Butterfly Blue

My front porch overlooks the final approach to Hilo International Airport, so jets are flying past all the time. A few months back, I caught a glimpse of a red one, but didn't follow up to see what it was. This afternoon, another went by, so I drove over to the airport and took this picture of it.

An airport security person did come over to make sure that I wasn't some sort of terrorist, and explained that in the "post-9/11" environment, they're nervous about photography. Fortunately, he was able to explain to me what on earth a Boeing 737 based in Australia (VH-VOT) would be doing all the way over here in East Hawaii.

Apparently, Virgin Blue (or its subsidiary, Pacific Blue) does the occasional flight from Australia or New Zealand all the way to California (or the other way around) via Pago Pago and, of course, Hilo! I say "of course" because Hilo is the easternmost airport in Hawaii, and thus a good spot to refuel before the flight to California (or, as the case may be, after the flight from California). On a California-bound trip, the people aboard can get off and get a night's sleep while the plane is refueled and any necessary maintenance is done.