Helicopter Tour Operator Seeks Approval to Fly at 700ft Rather Than 1,500

Aerial tour operator Blue Hawaiian Helicopters is seeking an exemption from the FAA that would chop its minimum altitude from 1,500 feet above ground level to just 700. Locals are not happy with the sudden proposal, pointing out threats to the community and wildlife below.

The company, however, claims that the only safety issue lies with the current altitude restriction. It says that Hawaii’s notoriously low cloud ceilings often sit right at the current minimum, and being able to slip under them would allow its pilots to maintain better visibility, avoid marginal weather, and ultimately deliver a safer experience for passengers.

The operator backs its request with a solid safety reputation: more than 700,000 flight hours since 2000 without a weather-related accident. It also cites its use of instrument-rated pilots, terrain awareness systems, and a formal Safety Management System as safeguards. Blue Hawaiian describes its proposed routes as largely over unpopulated areas, spread across O?ahu, Maui, Moloka?i, and Hawai?i Island.

With more than 85,000 people in Central O?ahu alone, “unpopulated areas” is a stretch… and that’s not the only problem. Locals say they only learned of the proposal secondhand through social media, but were never addressed by the company itself. Community leaders have voiced their complaints, citing noise, potential risks to wildlife, the long-term effect on community quality of life, and general safety concerns of helicopters circling at half the usual height.

“As the chair of the Mililani Neighborhood Board,” Danielle Bass said, “I found this to be surprising to say the least that Blue Hawaiian Helicopters didn’t approach, or communicate this proposal to anyone in our community.”

State Representative Darius Kila, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, warned that “if Blue Hawaiian was granted the exemption… You cannot do for one and not do for all. This could have an impact on the future of helicopter tours in Hawai?i alike.”

The FAA has yet to issue a decision, so the 1,500-foot rule will remain in effect for the time being.

FMI: www.bluehawaiian.com