After we rolled out of Al and Kapua’s cafe, I told Nolemana that I’d like to show him the small airport nearby, and that when Julie and I had been there, there was this really cool gyrocopter flying around. He said he’d like to go, so we drove just a half mile away to get there.

Sure enough, not only was the melemele [yellow] one out, but so were several others! I got small kine wai maka because I knew Papa-san (Nolemana’s dad who lived with us till he died at age 96) would have loved being there.

There were several old-timers that Papa-san would’ve loved to talk to. He worked for Lockheed as a jet test mechanic, and airplanes were his life!

This is the melemele one that Julie and I had seen from a distance.

Ho da kewt, yeah?

Wanna see da engine?

Here’s da kane who built it. They come in a kit, these gyrocopters!

Here’s anodda one.

And anodda.

Here’s the kane who wen build it, getting ready foa taking off.

And there he goes!

This airplane was going take off. There is a special name for it that I forget… something about da kine tail it has.

There goes da melemele one.

Heading down da runway.

We have lift-off!

The blue and white one takes off. See it against the building?

The melemele one had circled around and came back for a touch-point landing before heading up again.

We must’ve watched them for over an hour, and talked stories with some of the old-timers about their experiences. Oni good fun!

Would I have gone up in one? I don’t think so. But was fun watching others do it!

We headed back home again…past the St John’s Bridge in North Portland…

And the Steel Bridge in downtown Portland…

… and saw the top of Mt Hood poking his head out as we drove along a country road near our hale.