Committee defers aviation safety-reporting resolutions, notes FAA jurisdiction limits

The Senate Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts deferred Senate Concurrent Resolution 180 and Senate Resolution 150, which request that the Department of Transportation submit reports summarizing safety-related information for general aviation and commercial tour operators.

Quentin Cook, president of Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, supported the measure as a transparency tool but said portions of the requested reporting are covered by an airline-style Safety Management System (SMS) and FAA processes that allow anonymous reporting to protect employees. A representative who identified himself as "Colonel Zulu" submitted late written testimony opposing the measure on jurisdictional grounds and answered questions during the hearing.

Kurt (DOT questioner) asked whether the state has jurisdiction over flight patterns and flight operations; a DOT witness replied that the Federal Aviation Administration governs anything that goes above the land and issues permits to operators. The DOT witness said state collection of flight-pattern information would be voluntary; information about leases and on-the-ground infrastructure is public.

Why it matters: supporters argued for community transparency about tour-operator safety. DOT and military testimony emphasized that flight operations and certain safety data are regulated federally and not within state authority; voluntary reporting or collaboration with industry associations may be a path forward.

The chair deferred the measures to the committee’s decision-making meeting on Tuesday, April 1 at 3:02 p.m. to allow additional work on language and to consult stakeholders on what the state can lawfully request and publish.