MOKULEIA, OAHU- The owner of Skydive Hawaii in Mokuleia says ironwood trees that shadow the landing zone at Dillingham Airfield pose an extreme hazard and should be removed.
“Any object that you place in a wind stream or a current of water is going to create turbulence after it,” said Frank Hinshaw. “If we can plant other trees in other places…we'd be all for that.”
However some residents are opposed to removing the trees that line Farrington Highway, saying they beautify the area and act as a buffer against noise. The Outdoor Circle has been monitoring the situation and believes there’s a middle ground.
“It doesn't have to be either the trees or a safety hazard,” said Bob Loy, The Outdoor Circle’s director of environmental programs. “I think there can be trees and no safety problems.”
Still, planting a different type of tree that doesn’t grow as tall as ironwoods presents other obstacles. Thomas Shirai of the North Shore Neighborhood Board says the area in and around Dillingham Airfield is known to hold native Hawaiian burials.
In 2005 illegal sand mining at Dillingham disturbed some of those burial sites and Shirai doesn’t want to see a repeat performance.
“As much as possible we don't want to see any more digging,” said Shirai. “When the general area was carbon dated it dates back to 700 to 1200 AD.”
In June skydiver Erika Lopez was severely injured when she encountered turbulence at Dillingham Airfield that Hinshaw says came from the ironwoods. Video taken by Skydive Hawaii shows Lopez slamming into the ground after her parachute crumples about 40 to 50 feet off the ground.
“Erika had broken bones (and) her aorta was almost completely severed,” said Hinshaw. “She's disfigured for life.”
In years past the State Transportation Department has removed trees around Dillingham Airfield or trimmed them to less obstructive heights. Skydivers say that resulted in an immediate change to the landing zone.
“They did cut the trees about four of five years ago and our landing area changed dramatically for the better,” said Shaun Dunn, Skydive Hawaii’s safety and training adviser.
DOT spokesman Dan Meisenzahl said the agency wants to see some sort of consensus among the various stakeholders in the area before coming up with a course of action, whether it’s removing the ironwoods our trimming them back.
"We've reached resolution once before and so I don't know why we can't reach an agreement again,” said Hinshaw.
Register to log on and leave a comment
Have a news tip? Contact Andrew Pereira at 368-7273. Follow Andrew on Twitter at Khon_Reporter or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AndrewPereiraKhon2
