The Pearl Harbor Experience Most Visitors Don't Know Exists

Most visitors to Pearl Harbor only see it from the ground, but that just changed!

The Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum just opened a brand new experience, and if you’re heading to Oahu, you’ll want to know about this before you go.

👉 Hit play now to hear from the museum’s first-ever CEO, a former Blue Angels pilot, on exactly what’s new and how to plan a visit that’s actually worth your time.

If you’ve ever wondered how to get more out of Pearl Harbor than a quick walkthrough, this episode is for you. You’ll walk away knowing what’s new, what to book, and how to make the most of a full day on Oahu.

In this episode of Hawaii’s Best, we sit down with the man leading Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum so you can show up informed, skip the guesswork, and experience Pearl Harbor the way most visitors never do.

👉In this episode, you will:

• Discover the new Tower View Experience, climb 168 feet to the top of the Ford Island Control Tower and finally see Pearl Harbor the way it was attacked, from the air.
• Learn how to plan your visit from start to finish, including the free shuttle, current security requirements, and the optional $10 docent-led deep dive.
• Hear the one piece of advice the museum’s CEO gives every visitor that most people never hear before they arrive.

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Scroll up ⬆️ and hit play now to plan a Pearl Harbor visit that goes way beyond the surface.

👉Book the Pearl Harbor Tower View Experience

🎧Related episodes:

• 5 Oahu Experiences You Won't Forget!

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💻Related blog posts:

• Must-See Historical Places in Hawaii

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🤓Chapters:

• 2:45 From Blue Angels to CEO
• 4:48 Why Pearl Harbor Still Matters
• 7:29 Attack Seen From the Tower
• 10:24 Tower View Experience Explained
• 13:06 John’s First Pearl Harbor Moment
• 15:54 Plan Your Ideal Museum Visit
• 17:23 Security and Getting On Base
• 19:18 One Tip Most Visitors Miss
• 20:21 Where to Eat on Oahu
• 23:12 Final Takeaways

About Your Host: Bryan Murphy is the founder of Hawaii’s Best Travel & a Certified Hawaii Destination Expert through the Hawaii Tourism Authority, since 2020. An HVCB member since 2019, he helps first-time & repeat visitors plan unforgettable Hawaii vacations w/ clear, practical advice & authentic cultural insight.

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This Hawaii travel podcast helps you plan a trip to Hawaii with clarity. Discover practical travel tips, island itineraries, & local insight to help you explore Oahu, Maui, Kauai, the Big Island.

Edge of the Ocean (w/ permission)
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Talk Story (w/ permission)

Transcript

218_The Pearl Harbor Experience Most Visitors Don't Know Exists

[00:00:00] Pearl Harbor’s Hidden View

[00:00:00] Bryan Murphy: Pearl Harbor is one of the most visited places in Hawaii. Millions of people visit Pearl Harbor every single year, and most people leave having only heard part of the story. There is one experience that completely reframes everything, and most visitors don't even know it exists. Today we're going 168 feet above the battlefield to the top, to the Ford Island Control Tower.

[00:00:26] Meet the Host and Mission

[00:00:26] Bryan Murphy: Aloha, and welcome to Hawaii's Best, a podcast helping you plan an unforgettable Hawaii vacation with clear, practical guidance. I'm Brian Murphy, a certified Hawaii destination expert, and each week I break down what actually matters for your trip using local insight and firsthand experience so you can plan with confidence in travel with aloha.

[00:00:46] Bryan Murphy: Today we are getting into one of the most powerful and newest experiences on the island of Oahu. We're talking about Pearl Harbor, not just the history that you already know. We'll get into a little bit about that maybe if you don't fully know or grasp the gravity of what happened on December 7th, 1941.

[00:01:04] Bryan Murphy: But the perspective that we're gonna get into is that most visitors. Never get and haven't had a chance to get because this is a brand new experience. We covered the Ford Island Control Tower, the brand new Tower view experience, and what an ideal visit to Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum actually looks like straight from the CEO of the museum.

[00:01:24] Introducing John Hilts

[00:01:24] Bryan Murphy: My guest today is John Hilts retired US Navy Aviator, former Blue Angels pilot, Notre Dame graduate, and the first ever CEO of the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. After nearly 23 years of military service flying FA 18 super hornets and combat deployments and leading hypersonic missile strategy in the Indo-Pacific, John now calls Oahu home.

