May HVNP Flight Operations Schedule

HVNP file courtesy photo.

Helicopter operations during the month of May within Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park have been announced. The operations will be conducted for various tasks and on different days.

Below, you will find the upcoming flight dates, times, and their purposes:

May 9, 10, 11 and 12, between 6 a.m. and noon, to shuttle crew, camp supplies, fencing material, and equipment from Kilauea summit to Mauna Loa at about 9,000-ft. elevation, and to shuttle crew, camp, and monitoring supplies from Kilauea summit to Kahuku at about 7,500-ft. elevation.

May 16, between 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., to transport vegetation management supplies, equipment, and gear from Escape Road helipad to Nāpau campsite.

May 16, 17, 20, 23, and 26, between 6 a.m. and noon, to shuttle crew, camp supplies, fencing material, and equipment from Kilauea summit to Kapapala/Mauna Loa boundary.

May 17, between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., for ungulate surveys and control work in Kahuku between 3,000- and 7,000-ft. elevation.

May 17, between 8 a.m. and noon, for petrel monitoring from the summit of Kilauea to Mauna Loa at about 9,000-ft. elevation.

May 23, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., to transport vegetation management supplies, equipment, and gear from Escape Road helipad to Nāpau campsite.

May 25, between 10 a.m. and noon, for short-haul training near the summit of Kilauea.

May 26th, between noon and two p.m., transporting vegetation management supplies, equipment, and gear from Nāpau campsite to Escape Road helipad.

Park management requires the use of aircraft to monitor and research volcanic activity and conduct search-and-rescue missions, as well as law enforcement operations, support management of natural and cultural resources, and maintaining backcountry facilities.