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Landowners
responsible
for boulders

Question: We live in Kalama Valley, and there are a few boulders perched precariously above our property. We'd like to get someone from the state to take a look at it and see if there is any potential danger. The problem is, I can't seem to find a contact name or agency, and phone calls to different departments have led me on a wild goose chase.

Answer: The state will inspect the site only if the boulders are on state land.

"Despite well-publicized recent rockfall events, it is not a well-recognized fact that property owners of slopes are responsible for boulders on their land," said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

You can call the department's Land Division at 587-0433 for help in determining the landowner if you are not able to find out on your own.

The department did a search of property records and found the landowner above you to be Kamehameha Schools, Ward said, advising you to contact the organization directly.

In this case, Ward said, "We will drop a line" to the organization. However, "that's as much as we'll be doing. The state would not inspect the boulders if they're located on privately owned land."

If they were on state land, "we would go out and make a determination on what needs to be done," she said.

Q: Do you know who the proper authority is to complain to about loud, low-flying planes over Waikiki every night around 7 to 8? I wonder if they are a tourist company. Surely there is a minimum height restriction; sometimes it sounds as if they are just barely over the top of the highest building. It's nothing but noise pollution from some people who are inconsiderate, not to mention a safety issue.

A: You can call the state Department of Transportation's hot line at 888-697-7813 for aircraft complaints.

The Transportation Department will compile and categorize complaints and share them with the Federal Aviation Administration.

If the complaints are found to be valid, they are dealt with by either the state or FAA.

"There are various factors regarding aircraft noise," noted transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa.

Hawaiian Airlines, for example, now flies 717 aircraft, "which are much quieter than their previous DC-10s," he said, so that has cut down on aircraft noise complaints. "On the other hand, Kona winds can send takeoff/landing noise or increased noise over a community not used to it."

In "congested areas," which include residential areas and most towns and cities, FAA regulations restrict aircraft from flying 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.

But, as explained in a previous "Kokua Line," as long as a plane is not doing any kind of aerobatics or stunt flying, and as long as it flies at least 1,000 feet above the tallest building, it can fly at any time of the day or night.

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