Maui Miracle! Flight of Aloha Survived!

It's really a Maui miracle! By the grace of God, Flight of Aloha was the ONLY business in the center of the Lahaina fires to survive.

Today, I humbly ask for your support. Help us become the FIRST business in Lahaina to reopen, kickstarting the healing and revival of our beloved Lahaina Town.

My hope is to inspire other local businesses to rebuild Lahaina, rather than selling to big corporations with no concern for Lahaina's future.

With the opening of Flight of Aloha, we commit to giving a significant portion of our earnings to help other local businesses reopen and get our community back to work. Many have lost their jobs. Additionally, those who donate any amount will receive a ticket to our flying theater ride for use whenever you visit Maui.

Aloha E, I am Ola Shaw, a proud native Hawaiian, husband to Kristin, and father to three wonderful children: Kade (6), Austin (4), and Jett (1). Maui is our home, where our roots run deep.

The fires on August 8, 2023, devastated Lahaina, claiming lives, homes, and hundreds of businesses. It has been a heart-wrenching time for us residents who call Maui home.

We've been working tirelessly, day and night, to assist our extended family and neighbors who survived the fires. We have acted faster than government agencies on the ground.

Thankfully, our family home is one of the only ones left standing in the neighborhood. While the reason is not certain, it suffered severe smoke and exterior damage and is unlivable, with most of our belongings lost.

Our children's schools were also destroyed, and my local electrical contractor business, our main income source, was reduced to ashes.

Despite these losses, we have not lost our Aloha Spirit and determination to rebuild. I refuse to give up!

Flight of Aloha is like Disneyworld's "Soaring" ride—an aerial theater experience. Visitors sit in our flying theater ride, facing a huge screen, experiencing the feeling of flight over Maui's stunning locations.

We captured Maui's beauty using helicopters equipped with specialty 8k cinema cameras. In our theater, you will fly over lush rainforests, whales, waves, and waterfalls—an inspiring and exhilarating journey.

But at its core, Flight of Aloha celebrates Hawaiian culture, sharing the ancient love story of Naupaka through visuals and beautifully locally produced songs.

Creating this business has been a dream for years. I have poured countless hours and savings into making the films, building the Flying Theater, Topgolf Swing Suites and the accompanying restaurant, Lele Eats + Drinks.

Scheduled to open in September 2023, Flight of Aloha was poised to share our dream with Maui. Our team was ready, and everything was falling into place after years of preparation. Then disaster struck.

Though our building survived, the flying theater's sensitive equipment suffered smoke damage, needing costly repairs or replacement. Also, much of the furniture and decor burned in a storage kiosk facility fire, potentially not covered by insurance.

Without a revenue history due to our pre-launch status, insurance will not compensate for lost earnings, and our funds are dwindling.

Furthermore, without income, we are at risk of closing before even starting. Today, I humbly ask for your help in funding Flight of Aloha's opening. This will support employees, cover repair and procurement costs, and help us be the first small business to reopen.

We aim to inspire other local businesses to rebuild Lahaina and provide a place for locals and visitors to come together. We want to employ our neighbors in need and protect our town from outsiders with ulterior motives.

For those who can contribute, we will keep your names on record and offer tickets to our flying theater ride when you visit Maui in the future. (We hope you will support Lahaina's recovery by visiting when we reopen.)

Additionally, those donating $100 or more will receive four tickets to our flying theater ride and have their names on a special plaque in our theater, honoring Old Town Lahaina.

Once Flight of Aloha is open, a significant portion of our proceeds will support other small businesses in Lahaina. Please donate and share this message to support Flight of Aloha and help us rebuild and protect Lahaina today.

A letter from owner Ola Shaw.

The past 30 days have been incredibly challenging due to the tragedy of the fire, making it hard for us to look ahead. Initially, the shock transformed into adrenaline, carrying us through the first night. As time passed, rescue efforts shifted to survival mode, and the first week blurred together. We were constantly reuniting with family and planning our next steps, which kept us on edge.

Grief slowly settled in as we realized the profound loss our community had suffered. This grief would sometimes turn into anger and then back into grief. While outwardly, I strive to be productive and assist the community, inside, I empathize with the faces of people I see every day. There's an unmistakable look of uncertainty and despair in the eyes of neighbors who lost homes or loved ones.

Experiences like this one will never just go away. Time will gradually heal, but it will never erase the memories. For many, the driving force to keep moving forward is the promise of hope. I recognize that there are forces beyond our control, and no one could have orchestrated what happened in our town. However, what I can control is how I react.

A pastor's words from last week struck a chord with me: "Blind faith is not enough. You need to diligently pursue and actively look for solutions while you wait for God's timing."

I can't explain why, and I don't have a headline worthy "miracle" story, but I firmly believe in purpose. I believe there's a reason why, in the heart of all the destruction, God spared my business, Flight of Aloha. Internally, I've wrestled with myself and business partners, wondering if it's the right time to ask for support. The truth is, like many of us, I lost everything. I don't see myself as a victim because I still have my family and hope. I'm also aware that many people are grieving for their family members, homes, and our way of life. This was an absolute tragedy. If you have the opportunity or means to help a family directly, I encourage you to do so first. Then, if you feel inclined to support my cause, I would greatly appreciate it.

Why? Flight of Aloha is a flying theater that proudly showcases the beauty of Maui and our sacred local culture. More so, it was created right here in Lahaina by Hawaiian and local people. Over 100 individuals contributed to breathe life into our first film ride "Naupaka". Countless hours of sacrifice, tears, love, community involvement, happiness, anger, frustration, loss, and growth were part of the journey. This four-year journey encompassed creating the film, negotiating the lease, designing, conducting research and development, dealing with county permits, expanding the business to include a restaurant, bar, and Topgolf facility, obtaining our liquor license, and embarking on the construction phase.

We hired a General Manager and Chef to develop our menu and operations, ordered supplies, machinery, equipment, and worked on interior designs. We tested our model, rewrote our business plans, collaborated with international vendors, customs, and meticulously organized everything. I saw the vision I'd held for my community for years finally coming to life. Unfortunately, it all came to a halt just one month before opening. We never had the chance to share all that we'd created with our community.

Our mission has always been simple: "Make them feel Aloha." To the ancient Hawaiians, Aloha meant ‘God Within Us.' The true meaning of Aloha in Hawaii embodies compassion, sympathy, pity, mercy, kindness, peace, and love – it's a guiding principle for life. Living a life of Aloha means having a heart filled with gratitude and love for life, brimming with joy, and sharing the Aloha Spirit with others. If anything, in a time like this our community needs nothing more than Aloha.

Mahalo nui. Ola