[00:01:46] Bryan Murphy: He leads the mission of preserving one of the most significant battlefields in American history. So let's go ahead and let's talk story with John from the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

[00:02:01] Bryan Murphy: Thank you so much for being here today on Hawaii's Best, and I, I read a little bit about your impressive bio. So Notre Dame grad, which I'm a little bit jealous of growing up. I love Notre Dame. It's like something, my last name Murphy, we just grew up, uh, loving Notre Dame and

[00:02:17] John Hiltz: yes,

[00:02:17] Bryan Murphy: blue Angels pilot, which also growing up, you know, every, anytime I went to an air show I was like, that was like the main attraction, the blue angel.

[00:02:24] Bryan Murphy: So that's really cool. Combat pilot. First of all, just thank you so much for your service.

[00:02:30] John Hiltz: Proud of.

[00:02:30] Bryan Murphy: Sure. Truly. And now you're running America's most iconic World War II sites in Hawaii. So I'm just curious if 22-year-old John HILs could see what he's up to now, what would he think?

[00:02:45] From Blue Angels to CEO

[00:02:45] John Hiltz: I'll tell you, we did with the Blue Angels.

[00:02:47] John Hiltz: We did a flyover for a Notre Dame game in 2013, and we were flying up there transiting from our base in Pensacola, Florida to the University of Notre Dame to do this flyover, and one of the other wingmen said, Hey John, is this something that you dreamed about when you were a student when you were 22?

[00:03:02] John Hiltz: And I said, absolutely not. This is so far beyond my wildest dreams. I'm one of the luckiest guys you could meet. I really believe that this is sort of a full circle moment here for me at Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. I'm a product of, uh, aviation museums like this, although I don't think that there are too many like ours.

[00:03:20] John Hiltz: But I was inspired by visiting museums with my dad, and, and that's why I'm so proud to, to take my daughters who are five and four here. They really enjoy this place. And so this is way beyond my wildest dreams. I've had an incredible adventure. I was so proud to serve. I mean, I'm just as proud to be here and lead the great team at Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

[00:03:40] Bryan Murphy: That's awesome. You're the first CEO of the museum, is that correct?

[00:03:45] John Hiltz: Yes. I mean, the museum has been open for 19 years and Right. Okay. Up to this point, we had some really outstanding executive directors and, you know, chair people and board members that laid an incredible foundation here at Paw Harbor Aviation Museum.

[00:03:58] John Hiltz: But when they, uh, had an opening, they viewed this as an inflection point to really make sure that the museum is well positioned to be the national institution that it represents, and so they've empowered. Me and the staff here to take the museum to that next level. And, and part of that next level is our, is our new tower view experience.

[00:04:18] John Hiltz: So it includes these new attractions and new ways to interpret the Pearl Harbor experience here. And we're really excited about that growth. And so, yes, I was very honored and basically I got a call last year as I was retiring from the Navy to. Ask if I knew anyone in my network that might be interested in this, this role here.

[00:04:37] John Hiltz: And I said, I know one person, it's me, and I'm not telling anybody else about it because I really wanted the job and I was so excited to pursue it and humbled and, and honored to, to win the position.

[00:04:48] Why Pearl Harbor Still Matters

[00:04:48] Bryan Murphy: Now Pearl Harbor, it's on a lot of people's list when visiting Hawaii. It's so much more, I'm trying to think how to frame this.

[00:04:56] Bryan Murphy: It's, it's so much more than just a, a, you know, check the list,

[00:05:00] John Hiltz: right?

[00:05:00] Bryan Murphy: And we're done with it. So, just to help frame our conversation a little bit, for someone visiting Hawaii, especially maybe with the, for the first time specifically on the island of Oahu. A little bit what happened on December 7th, 1941, and why I think the bigger question is why does Pearl Harbor still matter so much to people today?

[00:05:19] John Hiltz: It absolutely should. The first thing that we like to position the conversation is that the attack on Pearl Harbor was an air raid. You know, when you think of Pearl Harbor, you think it's a harbor, it's boats. It's where the Pacific Fleet was headquartered, but it's certainly more than that because it was this bold, brazen, and thought logistically.

