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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 251 Draft 04 1992-1994COUNTY OF HAWAII... ` STATE OF HAWAII RESOLUTION N0. 252 94 (DRAFT 4) WHEREAS, Hawaii, the only island state in the nation, depends on its aviation industry to transport its citizens and support the flow of people and goods inter-island, interstate, and internationally; and WHEREAS, over thirty airlines service Hawaii with over 600 flights per week serving business, personal, and tourist travel, with the majority of jobs in the State relying on or derived from the tourist and travel industries; and WHEREAS, despite Hawaii's heavy reliance on air travel and traffic, no formalized curriculum, program, or center of learning ezists within the State for the study, certification, and licensure of individuals who would like to pursue jobs in the aviation industry as pilots, air traffic controllers, and other specialized aviation professionals; and WHEREAS, establishment of a specialized and accredited program to train and equip students with the credentials, knowledge, skills and hands-on experience necessary to become qualified airline and aviation professionals would prepare individuals for jobs in the competitive Hawaii aviation marketplace; and WHEREAS, aircraft manufacturers, airlines, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) all predict that the largest growth in aviation services and need for professional aviation training of pilots, air traffic controllers, mechanics, and other aviation professionals will occur in the Pacific-Asia region over the neat fifteen years; and WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii (UH) has entered into an affiliation agreement with the University of North Dakota Center for Aerospace Sciences and the University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation to establish a Hawaii Aviation Training Center (HATC) for local students, and provide commercial airline pilot training opportunities to the Pacific-Asia region as an adjunct to degree programs (Aviation Administration, Airway Science, Airport Administration, Aeronautical Studies, Computer Science, Atmospheric Sciences, Air Traffic Control Space Studies); and WHEREAS, the University of North Dakota Center for Aerospace Sciences is the only university-based flight training organization to successfully develop a specialized professional airline pilot training curriculum with an airline (Northwest Airlines) known as `Spectrum", which trains pilots for China Airlines, Gulf Airlines, the Indonesian government, and other professional aviation entities, and is internationally recognized for the professional quality of its programs; and WHEREAS, the University of North Dakota Center for Aerospace Sciences has offered to make a gift of its academic flight curricula, enter into a training partnership with the UH to market the 'Spectrum' program to Asia-Pacific airlines, provide FAA approved operating certificates for immediate start-up, and operate the flight center while training Hawaii personnel to assume operational responsibility in the future; and WHEREAS, Hawaii is geographically, culturally, and environmentally situated in an ideal position to provide aviation training to emerging Asia-Pacific aviation entities, with Hilo and Kona International Airports providing excellent sites for professional flight training; and WHEREAS, A 'window of opportunity" exists in which time the HATC must begin operations to attract clients from the Asia-Pacific region, with potential clients having flight training available from private flight centers in Australia, San Francisco, Phoenix, Vero Beach, London and other locations with which the HATC must compete; and WHEREAS, Hawaii's inter-island carriers have no flight simulators for the FAA-required recurrent training required of their pilots, so they send their pilots to New Zealand, Seattle, Denver, Dallas, and other training center locations at significant ezpense, and are interested in becoming preferred customers in simulator training which could be provided at the HATC, thus reducing their operating costs; and WHEREAS, the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) has for the past three years worked with the UH to establish an aviation training center on the Island of Hawaii, and views the development of an aviation training center in Hilo as an integral part of the State's efforts to revitalize the economy of the Hilo-Hamakua Coast; and WHEREAS, the UH and the State Department of Transportation (DOT) have identified a suitable site of twenty acres at Hilo International Airport for construction of the HATC due to it being severely under utilized and it having space and runways to support a major flight training program, with Hilo's complez weather which offers a variety of training conditions; and WHEREAS, UND will help staff and operate the Hawaii Aviation Training Center. Initially, flight training operations will be run under UND's FAA license; the Hawaii Aviation Training Center will, for these purposes, be run as a UND satellite campus; and WHEREAS, the UH will request federal funding for the design, construction, and equipping of the HATC; and -2- WHEREAS, professional flight training in Hawaii would enhance diversification of Hawaii's economy, boost state revenues, enhance the reputation of Hawaii as a worild-class technology training center, broaden career opportunities to Hawaii's Citizens, and provide training services to Hawaii's inter-island carriers; and WHEREAS, light weight single planes will be used to help minimize the noise created from the flight school. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII that it supports Senate Resolution 188 which urges the development of a Hawaii Aviation Training Center on the Biq Island; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in recognition of legitimate community interests and concerns the following measures should be adopted by the University of Hawaii, the UND Aerospace Foundation and/or others sponsoring this proposal: 1. that an advisory council be established to provide community input regarding planning and operation of the Hawaii Aviation Training Center, including representatives from community organizations, the business community, the educational community, and labor organizations in addition to other residents of the Big Island; 2. that every reasonable effort be made to enhance employment opportunities associated with the center for qualified local residents; 3. that every reasonable effort be made to develop an aviation maintenance program in East Hawaii for the primary purpose of retraining mechanics and other appropriately skilled technicians impacted by the phase out of sugar operations; 4. that the program be designed to enhance opportunities and provide preferences for local residents, women, Native Hawaiians, and other minorities to prepare and qualify for admission and full participation in aviation center programs, including skills development, pre-qualification and identification of potential sources of financial assistance; 5. that in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation and others, significant measures to minimize any negative noise, health, safety or environmental impacts associated with this proposal be undertaken, and that serious discussions be held regarding the possibility of reducing, voluntarily or otherwise, ezisting touch-and-qo activity by larger aircraft, in order to accommodate aviation training center operations; -3- 6. that all student aviators be provided instruction in pilot courtesy, especially as it relates to operations near populated areas, and that all center participants--including flight instructors--be given an orientation focusing upon respect for applicable beliefs, sensitivities, and traditions of Hawaii and its people; 7. that major changes and developments associated with the Hawaii Aviation Training Center and significantly impacting upon the community be communicated in a timely manner to the advisory council and the Hawaii County Council; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the UH, DBEDT, and DOT work to establish temporary facilities at Hilo International Airport which will allow for the start-up of the HATC before the completion of permanent facilities, and that the temporary site be appropriate for the training of airline professionals; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the County of Hawaii is hereby directed to forward copies of this resolution to the President of the University of North Dakota; the President of the University of Hawaii; the Chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo; the Chancellor of the University of Hawaii Community Colleges; the Director of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; the Director of Transportation, the Honorable John Waihee, Governor of the State of Hawaii; and the Honorable Stephen R. Yamashiro, Mayor of Hawaii County. Dated et Hilo, Hawaii, this 16th day of November , 1999. COUNTY COUNCIL County of Hawsii Hilo, Hawaii I hereby certify that the foregoing RESOLUTION was by the vote indicsted to the right hereof adopted by the COUNCIL of the County of Hawaii on November 16 , 1994 . CHAIRMAN & PRESIDING OFFICER ROLL CALL ~_ I AYES I NOES I ABS I EX Reference C- ~ 84 ~ P - ~ 2 5 RESOLUTION NO. 251 94 (DRAFT 4) INTRODUCED BY: