Originally Posted by
Kiwithrottlejockey
I did a trip to White Island in 1997 about a year before I moved from Gisborne to Wairarapa.
It was with a company called Vulcan Helicopters, but I don't think they exist any more.
We flew out there in a Hughes 500, four of us plus the pilot.
It was an amazing trip, but I got the feeling it could potentially be a very dangerous place and the air was full of sulphur fumes.
My condolences to all affected and those that have lost loved ones.
Yes, Vulcan Helicopters used to operate out to White Island out of Whakatane.
Robert was the owner and pilot. I used to work for him as ground crew cleaning his helicopter every day after the last tour. He sold the Hughes and got a BK117 B2, with 10 seats.
Being such a corrosive environment, Robert and I spent about 2 hours each day cleaning his aircraft and gear carefully, compressor wash etc. Hard hats and gas masks for all.
PJ’s tours was the boat based operator. Every operator out there was very cautious and in contact with GNS volcanologist all the time. These are not cowboy operators. I’m quite frankly disgusted about some of the comments made by the attention seeking volcanologist from Monash that is Captain Hindsight. Obvious attempt to grab his 3 seconds of fame and hopefully life time of infamy. Pratt. Tours have operated to White Island for over 30 years managing the risk carefully.
I ve also been to White Island a few times too. You’d land near the water at the flat area where the crater walk has gone. Then it was about a hour walk around the island, often to the crater lake edge, but back from it because it wasn’t sure how stable the edge was. The island is alive. It lives and breathes. It moves and definitely has moods. There are many fumaroles belching out jets of steam at over 150 km/hr. Was like standing next to a jet engine exhaust.The air is acrid. Sour like lemon juice but 10x worse. Hence masks on. Often your clothes would come back bleached from the sulphuric acid vapour.
Volcanoes by by their nature are unpredictable. It doesn’t make the loss any more acceptable but a criminal investigation and apportioning blame will achieve very little. But such is the ill considered emotion reaction of the internet generation that doesn’t have the foggiest idea about risk management and judgement.