Is it an environmental question or one of haves versus have-nots? It’s difficult to tell in New York. Photo: RHI archive
New York’s vocal anti-helicopter lobby has once again tabled motions before the council calling for an end to ‘non-essential’ helicopter flights over the city. This comes against the background of last year’s failed attempt to ban these flights at both the city and state levels since the authority for airspace is vested with the federal government and the FAA in particular.
Accordingly, this time, the attack comes in the form of resolutions calling for state and federal governments to implement bans. Given the precedents set last year, it seems unlikely that these pleas will find a positive reception either in Albany or Washington, D.C.
One tool the lobby does have in its kit is ownership of two of the city’s three Manhattan heliports. The Downtown and East 34th St Heliports are owned by the city’s Economic Development Corporation and operated by Saker Aviation and Atlantic, respectively.
Thus, among the resolutions is a call for the operating contracts to be amended when they come up for renewal with clauses that ban ‘non-essential’ operations by fossil fuel-powered helicopters (although eVTOLs will be permitted) along with a requirement to install eVTOL charging infrastructure. In the case of the West 30th St Heliport, the ownership is vested with the state government since it falls within the Hudson River Park, which in turn is in state rather than city ownership. Here, the anti-helicopter lobby has tabled motions calling for the state government to amend the park charter, allowing similar restrictions to be imposed. It seems the lobby has had an eVTOL epiphany in the last year.
Another argument being advanced by the lobby in support of its resolutions is the large number of noise complaints concerning helicopter noise to the city’s 311 noise complaint hotline. However, the EDC said the number of calls may not paint a complete picture. EDC Aviation Director Anton Frederickson noted that around 90% of the complaints came from just 20 individuals, known in New York parlance as “super kvetchers”. Frederickson added that just 1% of the complaints recorded involved the kind of ‘non-essential’ tourist and commuting flights the lobby seeks to ban.
Of course, if the first two elements of the resolutions were successful, there is a very real prospect that traffic would move to heliports in New Jersey just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Accordingly, the third element of the resolutions is a call for the FAA not to allow traffic using New Jersey’s Heliports to transit the airspace of New York City.
Naturally, the alphabet soup of industry representation has swung into action with VAI, NBAA and AOPA all making representations reminding the council of the economic benefits wrought by helicopter operations, yet this may carry little water when the city’s own comptroller Brad Lander appears to have thrown his lot in with the anti-helicopter lobby.
Whatever the outcome before the wider council or the reception that any resulting resolution receives in Albany or Washington, this saga is not likely to conclude soon.
