Aircraft Names of Aloha Airlines

Over the years Aloha Airlines had a tradition of naming all of its Boeing 737 fleet honoring Polynesian Navigators and Hawaiian Royalty. Each Aloha Airlines jet proudly wore the name of a significant figure in Hawaiian history or a skilled Polynesian navigator. Naming the aircraft is one way that Aloha perpetuated Hawaii's remarkable history and cultural heritage wherever Aloha flew. Behind the name of every plane, there is a story, a story that Aloha Airlines loved to share.

BOEING 737-700s named after Polynesian navigators

KUAPAKA'A – Aircraft 738 Son of the chief Paka'a and advisor of Keawenui, Kuapaka'a was well known for his sailing and fishing skills. It was said that he had the ability to call upon the winds with the magical wind gourd of La'amaomao so that he could sail swiftly.

MO'IKEHA – Aircraft 739 Mo'ikeha was a famous navigator who traveled by canoe many times between the Hawaiian Islands and Tahiti. His wife Lu'ukia is responsible for originating the lashing that Mo'ikeha incorporated into his canoes, which can still be found on canoes today. His son Kila was also a famed navigator.

KAMOHOALI'I – Aircraft 740 Kamohoali'i is named after the brother of Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess. According to legend, he took the form of a shark to lead Pele and the rest of the family to Hawaii.

'OLOPANA – Aircraft 741 'Olopana was an historic Hawaiian navigator and the brother of another famous navigator, Mo'ikeha, who traveled between the Hawaiian Islands and Tahiti.

HAWAI'I LOA – Aircraft 742 Hawai'i loa is named after a legendary Polynesian navigator believed by some to have been the first to discover Hawaii.

KAHA'I – Aircraft 746 Kaha'i was a royal voyager who made a trip to 'Upolu in Samoa. He returned to Hawaii and landed at Hakip'u with the first breadfruit. He also sailed to the homeland in Kahiki (Tahiti) to locate his aging father, Hema.

KOHOLALELE – Aircraft 748 The name Koholālele (“literally flying or leaping whale”) honors the humpback whale, an ancient visitor to Hawaii, considered by Hawaiians to be a kupuna, or elder, in its own right. Koholālele also is a place name for an area along the Hāmākua Coast of the Big Island and the name of a wind that “leaps over the land” like a flying whale. This plane was hand-painted by the artist Wyland on May 7 and 8, 2007.

'AUKELE – Aircraft 751 'Aukele is the Hawaiian name for Aldebaran, a bright red star in the eye of the Taurus. 'Aukele was an ancient hero who made a perilous journey to the underworld to find the “water of life.” He also traveled to the sun, moon and stars and became a mythical hero, revered by all navigators.

BOEING 737-800

MAKALI`I - Aircraft PH-HZO Makali`i was a great navigator who sailed with the chief Hawai`iloa to Hawai`i. He settled on Kaua`i and became the ancestor of all common people. His skill at farming was legendary. Makali`i was said to have tied crop foods in a carrying net which he then suspended high up in the sky in case of famine. Makali`i is also the name Hawaiians of old use for the constellation Pleiades.

BOEING 737-200s

KALELEONALANI – Aircraft 808 Queen Emma Kaleleonalani, also known as Queen Emma, was the wife of Alexander Liholiho (Kamehameha IV) and shared the experiences of his reign. She was responsible for the financing and construction of the Queen's Hospital, known today as Queen's Medical Center. In 1860 she was an instrumental figure in allowing the establishment of the first Episcopal Church in Hawaii, St. Andrew's Cathedral. Emma also sponsored the founding of St. Andrew's Priory, a school for girls.

LU`UKIA – Aircraft 810 Lu`ukia traveled with her navigator husband Mo`ikeha and his brother on a voyage to Tahiti. When the brothers began to compete for her, she wrapped her legs with sennit. She told them that the one who figured out the intricate lashing first would be her husband. Mo`ikeha finally came upon the solution and was so intrigued by the lashing that he later used it to make canoes. Canoe men still use this technique and call it Pa`u-o-Lu`ukia, Lu`ukia's lashing.

KING DAVID KALAKAUA – Aircraft 816 (Cargo) Kalakaua became king on February 13, 1874, and began the colorful reign that characterized him as the "Merrie Monarch." He was the first Hawaiian sovereign to visit the United States. His trip to Washington was undertaken to rally support for the long-delayed Reciprocity Treaty sought by the kingdom. A scholar, poet and musician, he promoted the spirit and culture of Hawaii at home and abroad. Following his 1881 trip around the world to visit fellow heads of state, he commissioned construction of Iolani Palace in Honolulu.

KALANIKUPULE – Aircraft 817 (Cargo) Kalanikupule, the son of Maui's ruling chief Kahekili, ruled the island of Oahu in 1795. He is significant in Hawaiian history because he fought a great battle at the summit of Nuuanu Pali to defend Oahu against Kamehameha I. Kalanikupule's death in the Battle of Nuuanu led to Kamehameha's conquest and reign over all the islands.

