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Since the park regulates the helicopter tours why don't they put the helipad right there near the end of Chain of Craters inside the park? Its pretty far away from where people live. The cruise ship people would have to take a bus to the park but then at least they might buy lunch somewhere and employ more bus drivers - which is more that they would do just flying over. It would use a lot less resources and after all - HVNP is a "Climate Friendly Park". Seems like it would solve a lot of problems.
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EXACTLY, PILGRIM. They used to have a helipad there many years ago. We asked this exact question at the Volcano Parks meeting about tour copters a year or so ago and made the recommendation. Haven't seen any progress on the suggestion that I know others posted as well. This is an ideal solution as far as I can see, except that the park may not want the liability and the tour guides may not want the additional costs.
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
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Maybe a "bus to the helipad" isn't catching on because it's too small of a project. Clearly we need a light-rail system which could qualify for those Big Federal Dollars...
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a light rail system will never happen in Puna, as it never should. it is too large an investment for an area with as many hazards as there are.
one thing to remember with helicopter tours is they are touring an eruption that has been occurring for over 30 years, an anomaly with regards to eruption durations in Hawaii. tours will change as the volcano changes. with that being said, each eruption should have a specific launch area that best suits the eruption dynamics and nearby population (to be decided by the county - in cooperation with the national park, but not all eruptions occur in the national park, Puu Oo is right on the boundary). in the case of the Puu Oo eruption, that launchpad should be on Hwy 11 near the dump in Volcano, there is a clear path to the east rift zone without flying over houses. See for yourself with google earth.
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Another great suggestion... Except for people living in the subdivisions across from the dump...
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
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Well....pretty sure there will NOT be a helipad on nor routing over VNP property, as the park is one of the few areas on island that HAS been able to regulate helicopter traffic over their boundaries!
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VNP allows helicopters in, they just have to pay and follow flight paths. So why not specify a flight path? Right now tour copters get away with entering the unoccupied parts of the park and not paying the dues because it's an honor based system. The park would do better to regulate the flight paths and be sure they're getting paid their dues each time.
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
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Clarification: They do currently have specific flight paths. It's just that, as most things in Hawaii, there is little room for actual enforcement, and they can't tell most of the time whether tour copters come into the park, so the system of enforcing the agreed fees is a weak one.
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
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Pretty sure they don't "ignore flight path" just inside the Park.
Either that or my house is in the middle of the flight path.
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What do you mean, Kalakoa? Please expound.
There is no real 'flight path' for helicopters. There is are 'flight corridors'. There is no flight plan required when they leave the airport and no way to track to make sure the pilot's follow it, even if they did require it.
What area is your house around? We're in Fern Forest, and if they aren't flying right overhead they're flying to the left or right. It's rare not to hear a copter going during daylight hours. But once they reach the edges of the park, if they cross into the park's territory, they are supposed to pay a fee. Right now, VPN has no way to enforce that, so it's all honor system. Remember, the boundaries we are talking about stretch many miles and are mostly undeveloped rainforest/lava fields.
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
