Helicopters/video

[JWFITZ]

5 minutes ago caught a passable video of yet another tour helicopter, attempting to fly under cloudcover at perhaps 400 feet, returning from the volcano to Hilo. I'm sure the aircraft is identifiable. What should I do with the vid?

[Guest]

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[gtill]

Sorry JW, but I believe in rural areas like ffve, there is a stipulation of 500' or under cloud cover!
There is a thread about choppers that ran for a long time, I was getting into it , however recent events slowed me down, I owe some balloons! Check archives for a poster named Thunderfoot!
This battle has been going on since the 1960s, but the recent refusal to fly to the Air Force might be a precident. There is an almost uninhabited area they are supposed to enter and exit from (below Eden Roc), somthing corridor!
Mabe a few mock up choppers from Albezia logs, Prominently displayed, tail up in your yard with mannequins and red paint, somthing for the pilots to explain! Profanity on the roof, or somthing like "copters crash" logos, anything short of any type physical threat! The model copters might become a rental item, as it doesn't make for good tour guide discussion!
I had proposed raising anti chopper logo helium balloons to between 3-500', again as a disincentive for the pilots, and as a guage for taking pictures! Just a picture is not going to do much good!
However, it was mentioned that the sierra club might get involved, and some were starting to suggest physical action against the flights, in either case I'm not there!

[JWFITZ]

My interest isn't in targeting the helicopter companies, because they've obviously tipped their hands to being pricks.

My interest is in informing the public(tourists at large) that flying those flights are bad for everyone, and please, in the spirit of aloha, don't do it.

And I expect that's what I'll begin to do.

[gtill]

Where my interest is in flight safety,as many diverse flights going wherever without any immediate control. This is making an accident inevitable! These flights are already booked before the people come here, and most initiate in Kona!
What's wrong with traffic control, specifically to avoid peoples' houses, and avoid the inevitable accident!
A lot of people have saved their whole lives to see the volcano, and are unlikely to miss it! The chopper is the best way by far!

[JWFITZ]

The way to see the volcano, by far, by leaps and bounds far, is by foot.

[gtill]

For those capable for sure! Or who can handle the air quality up there!
But your average tourist aint going trecking to the far reaches, especially when an hour or less tour, you see it all and don't even sweat. Then back to beautiuful Kona or Maui!
I don't see banning the flights, but putting them under FAA dictated rules! In and out at the previously agreed to corridor (below Eden Roc)on he volcano side and however, below(crossing 130).
You can be sure the companies won't stick with any agreement, they change hands too often, it would have to be FAA dictated, and would only apply to paying passenger flights!

[JWFITZ]

I am not a religious man, but I wouldn't expect to be able to rent the Sistine Chapel for a motorcycle rally, or stage a chainsaw carving contest at the Grotto and Lourdes. Again, I'm not a religious man, but of any ground I've ever walked, and I've walked a lot, that area comes the closest I've ever seen to the definition of sacred. So as far as I'm concerned, if you've only got an hour to "waste" on seeing the navel of planet earth. . .and are worried that your feet might get sweaty, well, you probably won't miss not seeing it at all.

When you get here, I'll take you someplace. It will change your mind.

[gtill]

JW, I'm not talking about myself, I too have all respect for the place and have been there!
I'm talking about the thousands of visitors, who drop 2-500$ per day to get a birds eye view of the craters and lava!
If you think we have somthing going on now, wait till Halemaumau starts popping! Back in 1976, a few years after Mauna Ulu stopped erupting, and at about 10:00PM, the volcano sky turned red! We were living in ffve, and immediately went up to Hongo store for beer! He had reopened for sure, as had all Volcano!
We went straight into the park, and found a perfect spot by an overlook, where we stayed till about 2:00AM. There was a massive mile long rift eruption, we'll never forget! When we left, the park was damn near full of cars, but we got out! An hour later She stopped, and didn't come back till 83, at Puu Oo!
However, Hilo flights were booked solid for a week, every hotel, rent a car etc was filled! And most of them were cruising the volcano roads, icluding FFVE, just waiting for another pop,which never happened!