GACH Members

Update – I have submitted notice of the error to the FAA.

This article from AOPA ePilot might be a good one to pass along to legislators and state officials who are skeptical of GA’s importance in HI.  https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2020/june/04/pilots-rise-to-meet-critical-needs-in-hawaii?utm_source=epilot&utm_medium=email.

Further notes: I got in contact with Fisher, Agnes O (agnes.o.fisher@hawaii.gov), project manager.  He was under the impression that all tenants, including south ramp tenants, had been invited.  So, any tenant who is not aware of these plans was mistakenly left out when sending the meeting invitations.  The focus group meeting for the hangar (a…[Read more]

How does closing HDH hurt GA?  Lets forget for a moment all the lost jobs, the closing of several successful local businesses, and the damage to tourism from the loss of the glider and skydiving tour businesses.  One of the main ways GA can grow is introduction of young people to aviation.  HDH played a huge part in that, through the monthly Yo…[Read more]

Sorry guys, couldn’t attach the plan.  Too large for the system.

While I find the plan disturbing in many ways, the way these meetings are being conducted is disturbing in and of itself.  The distribution list of the e-mail from dota announcing the meeting listed the hangar tenants only.  The tenants with only tie-downs were not notified at all.  As tie-down tenants we have a much smaller financial stake in al…[Read more]

Regarding non-aviation use of airport property: At the meeting several months ago (I forget the date), regarding the transient aircraft parking rates, the presenters from DOTA explained that historically, due to budget shortfalls, DOTA defined “aviation use” of a facility as a use of the facility that generates funding for DOTA.  So technically,…[Read more]

This PV farm – is this a second phase of the one that was built several years ago (which at the time Rob, then GACH president, solicited GA input on), which is located near the approach end of RW 11, or is it a completely separate proposal?

The risk with an airport corporation is that it would be airline dominated, and see only to the needs of the heavies, while GA would be the poor stepchild.  But then again, what are we now?  Since we are stuck being a poor stepchild anyway, it would be better to be a poor stepchild in a nice well-run house than in a rat hole where child p…[Read more]

Anything helps, and I am in favor of anything that supports GA (for that matter, aviation, period, in the state), but personally I think this will have a negligible effect.  Consider the raw economics: 4.712% = effectively one hour of training per more than 20.  So, in effect, by eliminating GET, you are getting a bit less than one extra hour t…[Read more]

In the wake of the recent Novictor crash, rep. Cynthia Thielen and rep. Ed Case wrote to the FAA and the congressional delegation asking for the immediate grounding of all commercial helicopter operations until an investigation is completed.  Their letters are attached.  In response to this, I wrote similar letters to both of them advising them t…[Read more]

In fairness to the helicopter operators, when airplanes taxi around the south ramp, their wingtips are typically only feet apart from building walls, other aircraft wingtips, and other obstructions, because there is simply no other way.  We do not have the luxury of 300 foot wide taxiways in the ramp areas.  That is why we have all been taught t…[Read more]

I would recommend the book “How to Buy a Single-Engine Airplane” by Scott “Sky” Smith (available on Amazon for $10 on Kindle).  It is a quick read, but it gives very good plain-English information on everything about how to own an aircraft from how to find an aircraft that fits your personality and abilities, a walkthrough of the entire process…[Read more]