LIHU‘E — After nearly 24 years of conducting helicopter tours for visitors to Kaua‘i, owner and pilot Ken D’Attilio of Inter-Island Helicopters said he’s had enough. Those people calling Inter-Island Helicopters hoping to book aerial tours of the island are
LIHU‘E — After nearly 24 years of conducting helicopter tours for visitors to Kaua‘i, owner and pilot Ken D’Attilio of Inter-Island Helicopters said he’s had enough.
Those people calling Inter-Island Helicopters hoping to book aerial tours of the island are being booked with Sunshine Helicopters, he said Friday.
D’Attilio isn’t selling his business. He said he hopes to continue to do search, rescue and utility work on the island.
D’Attilio is simply getting out of the tour business. He has a new helicopter coming to the island in about a week to facilitate the search-and-rescue work he has been doing for the county for several years.
D’Attilio said it had been getting harder for him to find qualified, quality pilots to join the tour portion of his business.
Kaua‘i Fire Chief Robert Westerman said his department has no contract for helicopter service with any operator but there may be one in the future.
KFD uses Inter-Island Helicopters and other providers such as Jack Harter and Croman Corporation on an emergency basis only, he said in an e-mail.
“Currently, KFD is working on a contract for helicopter services,” Westerman said. “Since it is not out for bid yet, I cannot provide any further information.”
Westerman said neither KFD nor the FAA have hit any road blocks.
“We are ensuring that the contract complies with all regulations,” he said.