[00:05:37] John Hiltz: Impossible air raid that occurred here, and that's where we feel the story starts. I mean, the, the first bombs in Pearl Harbor fell here on our grounds at Fort Island. And so that's sort of the first part where I'll, where I'll enter the conversation is to understand what happened here is to understand that it was a 353 airplane.

[00:05:55] John Hiltz: Raid in an attack that occurred on December 7th, 1941 for younger people or, or people of our generation. It was the nine 11 of its time this mm-hmm. This incredibly devastating attack and, and it's important to understand and learn the lessons that exist here. Now, there are many other outstanding things to do when someone visits Hawaii, but I think you're really missing it if you don't spend a day to understand the scope, the scale, and all the intricacies that.

[00:06:22] John Hiltz: Went into that attack and the recovery that happened on December 7th, 1941 in the days, weeks, months, and years that followed. And that's where we really wanna position ourselves at Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum to tell the story of that air raid. We're the only aviation museum in the world that has all three versions of the Japanese airplanes that attacked us this day.

[00:06:41] John Hiltz: We're beginning to curate exhibits that are dedicated to that response, both in both in World War ii. Then beyond all the technology that evolved out of the attack here. So this is the place, Pearl Harbor is the place where American history, modern American history turned. We had an isolationist view to the war, but the attack here fundamentally turned the history and that pivot point needs to be understood and appreciated.

[00:07:05] John Hiltz: And I think you can really do that by visiting Pearl Harbor and specifically the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

[00:07:10] Bryan Murphy: Interesting that you, as you were talking and you, you brought up nine 11 that's kind of living through that. I have my daughters now

[00:07:18] John Hiltz: Sure.

[00:07:18] Bryan Murphy: Who are, you know, 16 and, and, and down asking me, you know, what, what was that day like and, and stuff like that.

[00:07:25] Bryan Murphy: Right. So I think just keeping this history live, going back to Pearl Harbor about that attack.

[00:07:29] Attack Seen From the Tower

[00:07:29] Bryan Murphy: So during, during that attack specifically, as we kind of pivot to this tower experience. So the Ford Island Control Tower is those infamous words. Uh, what was it? Air raid on Pearl Harbor. This is no drill. Right?

[00:07:40] Bryan Murphy: Those were first broadcasted

[00:07:41] John Hiltz: Yep.

[00:07:41] Bryan Murphy: To the world. I wonder if you can share a little bit about that morning from maybe the tower's perspective at all.

[00:07:49] John Hiltz: The first bombs fell here. On for island at 7 55 on a Sunday morning. The tower building that's on our grounds was under construction. The top of the tower was not yet even fully completed, but it, as you stand on top of the tower and imagine the waves of airplanes coming from multiple axes of attack.

[00:08:09] John Hiltz: These weren't modern, you know, fighter jets that operate in the, where, you know, where I did in the, in the 15, 20, 20 5,000 foot range. They were down low. These were dive bombers, these were torpedo bombers. We've got pictures of them at eye level. And so that's the sense of it is that you, you take this calm, serene Sunday morning and then it is instantly at your level there.

[00:08:30] John Hiltz: Transformed into this fiery hellscape. When you visit our grounds, you're able to hear a lot of eyewitness accounts from the sailors and the airmen that were here on that day, and they'll tell you that it was loud. That was the thing that they took away from it was the noise that they couldn't escape the noise, the explosions that disrupted their lives and our country that morning.

[00:08:50] John Hiltz: So that's the thing you can get at the top of the tower, is you can see the attack and you can really get the sense of why. Pearl Harbor was this essential Navy base and why it still is, and also understand how it would've been so chaotic that day because there's all these different parts of Pearl Harbor.

[00:09:08] John Hiltz: You've got the Navy base at across the way. You've got Ford Island, you've got all the ships more nearby. It would just have been complete chaos, and you can really get a sense of that by seeing it from this. Elevated perspective, and that's why we try to explain, like when you, when you visit Pearl Harbor, if you only see it from the ground, you're only seeing half the battle.