LIHOLIHO – Aircraft 823 (Funbird) Liholiho was the son of Kamehameha I, the great ruler and unifier of the Hawaiian Islands. Following his father's death, Liholiho overthrew many ancient taboos. During his reign, the island economy flourished due to sandalwood trading and whaling.

KALANI`OPU`U – Aircraft 824 Kalani`opu`u ruled over the Island of Hawaii and the Hana district of Maui during the mid-1700s. He played a part in the incident at Kealakekua Bay in 1779 that led to the death of Captain Cook. When he died, Kalani`opu'u's powerful son was to have succeeded him as king. However, a highly ambitious nephew outmaneuvered the son to the throne. That nephew was Kamehameha I.

KAKUHIHEWA – Aircraft 826 (Cargo) Oahu's most famous chief, Kakuhihewa is poetically called O'ahu a Kakuhihewa. He instilled in his subjects an appreciation for Oahu's arts and culture and preserved many of the beloved crafts of his island.

HOAPILI – Aircraft 828 Born the son of a royal twin, Hoapili was the close companion of Kamehameha I. In 1819, he assisted with the overthrow of the native religion and supported the work of the American missionaries. As Governor of Maui, Molokai and Lanai from 1836 to 1840, he made education for children compulsory. Hoapili was instrumental in persuading his daughter Liliha, then Governor of Oahu, to resume her loyalty to Kamehameha III, thus averting a potential battle between the two.

PAI'EA – Aircraft 834 (Cargo) Also known as Kamehameha the Great, Kamehameha Pai'ea was Hawaii's most famous monarch. A powerful ruler and warrior, he unified all the main islands under one rule. The reign of Kamehameha was marked by peaceful expansion and prosperous trade with foreigners. In 1816 Kamehameha defended the islands against the incursion of Russian forces. He was succeeded as ruler by his two sons and two grandsons. After the Kamehameha family died out, the kings of Hawaii were elected by the people.

MATAIO KEKUANAOA – Aircraft 835 Mataio Kekuanaoa was the punahele, or intimate companion, of Kamehameha II. In 1827, he married Kinau, daughter of Kamehameha I, and later fathered two successive monarchs, Kamehameha IV and Kamehameha V. One of Hawaii's early statesmen, Mataio Kekuanaoa served as Governor of Oahu after Kinau's death in 1839. Later, he served as a member of the House of Nobles, Privy Council and as President of the Board of Education. In 1866, Mark Twain praised Mataio Kekuanaoa as "a man of noble presence... seemingly natural and fitted to the place as if he had been born to it...."

KAUIKEAOULI – Aircraft 836 Kauikeaouli, also known as Kamehameha III, held the throne between 1825 and 1854. His was the longest reign in Hawaiian history. During his rule, The Constitution of 1840 became law, outlining human rights for all residents of the Kingdom. Kauikeaouli instituted major reforms of the taxation system, and reorganized the Executive Branch to include a Minister of Foreign Relations. He also established an independent Judiciary. He is credited with returning the Kingdom to a stable economic base after paying off the national debt, and with setting up the legal basis for land ownership in Hawaii.

KAUMUALI`I – Aircraft 837 Kaumuali`i was the last ruling monarch of Kauai and Niihau. By gathering arms and enlisting foreigners in his defense efforts, he resisted Kamehameha I's attempts to conquer Kauai by force. In 1810 Kaumuali'i peacefully ceded his islands to Kamehameha I to avoid bloodshed. He was among the first Hawaiian rulers to become a Christian and was influential in the spread of Christianity. He was the first monarch to learn to read, write and speak the English language extensively.

LOT KAUPA'IWA – Aircraft 840 (Cargo) Prince Lot Kaupa'iwa was the son of Kina'u, daughter of Kamehameha the Great.

KE`OPUOLANI – Aircraft 841 Ke`opuolani was a powerful chiefess who later became the sacred wife of Kamehameha I, unifier of the Hawaiian Islands. She was the mother of Kamehameha II and Kamehameha III, who ruled in succession following the death of their father. One of the first Hawaiian converts to Christianity, Ke'opuolani was instrumental in abolishing polygamy among her people.

LA`AMAIKAHIKI – Aircraft 842 (Cargo) La`amaikahiki was a respected navigator and chief from Tahiti. He is credited with bringing the first pahu, or Polynesian drums to the Hawaiian Islands. La`amaikahiki's story has been preserved through ancient chant, an important resource for Hawaiian history and culture.

KEKAULIKE – Aircraft 843 Kekaulike was an ancient ruler of Maui who amassed vast lands as a warrior chief. He had several wives including Keku`iapoiwanui. Together they were instrumental in establishing the modern lineage system of Hawaiian monarchy. When Kekaulike died, he decreed that his lands should go to Kamehameha I. This was the start of the Kamehameha dynasty.

-source- Aloha Airlines