01-03-2011, 08:23 AM
Actually Obie, I've considered that the reason we get so many overheads is because tour companies are NOT flying different routes in order to spread the noise out. It seems much more likely that they fly the most direct route to Halemaumau to increase their profit margin. It seems they SHOULD spread it out a bit more! Perhaps they could have a percentage of their flights be a more expensive, but less invasive route. Cost can be dispersed across all flights. Even for safety's sake, it seems this would be better. I wonder if there isn't a cap on how many copters can fly the same general area flight path.
Just spoke with all the tour companies this morning. Blue Hawaiian actually has cameras on all their copters, so if we call with a time and date, they can see which pilot it was and take corrective measures. They seem the most responsible of all the tour companies and the most willing to talk and work with. Sunshine helicopters is investigating a super low flier over our house this morning, they have the black copters and green and white ones. Paradise and Tropical seemed the least concerned, promising a call back 'sometime this week', though right after I got off the phone with them, one of their bubbly white copters zoomed by super low over the house. I was asked our address a couple times... No way am I giving that out... I talked to that lady a few days ago, maybe she was off her rocker, maybe not... she said after her husband complained to Hilo tower and gave their address, copters swarmed her place, acting as though they were going to land and just hovering about, severely harassing them. Sounds crazy, but I'm not sure which part to chalk up the craziness to.
Btw, I don't know any of any of our yurt clients that work in the tour industry. But that's not to say that I don't see the importance of the tour industry in our current economy. Of course I'm aware of that. However, I would argue that B.I. has less of a dependence on tourism, especially on the East side, than other islands and that much of our economy, THANKFULLY, deals with agriculture, healing, sustainable/green markets, etc. I believe we should cultivate that far more than tourism. I maintain that if we don't set parameters on the effects or acceptable levels of 'by-products' of tourism, then we will be over run by the negative effects and by-products and there will be no quality of life to be had here anyway.
It isn't impossible to have tourists and residents peacefully co-exist. But parameters have to be set and enforced. It's encouraging that most of the tour copter companies seemed willing to look into it and make corrections or adaptations if needed... then again, that's a quick fix for a small squeak. We'll see long term.
Just spoke with all the tour companies this morning. Blue Hawaiian actually has cameras on all their copters, so if we call with a time and date, they can see which pilot it was and take corrective measures. They seem the most responsible of all the tour companies and the most willing to talk and work with. Sunshine helicopters is investigating a super low flier over our house this morning, they have the black copters and green and white ones. Paradise and Tropical seemed the least concerned, promising a call back 'sometime this week', though right after I got off the phone with them, one of their bubbly white copters zoomed by super low over the house. I was asked our address a couple times... No way am I giving that out... I talked to that lady a few days ago, maybe she was off her rocker, maybe not... she said after her husband complained to Hilo tower and gave their address, copters swarmed her place, acting as though they were going to land and just hovering about, severely harassing them. Sounds crazy, but I'm not sure which part to chalk up the craziness to.
Btw, I don't know any of any of our yurt clients that work in the tour industry. But that's not to say that I don't see the importance of the tour industry in our current economy. Of course I'm aware of that. However, I would argue that B.I. has less of a dependence on tourism, especially on the East side, than other islands and that much of our economy, THANKFULLY, deals with agriculture, healing, sustainable/green markets, etc. I believe we should cultivate that far more than tourism. I maintain that if we don't set parameters on the effects or acceptable levels of 'by-products' of tourism, then we will be over run by the negative effects and by-products and there will be no quality of life to be had here anyway.
It isn't impossible to have tourists and residents peacefully co-exist. But parameters have to be set and enforced. It's encouraging that most of the tour copter companies seemed willing to look into it and make corrections or adaptations if needed... then again, that's a quick fix for a small squeak. We'll see long term.
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973