[00:09:25] John Hiltz: I mean, that it was an a raid and you can see this elevated perspective now and it really makes a difference.

[00:09:30] Why We Must Remember

[00:09:30] John Hiltz: You know, you mentioned, you know, your daughter's and, uh, your daughter's age. And I'll, I'll tell you, I, I had a, when I was pursuing this job. I had some family visit me and they're from a, a great part of the country, very good schools, and I said, you know, obviously it will, might impact some plans around the holidays because, you know, the month of December, specifically December 7th, is a really solemn day for our museum and, and for the country.

[00:09:52] John Hiltz: And, and, uh, she. Kinda looked at me quizzically and said, why? I don't, why is December 7th important? Hmm. And you know, it's sort of heartbreaking to think about that and, and you know, you know that somebody someday will say like, why is September 11th an important day to you, dad, grandpa, you know, whatever it may be.

[00:10:07] John Hiltz: Sure I say this often, that time is undefeated. Time will take away our memories, it will break down our artifacts, it'll break down the historic hangers that were in here, unless we. Keep those memories and those lessons learned alive and that is what we're charged to do here at Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

[00:10:23] Bryan Murphy: Yeah, it makes complete sense.

[00:10:24] Tower View Experience Explained

[00:10:24] Bryan Murphy: And our team recently got to take a sneak peek with the tower view experience. So I wonder if you could tell us a little bit about that. What is it, what do, uh, visitors get to experience? And I think maybe the bigger question is, why was this experience created for visitors?

[00:10:42] John Hiltz: This particular experience was born out of the flexibility that our visitors are looking for when they come here. Obviously, there's lots of things to see and do when you visit Oahu, and there's lots of other exhibits that from the, the various partners here in Pearl Harbor. So we wanted to create the Tower view experience to give 'em that flexibility during their.

[00:11:01] John Hiltz: Visit to be able to, to go up there anytime between 10 and four to head up to the top of the tower and experience that. We always have a docent up there that is ready to share their insights and knowledge, but now we offer that vantage point as well as the flexibility. To experience that whenever they're ready to, 'cause there are lots of other competing interests here at the museum, whether it's our fully articulated 360 degree simulators, our other hangar Hangar 79 with 86,000 square feet of curated museum space, or the historic hangar 37 here.

[00:11:35] John Hiltz: So there's lots of other things that you can see and do, and we wanted to make sure that they had the flexibility to do that when they were ready. If you want to take a deeper dive at the top of the tower for an extra $10, you can go there between nine 30 and 10, and then you'll get a 30. To 35 minute curated docent led narration.

[00:11:51] John Hiltz: So we we're really offering a lot of flexibility to a visitor, to, hey, if they, if you want the, the deeper historical perspective from the top of the tower, you can do that. But if you just want to see the perspective, get the sense of it, we offer the flexibility to do that for the rest of the day.

[00:12:04] Bryan Murphy: So if someone wanted to do that.

[00:12:06] Bryan Murphy: More intimate, 30 minute or so experience. Is it more of a self-led throughout the rest of the day or as they're going throughout the hangers, or how does that work?

[00:12:14] John Hiltz: Correct. I mean, what, what we find is because we offer other amenities, like a cafe here, you, if a guest is coming, you know from maybe they did the Arizona tour to start their day, and then they jump on the free shuttle bus to come visit us.

[00:12:27] John Hiltz: They might be, you know, hungry and they might want some breakfast or some lunch here in our cafe. So we don't want to li limit them to, Hey, you've gotta be here at this specific time. Yeah. Because they may be, you know, relatives that have mobility concerns. They may be with kids or this may be hungry or they wanna see and do some other things.

[00:12:43] John Hiltz: The current to self. Guided to get over to the tower being, it's just right across the way from our main lobby area. We have docents at the bottom of the tower to put you on the elevator to go up the 168 feet, and then when you get to the top, there's another docent there that is going to give you that perspective.

[00:12:58] John Hiltz: So it is self-led. However, when you're up there, there's always somebody to answer your questions and to provide the historical context when you're there.

[00:13:06] John’s First Pearl Harbor Moment

[00:13:06] Bryan Murphy: I'm curious, do you remember your first time to Pearl Harbor and what was that like?

