Adam, what did you dislike about being on the A330? Was it the schedule, flight times, equipment?
Dario,
It was simply the length of the flights. Being locked in a cockpit (albeit a comfy one) for 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 hours is a LONG time. Iām a chatty guy but it drove me insane. Iād eat wayyyyyy too much and Iād be lagging for days after. I think if I were younger when I started I may have been better at acclimating but it kicked my butt. Many of our pilots (as you found out) love it and they can have it! Iām happy where I am.
Adam
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Is there any difference on the way the planes handle from your experience when you switched from fly-by-wire to a hydraulic cockpit?
Dario,
I have gone from hydraulic to fly-by-wire. I really canāt tell much of a difference.
Chris
Dario,
The hyd to wire transition is generally undetectable since either way youāre really not actually moving the control surfaces. The big difference to me was going from a yolk to a stick (and then back). Whether itās hyd or wire most aircraft with yolks have some type of artificial āfeelā, the stick does not. The Airbus is also incredibly quiet. Between the 2 the you get zero feedback and flying the plane is much more technical. It gives you aural alerts and you land using those and your āsight pictureā. Very easy plane to land but more science than art.
Adam
To echo Adamās comment above - I have a friend that flys for Hawaiian and when I told him I was thinking about going to ATP he told me that ATP was a good school and that a number of Hawaiian pilots have sent their kids to ATP.
Frank
Adam, what is the difference between the 717-200 and 717-2BL?
I have no idea? Never heard of the 2BL.
Adam
Hi @Adam,
This is a question about Honolulu, not Hawaiian Airlines. I didnāt want to start a new thread.
Can you recommend a pilot shop in Honolulu? Iāll be there on a layover end of this month and Iām looking for an Electronic Flight Computer to use for my ATP exam. Thank you!
Isa,
Sorry but not really. There are a few FBOs on the South Ramp but Iām not familiar with any. Havenāt needed a Sectional in over a decade.
Btw, Iād probably look anywhere BUT HNL. Hawaii is the most expensive state for virtually everything.
Adam
Adam,
Thank you! Iāll pay the FBOs on the South Ramp a visit.
Thatās true! Unfortunately, I donāt have any layovers on the mainland this month or the next. Iām taking the ATP written and practical end of next month ā hopefully in time for Hawaiian Airlinesā application window.
If you think Hawaii is expensive, try buying products from US in Asia! Itāll be at least twice the price if itās even available. 
Thanks again!
Adam, does HAL hire a lot of pilots from skywest?
Dario,
Yes they do BUT itās not because theyāre SkyWest pilots, itās because theyāre Hawaiian. Hawaiian has and does hire pilots from many Regionals. The reason so many of our pilots come from SkyWest is because so many pilots FROM Hawaii choose SkyWest due to their strong West Coast presence. Pilots from Hawaii want to be close to Hawaii (hence the West Coast) so they can either commute or at least visit home often. Since thereās no question Hawaiian likes to hire pilots from Hawaii, yes many of our pilots come from SkyWest. Make sense?
Adam
That makes sense now, thank you! Iām getting my private here on the island, finishing at ATP, get hired at Skywest, then hopefully HAL. I decided to drop Ohana since I didnāt here good things.
Dario,
Your call and I also believe youāll get some valuable mainland flying experience at SW. Curious what you heard about Ohana though?
Adam
My instructor has a couple friends that work for Ohana and they said yes there are guaranteed interviews with HAL but in reality unless youāre the chief pilot there, you wonāt get hired. Hawaiian likes pilots with turbine and mainland experience. Also they said the pay isnāt that good either.
Dario,
Do as you like but Iād caution you to take the advice of people that āhave a friendā or āknow a guyā. Letās first talk facts: SkyWest 1st year pay is $37K, Ohanaās is $60K and unless Ohana has had a dozen+ Chief Pilots then clearly weāre hiring others. But sure, Iād definitely take the advice of your instructors friends of as to what Hawaiian ālikesā vs a Hawaiian Capt, but what do I know?
I am curious since Ohana is so bad AND since Hawaiian clearly prefers SkyWest pilots why your instructorās friends havenāt left to go fly for SkyWest. Theyāre hiring.
Oh and btw Hawaiianās first year pay is less than both SkyWest AND Ohana. Are they going to complain about their pay once they get here?
Adam
I totally understand Adam, Iāve heard so many opinions about HAL and Ohana, the good and bad, but Iām assuming those pilots donāt have any plans to go to the mainland. I just know I want to start with the regionals on the mainland. But believe me your advice has definitely been put to good use. I always tell my friends and family that you have helped me create a pathway and vision for my future career at HAL, so I thank you very much.
Dario,
Honestly itās my pleasure and I do believe thereās a tremendous amount of experience to be gained by flying on the mainland. Youāll see weather, terrain and airspace congestion that youāll never experience here. All Iām saying is ALWAYS check your facts and make your decisions based on those vs what you hear on the ācoconut wirelessā. 
Adam
Turb props are turbine engines.