FILE: Lava erupts from the Kilauea volcano on Jan. 6, 2023, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Andrew Richard Hara/Getty Images
A new federal management plan seeks to reduce noise levels generated by commercial helicopter tours over Hawaii Volcanoes National Park by significantly scaling back the number of tours allowed each day and limiting which routes they can take.
The National Park Service and the Federal Aviation Administration collaborated on the Air Tour Management Plan (ATMP) for the park. Their stipulations were released on Dec. 20, 2023.
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Commercial helicopter operators can continue to offer air tours as specifications are amended.
The federal agencies are seeking to institute no-fly dates, including Sundays and six traditional Hawaiian holidays, and condense the daily schedule from 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time for most tours to fly over the park.
The biggest blows to the commercial helicopter industry are a reduction in the annual number of air tours and which tour routes they’re allowed to fly in the park.
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However, the sharp decline in annual operations isn’t what some commercial helicopter businesses say will hurt them the most. Quentin Koch, owner of Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, told SFGATE that by limiting the number of flight routes to only three, the ATMP creates a safety concern by stripping pilots of their discretion for choosing “the safest route for the ever-changing weather in Hawaii.”
Koch is hoping that the park service and FAA allow operators to adopt a “voluntary plan” that he said would allow their pilots to have more choices on which routes they can fly.
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“I’m really hopeful that the FAA will look at this from a safety aspect and will give us flexibility on the routes,” he said. “We don’t like the set routes.”
Years in the making, the plan seeks to address disruptive noise levels inside the park. In order to meet the requirements of the National Parks Air Tour Management Act passed in 2000, the park service and FAA are developing either an air tour management plan or a voluntary agreement.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is one of several national parks the two agencies are working to address.
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The ATMP references a 2007 survey conducted in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park which found that “the majority of people who reported hearing aircraft considered it either unacceptable or annoying and reported negative emotions or feelings associated with aircraft sound.” The ATMP also noted that the helicopter noise had an effect on “critically endangered Hawaiian endemics.”
The coalition’s founding member Bob Ernst, a rancher and farmer who lives under a flight path taken by commercial helicopters, explained to SFGATE that although the ATMP may appear like a win for the coalition, it doesn’t go far enough. He wants to see a full restriction of flights over the park.
“This ATMP proposal is totally unacceptable and we’re not going to settle for it,” Ernst said. “The public comments in the ATMP show that most people said they want a no-fly in the park.”
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A view from a tour helicopter along the Kona Kohala Coast, Hawaii.
George Rose/Getty Images
Ernst suggests that helicopter tours use routes that fly by the shore as opposed to inside the park. “They don’t lose any business and can still bring customers,” he said. “That’s an aloha way of doing business.”
For other residents living within the vicinity of the park, the helicopter tours have remained a constant nuisance, and the ATMP is just the latest chapter in an ongoing struggle for serenity.
“It still pisses me off,” said Sharon O’Connell, who lives under a flight path used to fly to Akaka Falls State Park. “I have a long driveway and every time one of them flies near me, I run up and down flipping them off. I don’t need to join a gym; I just need those copters to go away.”
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At UH Hilo, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is not simply a subject taught in classrooms, it is a living language that connects us to this place, to one another, and to the generations who came before us.
This column is by Pelehonuamea Harman, director of Native Hawaiian engagement at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. In her columns, Pele shares Native Hawaiian protocols on the use of ōlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), cultural traditions, traditional ways of Indigenous learning, and more. This column is on Mahina ʻOlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month), celebrated every February to honor the Hawaiian language.Pelehonuamea Harman
Each year, the month of Pepeluali marks Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, a time dedicated to celebrating and uplifting the Hawaiian language. At the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is not simply a subject taught in classrooms, it is a living language that connects us to this place, to one another, and to the generations who came before us.
While Pepeluali gives us a focused moment of celebration, the Hawaiian language should not live only within a single month. ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi thrives when it is used every day.
