I learned how to fly, in part, using the Ford Island runway. It was available to us for Touch-and-goes. It has been a great benefit to local civil avaition operations out of both HNL and Wheeler AFB simply because it gives a way for light planes to stay away from the “heavy” traffic. They already closed the nearby Barber’s Point strip all of which leaves a bunch of traffic working out of one complex. Those solar panels ought to be on top of the island’s buildings which cover about the same area as the runway. The weather is harsh enough there so that rooftop panels would be a great benefit to building life, something the OICC ought to be mindful of.
G’day
Wouldn’t Bellows and Kanoeha qualify as aviation battlefields, afterall, they were attacked too.
Cheers...Chris