Beautiful Island Birds

About The Aircraft

Hawaiian Airlines, the flag carrier of the State of Hawai'i, currently has 19 Boeing 717 aircraft, used for their inter-island operations. As of 2025, they are one of the last carriers operating the type, with the only other active 717s being in service with Delta Airlines. One unique aspect of Hawaiian's 717 operations is the number of flights each aircraft performs daily. It is not uncommon for a single aircraft to perform 10 or more flights in a single day, often visiting all 5 of the major airports in Hawaii.

This aircraft, N475HA, is a 24-year-old 717-22A which was delivered to Hawaiian Airlines in February, 2001. N475HA is notable for being the first 717 delivered to Hawaiian. In addition, it was the last 717 to wear Hawaiian’s old livery (depicted in this build), having only been repainted in Hawaiian’s new colors in early 2025. Like all Hawaiian’s 717s, it is currently configured with 128 seats, with 8 first class seats in a 2-2 layout and the remaining 120 economy seats in the DC-9’s signature 3-2 layout.
More info about the Boeing 717

About 'I'iwi

Hawaiian Airlines names all their Boeing 717 aircraft after forest birds native to Hawaii. N475HA is named 'I'iwi, after the Scarlet Honeycreeper (Drepanis coccinea), a species of small bird native to Hawai'i. 'I'iwi are recognizable for their distinctive red and black plumage as well as their long curved beak adapted for feeding on nectar. 'I'iwi are one of the more widespread endemic Hawaiian forest birds, although they are still considered threatened due to Avian malaria and habitat loss.
More info about 'i'iwi

Other Versions

[2111 Parts] No Eyebrow Windows

[1330 Parts] No Livery

CONTROLS:

Pitch, Roll, Yaw, & Trim — Normal
VTOL — Flaps

AG1 - Arm Spoilers/Speed Brakes
AG2 - Landing/Taxi Lights
AG3 - Nav/Strobe Lights
AG4 - N/A
AG5 - Arm Thrust Reversers
AG6 - Arm Pax and Cargo Doors
AG7 - N/A
AG8 - Engines & Beacon Lights
Additional details in-game

FEATURES:

• Realistic Landing Gear, Slats and Flaps
• Tabbed Control Surfaces
• Custom Engine Fans and Thrust Reversers
• Smooth Glass Windows and Detailed Nose
• Doors that Open
• Exterior Lights
• Realistic Weight, Thrust, Fuel, and Payload
• And of course, a very detailed 800-part Livery!
  

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Note On Fuel/Payload Configuration:

The aircraft is configured by default with 50% fuel load and with 10000lbs (4536kg) of payload for a flight of up to 1000nmi (1850km)
See the image below for the parts to modify if changing the weight or fuel load. (Sorry it’s so complicated, and some of the numbers aren’t accurate. I’ll try to make this more intuitive on my future builds)

About The Project

The Boeing 717 has always been my favorite airliner and it has long been a dream of mine to bring this aircraft to Simpleplanes in the beautiful colors of Hawaiian Airlines. This project is the culmination of many hours of work and research over the last year and a half, and it really shows my appreciation for the game and the community. I hope you enjoy flying around, taking screenshots, or just learning a bit about these awesome planes.

As for the future of this project, some things I'm considering is another livery (either Midwest or McDonnell-Douglas) or even converting the aircraft into other DC-9 variants like the -30/40/50 or the super 80s. Also, once SP2 comes around, making a VR/interior version is not off the table, since this plane was specifically built with a hollow fuselage and glass windows to accommodate future interior modifications.

Photo Gallery:

Thank you to LM0418 for sharing these screenshots:

And here are a few images of my own:

5/23/25