[00:13:10] John Hiltz: The first time I was here was I, ironically for a Blue Angels Air show.

[00:13:14] John Hiltz: We flew over here in 2014. The first thing we do on a Thursday is to get our checkpoints and you're, you fly over. The area where the air show was in this air show was at Hickum, and so we flew over, you know, I had a Cameron, my cockpit, and as we flew over the Arizona, I, you know, lifted my arm up and took a selfie down into the Arizona with the Parole Aviation Museum in the background.

[00:13:34] John Hiltz: Didn't look at the picture again until I landed and on the canopy reflected off my right shoulder, was my. American flag patch sort of emblazoned over the Arizona. And so that was the, the most unique perspective I got of the Arizona and the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. And, and once again, in that full circle moment here, uh, you know, 11 and a half years later, I'm, I'm leading the team.

[00:13:56] John Hiltz: It was very poignant, very powerful to see it from that vantage point and then be able to visit it. On the Pacific Fleet Admirals Barge. Yeah. I remember just how moving and how powerful it was to think that this is where, as I said, the world turned and brought this new reality to America, and it started here that that historical significance has never been lost on me, and it's why we're so passionate about doing things here the right way.

[00:14:20] The Jet He Actually Flew

[00:14:20] Bryan Murphy: As I was doing some research on this, correct me if I'm wrong, but you, you personally flew the FA 18 Hornet that sits in the museum, is that correct?

[00:14:29] John Hiltz: I did, yes. That I was gonna teach from 20 20 12 to 2014, and then when I came here, uh, to interview for the position. I saw it out there and I looked at the, the six digit, what we call a bureau number on the back of of it.

[00:14:42] John Hiltz: Okay. And I went home and looked in my my Aviator's log book and saw that, that number in there. So yes, I flew that more than a few times. Yeah. When I was on the Blue Angels. Then when the Blue Angels switched. From the FAA Team Hornet to the Super Hornet. Uh, they retired those airframes, they went to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, and then that one is on permanent loan to us here.

[00:15:04] John Hiltz: And then when the blues were here in August, they, they asked me if I would allow them to. To do me the honor of putting my name and old number on the, on the jet. And I said, yeah, yeah, I'll allow it. Uh, yeah, so, so now it sits there and it's a really neat, neat artifact and it's fun conversation piece to connect our guests to the museum.

[00:15:23] John Hiltz: And, uh, I have a lot of fun. And once a month we do a family day here where we reduce the ticket prices to. $5 and it's just a way for us to, to bring more people here, to get them excited about what we're doing. But I always give a talk in front of the lingos jets to answer questions and to get people interested in that as well.

[00:15:41] Bryan Murphy: It's probably cool to see people connecting the dots.

[00:15:43] John Hiltz: Yeah. Every now and then people are like, wait a second that, that's your name. It is. It is. So, yeah, it is really a humbling honor. I, I can't believe the Sure. I'm

[00:15:50] Bryan Murphy: sure,

[00:15:51] John Hiltz: yeah. Serendipity of having it here, but uh, yeah, that's how it came to be.

[00:15:54] Plan Your Ideal Museum Visit

[00:15:54] Bryan Murphy: A lot of people are planning their trip right now.

[00:15:56] Bryan Murphy: You know, especially looking at, well, spring break is just around the corner, but specifically summer, and someone's listening right now and they are curious about this experience. What does like an ideal visit to the museum look like and where can people go and book tickets, all that good stuff.

[00:16:11] John Hiltz: Pearl Harbor Aviation museum.org is the best place to start to get an understanding of who we are, what we offer, the, the, you know, the size of our grounds.

[00:16:21] John Hiltz: Like there's a lot of great partners here in Pearl Harbor, but you know, we're by far the largest. And so this is a great place to start because as I mentioned, this is where the attack started. It wasn't air raid. This is where you can learn about the air raid and then see the impacts of the air raid.

[00:16:35] John Hiltz: Over at the Arizona or visit the, the Missouri or the fin to, to get their perspective as well. But if, if you want to visit where it started, this is the place to start. So Pearl Harbor Aviation museum.org can start there. You can buy your tickets from that website to get to our base. Our museum is still on an active duty Navy base, so you'll park at the Arizona Memorial and ride a free shuttle over here to our museum.

