A collegiate flight program run by the University of Hawaii is the clear answer to a severe pilot shortage bearing down upon Hawaii. Unfortunately, politics are preventing the university from implementing a viable solution. A tug-of-war currently exists between those favoring an Oahu-based collegiate flight training program and others wishing to move training to UH-Hilo.

The effects of the worsening pilot shortage are already apparent in our state. Strong demand from charter, freight and regional airlines is pulling flight instructors away from training jobs at private flight schools. This leaves the private sector in a weak position to fill the need for pilots. As the shortage worsens, some smaller communities will lose service, as is now happening on the mainland. A shrinking supply of well-qualified pilots will negatively affect safety of flight in many sectors of aviation. A severe pilot shortage would mean fewer flights, which inevitably leads to higher airfares.

Some will try to convince you that there are benefits to relocating Hawaii’s flight training to Hilo. The city receives 120 inches of rain per year, which means poor flying weather, frequent flight lesson cancellations, and, ultimately, higher costs and more time needed to complete pilot training.

Hilo’s airport would require millions of taxpayer dollars to create an infrastructure to support such a flight program.

In contrast, Kalaeloa Airport on Oahu receives only 17 inches of rain a year. Its Hangar 111 is already filled with modern classrooms, is big enough to house the Solar Impulse 2, and is leased to the university for a mere $1 per year. The recently-closed flight program of Honolulu Community College located at Kalaeloa Airport demonstrated that enough students will enroll in an Oahu flight program to maintain financial self-sufficiency of the program when tuition is comparable to that charged by a four year university such as UH-West Oahu.

The business plan proposed by advocates of a Hilo program would charge double the going rate for aircraft and flight instructors, bringing the cost of an aviation degree out of reach for the vast majority of Hawaii’s aspiring pilots. The focus of Hilo’s program would be to concentrate on veterans receiving funding through the GI Bill.

A $60 million whistleblower lawsuit for allegedly defrauding the Veterans Administration now threatens the Arizona college partnered with the flight provider serving as a model for this Hilo proposal. Further, Congress is considering a bill that would significantly cap yearly payments by the VA to all college programs at all public universities, in response to the astronomic fees charged by the flight provider in question and one other.

During Hawaii’s 2014 legislative session, lawmakers turned down a funding proposal for a UH-Hilo flight program. Nonetheless, the University of Hawaii has not been willing to consider an Oahu-based flight program until the issue of the proposed Hilo program is resolved.

I humbly ask UH President David Lassner to take the reins in this controversy and do the right thing for the people of Hawaii. Hold an open and well-publicized meeting that involves advocates of both Oahu-based and Hilo-based flight training. The issues need to be discussed transparently and in significant detail. If a proposal is viable and truly stands above the alternative, implement it as quickly as possible. The future of our local air transportation system, the safety of the traveling public, and the opportunities we offer our young people depend upon making a timely and correct decision.

Peter Forman, of Kailua, is an aviation historian and educator, he recently retired as coordinator of Honolulu Community College’s Commercial Aviation program.