FO OF A DC9-51 CUT THE DOWNWIND LEG AND BASE LEG TOO CLOSE TO THE RWY DURING A VISUAL APCH CAUSING A NOISE COMPLAINT.

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TURNED FINAL TOO CLOSE-IN TO RWY 26 AT HILO. UNUSUALLY GOOD WX; VISUAL APCH. FO WAS FLYING. HIS DSCNT PLANNING HAD GOT HIM DOWN A LITTLE EARLY; WHICH WAS OK BECAUSE WE WERE HVY. AS WE WERE APCHING THE ARPT; IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT WE MIGHT BE HEADING A LITTLE TOO MUCH TOWARD THE END OF THE RWY NOT GIVING US ENOUGH OF A FINAL. I ALSO WAS AWARE OF A CONDO/HOTEL THAT IS JUST OFF TO THE L OF THE DEP END OF RWY 8. I SAW A FEW LIGHTS RIGHT AHEAD OF US THAT COULD BE THE CONDO; SO I WONDERED OUT LOUD IF THAT WERE THE LIGHTS. THE FO ANGLED A LITTLE FARTHER OUT TOWARD DOWNWIND (WE WERE ON A R BASE-LEG ENTRY). IT DIDN'T SEEM QUITE ENOUGH; SO I THOUGHT THAT HE MIGHT BE CONFUSING THE TERMINAL LIGHTS WITH THE RWY. I CALLED TWR AND ASKED IF THEY HAD THE APCH LIGHTS ON. THEY SAID 'HUM; SHOULD BE; LET ME CHK' AND THEN THEY CAME ON. WE BOTH SAW THAT WE WERE ON A PRETTY TIGHT BASE SO FO ANGLED OUT A BIT MORE TO THE L; BUT BY THEN HE HAD TO TURN BACK AROUND TO THE R TO LINE UP ON FINAL. CONSEQUENTLY; WE ROLLED OUT ON FINAL AT ABOUT 300-400 FT; AND WE DID SORT OF A TURN- AROUND-A-POINT ON THE CONDO. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS A PARTICULARLY UNSAFE OP.