[00:17:00] John Hiltz: But in doing so, you get to go over the bridge that takes you out onto Fort Island. You'll go past the Arizona and get that neat perspective and then be able to see what it's like on this historic Navy base. And it drops you off right in front of our hangar 37 where you, where you come inside and and start your experience.

[00:17:16] John Hiltz: So I think that's the best way to start your Pearl Harbor experience because we really tell the story of how it started from the air.

[00:17:23] Security and Getting On Base

[00:17:23] Bryan Murphy: And since I have you in the current state with Iran mm-hmm. Um, I've had some people actually reach out and ask about, 'cause a lot of people who know that Pearl Harbor is still in an active, uh, space.

[00:17:35] Bryan Murphy: Right. Are there anything for people to be aware of with, with any of that?

[00:17:39] John Hiltz: Yeah, I mean there's always things, uh, to be aware of. I will say the, a tip of the cap to Captain Sam, smokey White, who's the base commander at, at Joint Base, Pearl Harbor Hickum, he's really made sure that people that visit Pearl Harbor are able to, to come to our museum still.

[00:17:55] John Hiltz: So yes, there are some enhanced measures. You know, looking at IDs, if you're a, a foreign visitor, having your passport on you is a, is a way to go. So yeah, you have to have an i, an official id. And then there's no bags that are allowed. Into the national park and onto the buses. You can bring a clear bag so you know, a clear, a clear bag is all right.

[00:18:17] John Hiltz: And they have baggage storage there. You know, if you, maybe you Ubered there so you can store your bags. But those are the kind of enhanced security measures that are in place. But we've got a great. Relationship with Royal Star who runs the shuttle bus lines. These, these are really high end shuttles that take you here, but yeah, that's the enhanced security is, hey, they're checking for IDs, no bags, and, and it only emanates from the Arizona, you, you can't Uber.

[00:18:42] John Hiltz: To the Missouri. You can't Uber to our, our museum. You go to the Arizona and get on the shuttle there. That keeps you safe. Now, I will caveat that by saying if you have a DOD ID that gets you onto a base, like you know, me as a retired military member, I can drive my car, I could drive my family. So anybody that's in the military, maybe staying at the Holly coa or any of the, uh, properties on on Oahu, they can come straight to the museum by driving on a base with their military id.

[00:19:08] John Hiltz: So there is that. That caveat as well. But if you don't have base access, then go to the Arizona and get on the, the really high end shuttle. It's free and it takes you right to our front door.

[00:19:18] Bryan Murphy: Yeah.

[00:19:18] One Tip Most Visitors Miss

[00:19:18] Bryan Murphy: You've already given so much, and as we're kind of wrapping up, I, I'm just curious if the, if you could give every single person visiting Pearl Harbor, what is like one piece of advice you would give that most visitors never hear?

[00:19:31] Bryan Murphy: What, what's that? One little nugget.

[00:19:33] John Hiltz: Set aside the time. Don't make that. Hey, we'll, we'll do it when we, we get to it just. Make the time, make the plans, and set aside a day to start here at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum and experience. All that Pearl Harbor has to offer. It is a, as you said, a powerful, impactful place in American history, and it's really critical that they make the visit here if you're here for an extended stay.

[00:19:56] John Hiltz: What I would say is, you know, there's no shortage of perspectives or things you can learn here. Oftentimes at the museum, we're moving airplanes around, we're changing exhibits. What you see here one time will be different the next time you visit, but if I were to say one thing is just to make sure that that you do visit here.

[00:20:12] John Hiltz: To understand how modern America pivoted at this site on these grounds. It's a powerful thing to learn.

[00:20:20] Bryan Murphy: Okay.

[00:20:21] Where to Eat on Oahu

[00:20:21] Bryan Murphy: So probably the biggest question, and in doing this podcast for about seven years now already I've noticed that I have a lot of foodies who listen to the podcast and they're always curious about where to eat on different islands.

[00:20:35] Bryan Murphy: Sure. So when you have some downtime, what are your favorite places to go to?

