Go Fly Stories

A Bird’s-Eye View of Maui

A Bird’s-Eye View of Maui

Photography didn’t find its way into Nick Moran’s life until a few years after he and his wife, Magen, moved in 2010 from the Pacific Northwest to Maui.

“After the move, I worked first as a kitesurfing/standup paddle instructor while accumulating enough flight time to get a full-time pilot job,” he says.

“I’d earned my helicopter flight instructor certificate right before we moved to Hawaii.

“My dad was in the Navy and I flew airplanes growing up, so aviation is in my blood.”

Maui Guide

Maui Guide

“When asked if I needed to bring anything specific along with me for our photography flight, Nick Moran responded, ‘Wear a pair of closed-toe shoes, and just be ready for adventure.’

“With those being the only two requirements, along with an eagerness to snap some awesome aerial photos, I was more than ready for my flight with Go Fly Maui.”

AOPA

AOPA

Nick Moran likes the wind. Growing up in Washington, he learned to fly fixed-wing aircraft at 15 and earned his certificate at 17 at Glacier Aviation in Olympia.

Working at the Bremerton naval base as an ordnance mechanic, Moran longed for a more active lifestyle, so he and wife, Magen, pulled stakes and moved to New Zealand to kite surf.

They were instructors in both kite surfing and paddle boarding and “had a blast” but eventually wanted to return to the States. They chose Maui, known for its trade winds and Kona winds.

Chasing ‘Tears’ with Photographer Michael Gilbert

Chasing ‘Tears’ with Photographer Michael Gilbert

Go Fly Maui recently had the privilege of taking professional photographer Michael Gilbert for a flight.
With his 35-150mm F/2.8-4 VC zoom model A043 in tow, the flight included a stunning, doors-off visit to “The Wall of Tears” deep in Mauna Kahalawai, also known as the West Maui Mountains, near the summit of Pu’u Kukui.

Ride along with Michael in this video from high-performance camera lens manufacturer Tamron.

Hawaii Magazine

Hawaii Magazine

We’re half a mile off Maui’s northern coastline when Nick Moran says the magic words: “My hands aren’t on the controls. You’re flying all by yourself.”

I glance to my left, where Moran is seated in the pilot’s chair of the helicopter, and his hands are completely removed from the cyclic, which helps to control the chopper.

“There’s no way,” I think to myself, “that I’m actually flying this thing.”

To see if it’s true I grab the cyclic and gently push it forward, and sure enough, just as Moran said it would, the helicopter changes its pitch, and an empowering sense of aerial freedom is now in the palm of my hands.

Maui No Ka Oi Magazine

Maui No Ka Oi Magazine

As we turn north to make the return flight to Kahului, Nick lets me take back control of the cyclic, and we glide along at 1,500 feet with frothing seas and big surf on our right, freshly washed forest slopes to our left. Since I get to choose, we’re flying right above the seam of the cliff and sea boundary for maximum visual drama.

I’m still nervous, and careful, but I’m also so stoked that I’m nearly floating in my seat.

As Pā‘ia and Baldwin Beach roll by below and the airport control tower materializes ahead, I realize that my flight is coming to a close just as I’m getting the hang of it.

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