12-23-2007, 04:41 AM
Lee, there are three unique types of air operations that often gets munged into one complaint.
1. Official: This is when operations have an official government function such as law enforcement, fire, medical, surveys, observation, cartography, search, rescue, etc. Although disturbing, it's a necessary evil living in an area such as Puna.
2. Commercial Operations: Helicopters are used to take aerial photos for real estate purposes, they take people from point A to point B, and just about any other legitimate need where aerial flight is necessary. Since the legitimacy of these flights can seldom be determined from the ground, they often are lumped into the pleasure category. These types of flights are not as common with very specific destinations and do not last very long because someone is paying for each minute the helicopter is airborne. But they are the most destructive because they are not just overflights but have a specific targeted objective that could cause them to hover over an area longer than a simple tour operation, or fly lower and longer to achieve the objective.
3. Pleasure: Sightseeing, air tours and such are the remainder and probably the bulk. It's these discretionary flights that tend towards irritating the inhabitants because their purpose is purely for someone’s enjoyment at the expense of the residents. Efforts have been underway for the last two years to deal with curtailing the impact and there should be movement towards reduced interruptions during 2008.
Feel free to email me if you would like information on reporting an issue to the proper FAA authorities for action. The FAA is in a unique situation where they know there are issues but they are also the victims of community apathy. For all the complaining, you’ll be surprise how few complaints have been officially made. There are many times more complaints lodged from the other islands than from the Big Island.
1. Official: This is when operations have an official government function such as law enforcement, fire, medical, surveys, observation, cartography, search, rescue, etc. Although disturbing, it's a necessary evil living in an area such as Puna.
2. Commercial Operations: Helicopters are used to take aerial photos for real estate purposes, they take people from point A to point B, and just about any other legitimate need where aerial flight is necessary. Since the legitimacy of these flights can seldom be determined from the ground, they often are lumped into the pleasure category. These types of flights are not as common with very specific destinations and do not last very long because someone is paying for each minute the helicopter is airborne. But they are the most destructive because they are not just overflights but have a specific targeted objective that could cause them to hover over an area longer than a simple tour operation, or fly lower and longer to achieve the objective.
3. Pleasure: Sightseeing, air tours and such are the remainder and probably the bulk. It's these discretionary flights that tend towards irritating the inhabitants because their purpose is purely for someone’s enjoyment at the expense of the residents. Efforts have been underway for the last two years to deal with curtailing the impact and there should be movement towards reduced interruptions during 2008.
Feel free to email me if you would like information on reporting an issue to the proper FAA authorities for action. The FAA is in a unique situation where they know there are issues but they are also the victims of community apathy. For all the complaining, you’ll be surprise how few complaints have been officially made. There are many times more complaints lodged from the other islands than from the Big Island.