More should speak up
More should speak up
I would like to commend Mr. Russ Underwood for writing to complain about the helicopter noise (Tribune-Herald, Jan. 5).
Years ago, when more people did complain, there was a feigned attempt by the helicopter companies and the Federal Aviation Administration to come to some sort of agreement. Remember the term “flying friendly”? Since then, companies have resumed using air space as their domain without any regard for neighborhoods and the intrusion of peace for those down below.
Flying to and from the Volcano is one thing, but for those add-on waterfall flights, helicopters get down low over homes and circle pools, waterfalls and rivers, providing their passengers with wonderful views. The folks down below who have lived in peace for years prior and are now experiencing this noise are held prisoner to the disruption during business hours, no matter what day of the week it is.
In my neighborhood, we are subjected to incessant circling overhead, sometimes one helicopter leaving the area while another one is flying into it. To say that the flights are every two or three minutes is not an overstatement. The noise is alarming and unsettling. The FAA has been of no help, as they are only concerned with safety issues.
Local politicians? No one is interested in the issue because of the revenue brought in by tourists. Either more than just a couple of people are going to have to complain, or we can only hope that tourists will lose interest in looking at waterfalls from a helicopter, at least in populated areas.
Tell your mainland friends, and spread the word: Don’t support helicopter companies in their disregard for the people who live here.
Maile Walsh
Hilo
Curious choices
Viewing our state through the lens of Tribune-Herald articles often leaves one in wonder. One day, we read that our Supreme Court is freeing up 1,500 acres of farmland for housing developments, while another day we are reminded that the islands must import more than 90-percent of their food.
After a reminder of the food-security issue, we hear that officials are seeking a $10,000 federal grant to promote Hawaii produce in the Middle East, as if we really could compete with the labor and shipping costs of India or Thailand. (How about promoting the placement of that food on Hawaii residents’ dinner tables to replace the imported, processed junk many seem to survive on. Oh, wait! That might actually reduce the huge diabetes problem we have.)
While trying to stop dengue fever, we are promoting tourism from hotbeds of dengue infection (Southeast Asia). As locals scrounge to find non-GMO papaya for their breakfast tables, and the GMO variety can be bought for as little as $5 per pickup truck load to feed your pigs, we learn that GMO-bananas are being considered to tackle the bunchy top leaf virus. (How about ladybugs to eat the aphids that spread the disease?)
Some days, we learn of our state’s role in cutting-edge astronomy; others, we hear how a vocal minority is throttling
that back. Sigh …
John Atwell
Kurtistown