Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002

Eruption of Kilauea

If you weren't there to see the 1983 eruption of Kilauea on the Big Island, here's your chance to travel back in time. You'll experience first hand, this awesome spectacle of nature.

The default flight sets you up in a Cessna approaching the East coast of the biggest island in the Hawaii chain, which also happens to be the easternmost. Checking out the in-game map I found a nearby airport, Hilo Intl PHTO, and created a flight starting there.
For 2 hours I flew about, circling the enormous peak of Kilauea volcano - or what I thought was Kilauea volcano!!!
No eruption ensued - not even a trickle of magma. I checked the date and the time, restarted the flight a few times, flew round the island, flew high, flew low, changed the time... still no eruption!
Well eventually I found it.
Kilauea volcano is not the biggest hill around - far from it. In fact it's pretty close to where the default flight started.

How to find the eruption

Exhibit index   Back to the top