South Ameiiea, North America, Asia and the Pacific. A product of McKinley High School on O'ahu, he credits his success in life, and as a commercial airline pilot, to the lessons of his mother's wisdom and his public education. "My mother was the sole provider and her strong work ethic rubbed off on me at an early age, said Ka'apuni. When I was of age to work, I got a job." As a pilot for United Airlines Ka'apuni is part of a select group of professionals qualified to fly the 747, the largest commercial passenger plane in the world. But Ka'apuni's first job was

as a dishwasher at the Salvation Army's Camp Homelani in Mokulē'ia, O'ahu. Later he worked at the eamp for a eouple of summers in different capacities. He met his wife Clarita at summer eamp. "She was a waitress at the eamp and we soon became ffiends. The romance didn't start immediately. We kept in touch through college and then the romance began to blossom. Today we have one son, Neil, and have been married for 31 years," he recalled. Upon graduating high school, Ka'apuni attended Honolulu Technical School, now called Honolulu Community College, to pursue a degree in eleetronics. However, fate had other plans for Ka'apuni. Onee he graduated, Ka'apuni planned to attend an electronics school for the Army. However, the school was closed

and Ka'apuni decided to attend the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. At UH he pursued a degree in electrical engineering and became involved in the Air Force ROTC program. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and was assigned to flight school at Webb Air Force Base in Big Spring, Texas. "The first time I sat in a pilot's seat and took the controls, felt really good. It was amazing to be able to pilot an airplane and make it respond to my input. It was absolutely fascinating to me. Today after more than 30 years of flying, I still get that same thrill," said Ka'apuni. Ka'apuni describes himself as lacking motivation during his younger years. "A See KA'APUNI on page 21

Forthirty years, United Airlines Captain Richard Ka'apuni has been flying to exotic destinations. Today, this loeal boy still finds excitement and wonder in piloting airplanes and traveling the world.

mni ii moiiie

PHOĪO: JAYSON HARPER

KA'APUNI

From page 14

lot of people I went to school with were able to achieve great personal things in their lives, based on their education. Over time I began to set goals for myself. I soon realized that what you get out of your education is what you put into it. I began to work hard to achieve the goals that I set for myself." Ka'apuni's memories of his experiences are vivid, full of lessons learned and challenges overeome. His job enables him to explore the world and experience different people and cultures. / / ^Fraveling is one of the best things you ean I do to broaden your scope of people and I how they live and co-exist with others. I But perhaps the most significant thing I about traveling is that when I eome back to Hawai'i, it's without a doubt the most beautiful plaee in the world" When Ka'apuni isn't flying he enjoys skiing, reading and restoring old cars. At his second home in the San Francisco Bay area, he is restoring a 1961 Jaguar Mark 2. Over the years Ka'apuni has been to hundreds of foreign destinations. However, trying to remember the first plaee he flew to proves to be a difficult task. After 30 years of flying, the job is still an exciting experience. "There aren't any experiences that stand out in my memory. Ask any pilot and they will tell you that things are usually routine. Bad weather, meehanieal problems, slippery runways, landing in monsoons, they're all routine." ■