Posted on: Friday, December 21, 2001

Seaplane firm hails end of restrictions

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer

The Federal Aviation Administration this week lifted its remaining post-Sept. 11 restrictions on general aviation in Honolulu — not a minute too soon for Pat and Debbie Magie, owners of Island Seaplane Service.

"We were out of business for 100 days," Pat Magie said. "It feels good to be flying again."

Magie started the state's only seaplane tour business four years ago after flying stints in Minnesota, Florida, Alaska and elsewhere. He still doesn't know if his company will be able to survive the long shutdown.

"We lost a lot of money in the last three months; we really need some sort of relief from Congress if we're going to stay in business," he said yesterday.

Hours after terrorist used hijacked planes to attack the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a ban on all flying.

Commercial airlines were back in business in a matter of days; some other companies, like flight schools, were given the go-ahead to resume business after six weeks. But small tour companies that operate under Part 91 of the FAA rules at 30 of the nation's biggest airports had to wait until Wednesday to fly again.

Nationwide the restrictions grounded 413,000 general aviation planes at a cost of $400 million in lost sales for planes, fuel, parts, maintenance and pilot training, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

In Honolulu, the restrictions caused at least two helicopter tour companies to go out of business, said Magie, whose company offers 30- and 60-minute tours of O'ahu's coastline. "And there are might be others we don't know about," he said.

Magie said he and his wife spent much of their lost flying time improving other aspects of their business: setting up new tourism contacts, building a floating wedding chapel for Japanese tourists, improving their dock and parking facilities, and landscaping their grounds along side Lagoon Drive near the old Pan Am Clipper landing area.

"We're always scrambling for business, but these last three months really required a lot of extra work," Debbie Magie said.

The couple also spent countless hours lobbying Congress for some sort of financial relief, like the kind big commercial airlines received immediately after the terrorist attack.

"We probably sent between 800 and 1,000 faxes all over the place," Pat Magie said. He said at least five bills pending in Congress would provide some help for businesses hurt by the long shutdown. "We just don't know if any of them will get passed in time to help us, but we absolutely need the government to reimburse us if we're going to survive."

Magie, who is 71, said he has been flying seaplanes for four decades and is approaching the world record for most flying hours in a float plane (28,000 hours). "I'd have passed the marked by now if it hadn't been for the restrictions," he said, standing next to his six-seat de Havilland Beaver seaplane, one of only 1,600 built between 1947 and the early 1960s and still prized by pilots for their reliability and versatility.

Even as they watched other nearby businesses return to the air while they remained grounded, the couple never gave up hope that they'd be back.

"I couldn't see myself retiring," said Magie. "I'd much rather fly."