09-16-2019, 05:04 PM
"I’m not sure why helicopters haven’t been an option to shuttle employees in an emergency for a few days with all the millions of dollars at stake. Summit is within limit of maximum altitude for Blue Hawaiian or they can fly to area near Visitors Center to staged vehicles for summit."
The cost of using helicopters is too high for regular operations. It would cost $1000 per 45-minute trip to transport two technicians to the VIS area. 50 to 75 people are required at the summit for normal operations, so you can do the math yourself. Transporting equipment up would be nigh-on impossible and using the military to provide larger helicopters would be particularly bad optics.
Helicopters are certainly a consideration in an emergency, i.e., to evacuate a few people off the mountain, but they are not an option for regular operations.
The cost of using helicopters is too high for regular operations. It would cost $1000 per 45-minute trip to transport two technicians to the VIS area. 50 to 75 people are required at the summit for normal operations, so you can do the math yourself. Transporting equipment up would be nigh-on impossible and using the military to provide larger helicopters would be particularly bad optics.
Helicopters are certainly a consideration in an emergency, i.e., to evacuate a few people off the mountain, but they are not an option for regular operations.