Helicopter pilots and mechanics crucial for monitoring and observing

Helicopter transport is the only way HVO scientists and technicians can install and maintain many monitoring instruments on the Island of Hawai‘i, conduct field experiments or map new volcanic deposits in inaccessible areas, and make direct observations of eruptions. Pilots that fly the helicopters and mechanics that maintain them to the highest standards are crucial to us in performing our work safely and to report reliably on the status and eruptions of Hawai‘i's active volcanoes. Eruption of Kīlauea Volcano on March 8, 2011, visible through the cockpit of a small helicopter piloted by David Okita, Volcano Helicopters.