solairus aviation blog

A Golfer's Paradise: Makena Golf Course

Nestled between the gentle slopes of Haleakala and the white sandy shores of South Maui, the 18-hole golf course at the Makena Beach and Golf Resort could easily be called a golfer’s paradise for our private charter jet passengers.

Open from sunrise to sunset, golfers have the unique opportunity to play where nature, beauty and skill come together in this challenging course with views of the sparkling Pacific Ocean, Molokini Crater and the neighboring island of Kahoolawe. Opened in 1993, the Makena Golf Course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and includes the second longest hole in the state of Hawaii at 620 yards.

The course begins with a par 4 at 417 yards and weaves alongside native foliage, natural ravines and Hawaiian archeology as ancient rock walls are found just outside the greens. Use precision to avoid the outcroppings of black lava rock, evidence of the dormant volcano, which can easily hide your ball around hole 5 and use skill to safely send your ball over the ravine on hole 6. Try limiting your gaze to only a few seconds at the breathtaking view on hole 12 and take note of the 620 yard distance on hole 14. The course ends with a par 4 at 422 yards.

You’ll be greeted with a crisp cold towel to refresh you upon returning to the clubhouse after finishing your game. Take a few moments to browse the items in the pro shop or have a bite to eat at the restaurant, Café on the Green.

Manicured greens, stunning views of the South Maui coastline and pristine golf carts which come with GPS, towels, tees and bottled water, this golf course is 40 minutes away from where your private charter jet will land in Maui, and is just minutes from the Inspirato Wailea Residences or a pleasant coastal drive from the new Kapalua Residence.

Published with permission from Inspirato.com

About Inspirato

We're revolutionizing the way luxury travelers spend quality time with their family and friends.
At Inspirato, we've taken best-of-class service and resort amenities combined with the low cost of villa rental to bring you the premiere club for a new generation of luxury travelers. 

Our membership plan is simple and affordable. 
You pay a one-time membership fee of $15,000, a small annual renewal fee of $2,500 and that's it. You can book any home in our portfolio, as often as you like, even during peak times… and pay only for what you use. Depending on the location, your savings over market rates can cover the membership fee in just a few trips.

Avalon Bay, Catalina Island (Photo credit: Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce)

Newport Coast, with its miles of naturally preserved coastline, sophisticated dining offerings, and world class golf courses is an optimal private charter jet vacation destination.  You can easily enjoy an ample array of satisfying recreational activities during your vacation here without leaving the 23 square miles of land that comprise this city’s terrain.  However, should you feel like exploring beyond this town’s borders, there are some fabulous day trip options that won’t disappoint!

A favorite of locals and tourists alike is the nearby island of Santa Catalina.  The island was especially favored in Hollywood’s glamour days when celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, James Cagney and many more made Catalina the preferred playground of the rich and famous.

Getting to Catalina requires advance planning.  The Catalina Flyer departs from Newport Harbor daily but reservations are generally required.   The ferry will have you at the island in 75 minutes. For more luxurious transportation to this Island, take a private charter jet and arrive in style.

Catalina Bison (Photo credit: Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce)

Once you reach Catalina you will be amazed at the remote beauty of this picturesque, quaint island.  Rent a golf cart and take your own personal tour. You can drive uphill to one the highest viewing points and enjoy the breathtaking scenic vista or make your way to the desolate side where bison roam freely.

By Rosanna Rutherford - Director, Client Services

Solairus Aviation recently helped coordinate a free charter jet trip for an eight year old boy, Cole, who lives in Indianapolis  and was obtaining special cancer treatment in New York. Thanks to the Solairus team, and one of our aircraft owner’s philanthropic vision and support, we were able to make this a memorable charter jet experience for Cole and his parents. Solairus was able to get involved due to the company’s continued efforts to give back to our community by partnering with companies such as Corporate Angel Network (CAN).

CAN works with patients, physicians, corporate flight departments, charter jet operators, and leading treatment centers to arrange more than 3,000 charter jet flights a year. Since 1981, this New York based nonprofit is the only charitable organization in the US whose sole mission is to help cancer patients access the best possible treatment for their specific type of cancer by arranging free domestic travel to treatment centers by matching their trip legs with empty seats on corporate charter jets. This improves the patients’ chances of survival and reduces their emotional stress, physical discomfort, and financial burden.

