A long-shot request to the FAA

Citing three helicopters crashes in the Kailua- Kaneohe area within six months — including the fatal crash on Oneawa Street in April that killed the pilot and the aircraft’s two passengers — the Kailua Neighborhood Board has passed a resolution asking for a federal ban of all tour helicopters over the beach community.

Given that the Federal Aviation Administration declined the board’s request to ground tour and commercial helicopter operations in the aftermath of the the Oneawa Street crash, it seems more likely that continuing conversations with the Hawaii Helicopter Association and other pilots could serve as a faster path to changes in Windward air tours.

EV registrations going up, slowly

If this metaphor can be applied: Hawaii has to put the pedal to the metal if it hopes to push more electric vehicles.

Hawaii figures show it nearing the 10,000 threshold in local passenger-EV registrations. But according to national ownership data from YourMechanic.com, this state doesn’t even make the top 10.

On the up side, it is second only to Vermont in the charger-to-population ratio (5,555 residents per charger) and fourth in the EV market share for sales and leases. So we’re poised to rise.