Letter: Curtail overflying by tourist helicopters

Kudos to state Rep. Cynthia Thielen working for her constituents to curtail tourist helicopter flights over our community following the crash in Kailua. Hopefully U.S. Rep. Ed Case can assist at the federal level to overcome bureaucratic indifference to citizen concerns.

Tour helicopters also overfly Ford Island/Pearl Harbor at between 300-500 feet multiple times daily — contrary to Paradise Helicopter’s CEO statement “only with special authorization” (“Crash prompts calls for more scrutiny,” Star-Advertiser, April 30). Nearly all helicopter companies demonstrate absolutely zero respect for Ford Island military residents, or visitor operations and special events aboard USS Missouri and at the Arizona Memorial.

Also there is a mystifying lack of interest by military command of security considerations on a strategic military base. Several years ago there was a helicopter crash next to the Arizona Memorial visitors center resulting in a tourist fatality and shrugged off by the bureaucrats. Having restricted land and water access to Pearl Harbor but an open airspace makes no sense.

John Fernie

Kailua

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