Due to recent internal automation improvements Solairus is now able to match patients’ needs and Solairus’ empty legs more efficiently; therefore we anticipate an increase in future CAN trips utilizing our charter jet fleet. We hope to be able to assist this cause whenever we encounter these “moments of truth” opportunities to match our charter jet flights to cancer patient needs across the country. Working together, Solairus and the Corporate Angel Network can make a difference that will last a lifetime.

    
In partnership with Solairus Aviation's private charter jet services, Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ has searched the world in order to find unique experiences to tempt the adventurer, gourmet, or romantic in you.

Small Luxury Hotels of the World ™ is an unrivalled portfolio of some of the world’s finest small independent hotels offering an infinite variety of memorable experiences.  Comprised of  over 520 hotels in more than 70 countries, the variety of hotels is diverse; from spas, country houses, golf resorts, island retreats, city sanctuaries, to game and wilderness lodges.  

Joining The Club of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ is complimentary and allows you to enjoy immediate benefits.  As a private charter jet client of Solairus Aviation, you will be upgraded to our “Loved" membership status, giving you complimentary room upgrades*, continental breakfasts, late check-outs*, and exclusive offers and rates from your very first stay.

Welcome to a world of benefits!

With a fleet of over 50 managed private aircraft, Solairus is one of only 85 Aviation Research Group/US Platinum-rated charter operators in the world. After completion of an intense operations and safety systems audit, the ARG/US Platinum rating is awarded only to those who have demonstrated that their procedures exceed industry “Best Practices” in all phases. Solairus has also received the NBAA Commercial Business Flying Safety Award and is an IS-BAO certified private charter jet company.


For more information about Solairus Aviation’s safety program, please visit: solairusaviation.com/safety.and.standards

Solairus Aviation Dispatcher, Darren Nolan, recalls his recent opportunity to fly with Solairus Pilot, John Kibler, in one of the company's Citation CJ3s!

The world looks pretty amazing from 45,000 feet above sea level. I had the amazing opportunity to see this wonderful view last week when John Kibler, private charter jet pilot of one of our Citation CJ3s, invited me along for a flight from Novato, CA to Sun Valley, ID and back. I had taken flight lessons about 13 years ago in a Cessna 152 out of the very same airport, which was the last time I sat in the cockpit of any airplane. Up until this point, my only experiences riding in a private charter jet have been in the cabins of commercial airliners, so this was really quite a special experience for me.

After we taxied onto the runway at Novato, John pushed the throttles to full takeoff power and I was truly awed by the acceleration that these private charter jets have. This was no slow, lumbering takeoff roll like you would expect to feel in a fully loaded 747; we accelerated fast and were airborne in what seemed like a few seconds. The climb-out was not trivial by any means either as we reached our initial assigned altitude, once again, in a matter of seconds. Having only flown a Cessna 152, I had no real appreciation for how busy the cockpit is during the takeoff and climb-out of a jet. If can't multi-task, then flying charter jets is not for you.  John flew the airplane, worked the radios, and manipulated the flight computer like the pro he is making it look easy the whole time as we leveled off at 45,000 feet. One of the major advantages to flying so high is that you get over just about all the busy airline traffic and can fly straight to your destination rather than going waypoint by waypoint, which can add extra time to your flight. The avionics on this particular airplane were impressive as well. It’s an all “glass cockpit”, meaning the instruments are displayed on computer screens rather than gauges, dials and gyros. We were able to pull up the approach plates on the center screen and plan our descent long before the air traffic controller (ATC) actually instructed us to begin descending. The weather in Sun Valley was not great and there was some question as to whether or not we could actually land there – something we would not learn until we were on final approach. Things got busy again after ATC instructed us to begin our descent. Even though the runway and airport were obscured by clouds John was able to fly the private charter aircraft in on instruments and seconds before we reached our minimum “decision height”, the runway appeared from behind the clouds and John made a perfect “10” landing.

Needless to say, it was quite an experience and I'm proud that I work for a private charter jet company that employs and trains pilots of John's caliber for the dozens of flights we make everyday.