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Wallace Freelander and Sandra Fujimoto- Flight School Operators

"Don't start a business with someone you wouldn't marry." Sandra Fujimoto would speak these words to young entrepreneurs when emphasizing the trust and cooperation needed to be partners in a business. From all appearances, she's someone who follows her own advice.

Sandra has combined forces with Wallace Freelander to run a busy Honolulu flying school named Flight School Hawaii. The business grew from humble beginnings in spring of 1997 with a single Cessna 152. Wallace held ground school under the wing until a T-hangar could be obtained. During the past year the business moved to a spacious two-story building off Nakolo Place, and the fleet presently consists of an Aztec, three Cessna 172s, and three Cessna 152s. Two of the Skyhawks are new as well, a 2000 and a 2001 model.

The team divides up the workload by skills each possess. Wallace specializes in the operational side of the school while Sandra's background in business keeps that side under control. She has a knowledge of electronics as well, and their avionics business, Federal Avionics, shares the building.

So, do the pressures of running a business interfere too strongly with the personal side of their relationship? Apparently not, for on March 14, 1998, the first anniversary of their flight school's beginning, the couple wed.

There are easier ways to make a living than running your own flight school, but with Diamond Head on the horizon, soft trade winds cooling the day, and a fine partner sharing the burden, such an activity just might be the answer to a longtime dream.