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Compared to commercial jets, helicopters have relatively few regulations about where they can fly and land in and around New York City.
A frequent sight on the New York skyline over the Hudson and East Rivers, helicopters seem as native to the city as seagulls and pigeons. These aircraft share the airspace with commercial liners and smaller private planes. But with so many usages–personal, commercial, medical, corporate–helicopter travel is far from the strictly monitored system we’d expect over one of the world’s busiest transportation hubs. As the result of a series of crashes, emergency landings, noise complaints, and new technology in recent years, new rules have emerged, but many New Yorkers are still campaigning for further regulation.
A deadly crash over the Hudson between a sightseeing helicopter and a plane in 2009 prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to set new flight regulations in the flight corridors of Manhattan’s rivers. The area from the southern end of Governors Island to the northern tip of Roosevelt Island makes up the East River Visual Flight Rules (VFR) corridor. The Hudson River VFR corridor stretches the length of Manhattan. In these zones, any licensed pilot can fly a registered aircraft up to 1,500 feet. Helicopter pilots are not required to be in contact with air traffic control and simply avoid other aircraft they can visually see.
Before the 2009 crash, helicopters and small planes could fly anywhere below 1,100 or at 1,500 feet, depending on their location within the VFR corridors. After the crash, the FAA effectively divided the Hudson River corridor into zones for local aircraft and others flying through the area. Certain aircraft fly at different assigned elevations. To avoid interference with airplanes, helicopters must fly below 2,000 feet within the corridors. Pilots must announce their aircraft type, position, direction, and altitude at certain checkpoints along the corridor, and they are not permitted to travel faster than 140 knots.
So where do these helicopters land and take off from? According to the New York State Department Of Transportation, Manhattan has three heliports (helicopter airports) for public use: West 30th Street on the Hudson River, East 34th Street on the East River, and downtown at Wall Street and the FDR Drive, with another located in Southampton on Long Island.
These heliports are used by tourism flights, charter/commuter flights, and emergency response and military aircraft. Tourist flights are only allowed to depart from and arrive at the Downtown Heliport and can only fly over the city's rivers. The other two heliports are often used to ferry wealthy passengers between New York City airports like JFK and their beach homes. Charter and commuter flights are allowed to fly over land, as are tourist flights that don't originate in New York City.
There are half a dozen other heliports with restricted use, including NYPD, hospitals, and Goldman Sachs private heliports. Each heliport contains one or more helipads for landing. Whereas airports strictly monitor landings, heliports are less regulated. Pilots simply announce their landing position and intention to other helicopters via radio.
With the proliferation of helicopter sightseeing tours in New York City and commuter flights like those offered by Blade, there has been a growing demand for more regulation, especially when it comes to noise pollution.
The advocacy group Stop the Chop NY/NJ works to "educate the public on the harms caused by nonessential helicopter flights over the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area and advocate for the elimination or curtailment of these flights through legislative and administrative action." Legislative victories they cite on their website include a 30% reduction in the hours of operation at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, including a ban on Sunday tourist flights. Current initiatives the group is advocating for include a ban on all nonessential, non-electric helicopter operations at heliports owned or operated by New York City and a noise tax.
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