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FAA cannot control where
students fly over Mililani

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Question: I live in lower Mililani Town, behind Mililani Market Place. The area behind my home toward Kunia is agricultural. Ever since we moved here in late 2001, we have noticed that private aircraft seem to be flying in the agriculture area, actually practicing flying. But most of them fly over the populated area of Mililani Town, which doesn't seem proper. I'm not talking about flying once over Mililani, then staying over the ag land. I'm talking about constantly circling the populated areas four and many more times. Some fly several miles into Mililani, then circle over and over.

I contacted the Federal Aviation Administration and was told: "The area over the ag lands is indeed a practice area primarily used by flight schools. Typically, aircraft will stay over the agricultural area. However, conditions can arise that cause some aircraft to overfly some populated areas." I find it hard to believe that "conditions" exist every day, because 90 percent of these planes fly over Mililani. What are officials waiting for -- someone to crash into a populated area like what happens on the mainland?

The FAA said these aircraft "maintain close communications with the Wheeler (Army Airfield) control tower and are visible on the Honolulu radar."

For us who live in the area, some agency is allowing these planes to fly over Mililani or is not monitoring them. We are not concerned about military aircraft but private planes.

Who do we call to report a plane constantly circling Mililani? The FAA operates from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Who do we call after hours and on weekends and holidays? It seems like these planes have a huge area to practice, but wish to fly over Mililani.

Answer: We'll give you the short answer you probably don't want to hear.

"The bottom line is that we cannot prohibit student pilots from flying over residential neighborhoods," said Donn Walker, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration's Pacific Region, based in Los Angeles.

We received a similar complaint from a Mililani resident in 2001, back then focusing more on the alleged low altitudes the small private planes appeared to be flying.

At that time, it was noted that the "South Practice Area" of Mililani had long been the approved site of flight instruction, dating back to when pineapple fields and open space dominated the area.

But because of all the residential development in Central Oahu, the FAA and local flight schools "encouraged" flight instructors and students to practice in the "North Practice Area," an open area northeast of Wheeler Army Airfield, as well as in the "Acrobatic Box" offshore, north of Dillingham Field.

Acknowledging the growing number of residential complaints, the FAA said back then that it would increase its "emphasis" on pilots using those alternate areas.

This time around, Walker told Kokua Line that the FAA often will "informally designate certain areas in the sky as practice areas for flight schools and student pilots," emphasizing these as "informal designations."

While he said most instructors and students do tend to stick to these practice areas when possible, "there's nothing at all to prevent them from flying over residential areas, as long as they stay at the minimum altitude and don't do aerobatic flying."

Walker noted that with housing taking up more land on Oahu, "the uninhabited areas over which student pilots can practice are rapidly dwindling."

Many flight schools on Oahu now use what the FAA calls the West Practice Area -- offshore, to the west of Oahu, he said. But, again, he emphasized, "We cannot force schools or pilots to use this area for practice."

Meanwhile, Walker said the FAA has not changed its regulations regarding how low aircraft can fly.

"Over congested areas, which would include residential areas and most towns and cities, aircraft cannot fly lower than 1,000 feet above the ground, or 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a 2,000-foot radius of the aircraft," he said.

That would mean a plane flying over downtown Honolulu has to be at least 1,000 feet above the tallest building and, over a neighborhood or subdivision like Mililani, 1,000 feet above the tallest home.

"But as long as a plane is not doing any kind of aerobatic or stunt flying, and as long as it flies at least 1,000 feet above the tallest building, a plane can indeed fly over residential neighborhoods, at any time of the day or night," Walker said.

Over noncongested or rural areas, planes can fly as low as 500 feet above the ground, while helicopters can fly even lower, provided they don't create a hazard to people or property on the ground, he said.

Mahalo

To Gary Cruz, who found my organizer on July 16. It contained about $8,000 in cashier's checks and $900 in cash, plus credit cards. He called me that evening after he found it on the highway. Everything was intact when he returned to me. He refused any reward. He made my vacation blessed. I would like to bless him with many good wishes.

-- George McIntyre, Oakland, Calif.

(We're guessing on the spelling of both names because there was no number given to verify the information.)

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