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One of the simplest and most meaningful ways to begin is by pronouncing the words we already encounter daily with accuracy and care. Hawaiian is an oral language carried through voice and relationship. When we take the time to say words correctly, we demonstrate respect for the language and for the poʻe (people) who have worked tirelessly to ensure its survival.
Across our own campus, we have opportunities to do this every day.
Let us honor the names of our places by using them fully:
An attendee at celebrations on May 6, 2023, takes a photo of the new Edith Kanakaʻole mural by artist Kamea Hadar. The mural is located at Edith Kanakaʻole Hall, named after beloved educator Aunty Edith, on the campus of UH Hilo. (Photo: UH System News)
Kanakaʻole Hall, not “K-Hall.” (Formally Edith Kanakaʻole Hall, named after our beloved kumu.)
Waiʻōlino, not “CoBE,” for our College of Business and Economics. (Formally Hānau ʻO Waiʻōlino; waiʻōlino literally means sparkling waters, alluding here to bringing forth waters of wellbeing and prosperity.)
These names are not merely labels for buildings. They carry ʻike (knowledge), history, and meaning. Speaking them in their entirety acknowledges the stories and values embedded within them.
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Using ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi does not require fluency. It simply requires willingness. Each of us already knows words we can begin using more intentionally.
Greet one another with aloha.
Express gratitude with mahalo whenever possible.
Small choices like these help normalize Hawaiian language in our daily interactions and strengthen UH Hilo’s identity as a place grounded in Hawaiʻi.
One of the most common questions I am asked is: How do you respond in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi when someone says “mahalo” to you?
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Here are three simple and appropriate responses:
ʻAʻole pilikia — It’s no problem.
He mea iki — It is just a little thing.
Noʻu ka hauʻoli — The pleasure is mine.
There is no single correct answer. What matters most is participating in the exchange and allowing the language to live through conversation.
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Aerial view of the UH Hilo campus with Hilo Bay in the distance. UH Hilo’s commitment to Native Hawaiian success and place-based education calls on all of us to help create an environment where ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is visible, audible, and welcomed. (Archive photo)
UH Hilo holds a unique and important role as Hawaiʻi Island’s university. Our commitment to Native Hawaiian success and place-based education calls on all of us to help create an environment where ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi is visible, audible, and welcomed.
You do not need to wait until you feel ready. You do not need to know many words. The language grows stronger each time it is spoken.
So during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and throughout the entire year I encourage the UH Hilo ʻohana to:
Use the Hawaiian words you already know.
Pronounce names and places with intention and care.
Greet others with aloha.
Share mahalo often.
Because when we use ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, we are doing more than speaking words, we are helping to perpetuate and uplift the native language of our home.
E ola ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Let the Hawaiian language live.
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Tread Rosenthal, Trevell Jordan and Louis Sakanoko put up a triple block against BYU Cougars Trevor Herget during Wednesday’s NCAA men’s volleyball match at the Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
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Kainoa Wade came on strong to lead another balanced Hawaii attack with 16 kills and the third-ranked Rainbow Warriors responded to a rare set loss in a big way to defeat No. 6 Brigham Young 27-25, 23-25, 25-17, 25-18 tonight.
A Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 4,800, who showed up for a match scheduled just three weeks ago as a late addition to the schedule, saw Hawaii (13-1) drop the second set despite hitting .538.
UH had full command of the rest of the match and finished the night hitting .460 as a team. Louis Sakanoko added 15 kills, six digs and three aces and Adrien Roure had 14 kills in 24 swings.
Middle Travell Jordan posted a season-high seven kills in 11 swings with four blocks and Ofeck Hazan, who came into the match to start the third set, had four kills and two blocks.
Trent Moser had 18 kills to lead the Cougars (13-3), whose previous two losses came in five sets against No. 4 UC Irvine.
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UH’s loss in the second set was just its sixth of the season and third in its 13 wins. Hawaii has won 10 matches in a row.
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The two teams will play again on Friday night at 7.
