On August 13-14, 2001, the HELIOS solar powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) established the current world altitude record of 96,863 feet while flying above the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. This 17-hour record flight was achieved because of the range assets and atmospheric conditions associated with the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) at Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii, including favorable upper level winds, sun angle, and available airspace. This paper will compare the upper level winds, sunangle, and available airspace between Hawaii and the U S West Coast.