[00:20:39] John Hiltz: I, I do wanna put a plugin for our team here at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. We do have a great cafe and they have monthly specials, both food and drink specials, so it is a great place. It's air conditioned so you can come here as part of your experience.

[00:20:52] John Hiltz: And, and they, they do a great job offering local flair, you know, bulgogi beef, KAA pork. They, we've got some, a new rib special, so they, they really have a really diverse menu here, especially for a museum cafe. I really love taking visitors to Holly, Ava, Joe's, you know, I just think that's a really neat perspective and I think people tend to respond to that.

[00:21:12] John Hiltz: I know that's not like a local joint. I, I live over in Kailua, so there's a lot of spots over in Kailua. When you're ising, whether it's buzzes or bocce Bistro, there's, there's a few great spots around town, I think to, to each their own where you want to eat. I think everybody's tastes are a little bit different.

[00:21:29] John Hiltz: There's certainly no shortage.

[00:21:30] Bryan Murphy: Absolutely. John, this is great. Anything else? Uh, worth mentioning before we wrap.

[00:21:35] John Hiltz: Yeah.

[00:21:35] Museum Mission and What’s Next

[00:21:35] John Hiltz: When, when we started here, as a leader, you wanna talk, you wanna align the team with mission and vision. And our mission essentially boils down to remembering and inspiring across generations.

[00:21:46] John Hiltz: We wanna make sure that there's something here for a 5-year-old and something here for an 85-year-old. And, and we're doing that in spades. The vision part we talk about is creating a beautiful museum campus here. To create an outstanding and unique visitor experience to be the most family. And we spell family PHAM for the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum to be the most family friendly destination on Pearl Harbor.

[00:22:08] John Hiltz: And then also to be a community resource. We've got two great workforce development programs where we're training kahna to be pilots and also to be aviation mechanics. And those are full scholarship opportunities for each of those. So. That's the mission and the vision of what we're trying to accomplish here.

[00:22:24] John Hiltz: We are a 5 0 1 C3 nonprofit and we're really proud of the work that's been done over the last 19 years, and we're really excited and proud to celebrate our 20th year next year. The only big change that I made when I started here was I said, if every day we're open, we will have a cock. That a young man, a young woman or an old man or an old woman, can come here and sit in and so every single day you can sit in a jet.

[00:22:48] John Hiltz: Right now it's a, a big fighter jet called an F1 11 Aardvark, and you can sit in that. It's a two seat cockpit. It's a great experience. So there's just some really uniqueness here, but that's, that's kind of the mission and the vision and where we're going, and well, we're excited about the journey as well as the destination.

[00:23:03] Bryan Murphy: Awesome. John, thank you so much for your time and your leadership and what you're doing at the museum. Appreciate you.

[00:23:08] John Hiltz: It was a lot of fun. Thank you so much.

[00:23:10] Bryan Murphy: Awesome.

[00:23:12] Final Takeaways and Farewell

[00:23:12] Bryan Murphy: I really enjoyed my conversation with John. I hope it was helpful for you as maybe an understanding Pearl Harbor from a different perspective or in just in your planning of visiting Hawaii especially, you know, during this time of year, a lot of people are planning their summer trip and maybe that's you.

[00:23:28] Bryan Murphy: I would highly recommend checking out the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum and Pearl Harbor, just the site in itself. Put that on your list and take a good chunk of a day to really experience everything that the site has to offer. Because this isn't just a historical site, it is a, it's a living site that still has stories to tell, history to preserve, and the tower view experience is definitely one of the most powerful ways to hear it from a whole unique vantage point.

[00:23:53] Bryan Murphy: So if Pearl Harbor is on your Hawaii itinerary and it absolutely should be, head to pearl harbor aviation museum.org to book your tickets and add the tower view experience while you're there. So if you found today's episode helpful, I would just invite you to hit. Follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, so you never miss an episode.

[00:24:13] Bryan Murphy: So until next time, as always, live with Aloha.

[00:24:20] Bryan Murphy: Mahalo for listening to Hawaii's Best. If you found today's episode helpful, make sure to hit. Follow on your podcast app so you don't miss future episodes. You can find all links and resources mentioned today in the show notes below. What's Best is produced by Shore Break Media Group, edited by easy podcast solutions, and with music by our friends, stick figure shines.