HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 1142.009 2006-2008
April 21, 2008
Hawaii County Council
Committee on Public Works
& Intergovernmental Relations
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is William C. Hayes and I am writing this letter to express my objection over the
proposal of flying C-17 aircraft over the Big Isle of Hawaii. I am recently retired from Hawaiian
Airlines as a pilot on the Boeing 767 aircraft which is similar in size to a C-17 in that it is
considered a "heavy jet aircraft". Therefore, I have some serious safety concerns about flying an
aircraft of that size at low altitudes over areas that have any congested area of a town, or
settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons, even if includes only one single house.
As any professional pilot will tell you, I believe safety is the most important issue when
conducting any flight. If any aircraft flying at low altitudes has a mechanical malfunction such
as an engine failure, I would prefer to have some altitude so that I have some time to figure out
the problem. An aircraft the size of a C-17 is not as maneuverable as a smaller aircraft which, in
my opinion, really can be a serious safety problem when encountering a mechanical problem at
low altitudes. There are many places in this great country of ours where military pilots can get
the proper low level flying training they need and deserve without putting the life's of our
civilian population at risk. Our military pilots should not have to worry about the citizens below
them when they are conducting training operations.
Therefore, I consider the proposal of C-17 flights over the Big Isle of Hawaii unacceptable but
also irresponsible of the Air Force.
Sincerely,
William C. Hayes,
P.O. Box 1694 Honokaa, Hi 96727
Phone 808-775-9865
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