Mike Wheat lives in Hawaiian Paradise Park, a rural subdivision south of Hilo. On days when helicopter traffic is especially heavy; he says flights over his house can be as frequent as every five minutes. The pilots often fly at … Continued
The Hawai’i Helicopter Operators Association was created in 1984, because, it has said, “The industry realized that it needed to improve its flying procedures in order to become more compatible with both the permanent and transient (tourist) communities.” Membership in … Continued
The crashes of helicopters in November 1992 and January 1993 have, predictably, resulted in the filing of lawsuits. The parents of Chang Lung Shieh, a Taiwanese tourist who presumably lost his life in the accident last January 25, have filed … Continued
Attempts to rein in helicopter traffic are nothing new. To date, however, most have failed. At the federal level, Congress has given the Federal Aviation Administration responsibility for making sure that aircraft operators fly safely. The FAA has tended to … Continued
The safety of helicopter operations in Hawai’i has come under increasing scrutiny recently, largely in the wake of two serious accidents. Last November, a helicopter carrying a Paramount Pictures film crew fell to the floor of Pu’u O’o vent. All … Continued
Health Department Finds No Risk to Geothermal A “Health Risk Assessment” prepared by epidemiologist Barbara Brooks for the state Department of Health concludes that the public would not experience any adverse health effects from accidental releases of hydrogen sulfide from … Continued
Leina-a-ka’uahane. The leaping place for ghosts. Every island has such a place where, legend holds, spirits leave this world to enter one or another of the realms beyond. On Kaua’i, the ghosts leaped from the scarps above the Mana Plain, … Continued
The safety of the STARS program is related in obvious fashion to its reliability. No one denies that if a STARS rocket fails, public health and the environment are far more likely to be harmed than if the rocket is … Continued
On March 23, 1983, President Ronald Reagan unveiled the Strategic Defense Initiative — his plan to make the United States invulnerable to the threat of incoming nuclear missiles. Ten years and $30 billion later, the Strategic Defense Initiative is still … Continued
Repeatedly, the Department of Land and Natural Resources has claimed that the litigation brought by the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund is not about environmental issues at all, but rather is an attempt to derail the STARS program. However, the … Continued