East River Flight Restrictions to Become Permanent

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Originally Posted by Newsday.com

Lidle crash leads to permanent NYC restrictions
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
February 5, 2007, 1:17 PM EST

WASHINGTON -- Flight restrictions imposed around Manhattan after Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle crashed his single-engine plane into an apartment tower will be made permanent, new government documents show.

This was revealed as the National Transportation Safety Board released papers Monday detailing its investigation of the Oct. 11 crash that killed Lidle and his flight instructor. Included in the papers are toxicology reports showing that neither Lidle nor instructor Tyler Stanger had drugs or alcohol in their systems. The NTSB also found the airplane's global positioning device and cockpit display unit were too badly damaged by the fiery crash to reveal any information about the flight. Lidle owned the Cirrus SR-20 plane, and had taken it for a midday trip past the Statue of Liberty and north up the East River. Lidle apparently ran into trouble as he attempted to turn the plane around and head back south.

After the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily ordered small, fixed wing planes not to fly over the river, which runs along Manhattan's East Side, unless the pilot would be in contact with air traffic controllers. According to the NTSB documents, the Federal Aviation Administration on Dec. 12 "indicated that they would be proceeding with a rulemaking action to make the restrictions ... permanently effective."

The restriction remains in place, an FAA spokesman said Monday, but could not immediately confirm that the agency plans to make the rule permanent. Small planes could previously fly below 1,100 feet along the river without filing flight plans or checking in with air traffic control.

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So stupid. I can't even waste my time rebutting this. People who don't knowanything about aviation making dumb rules to calm the uneducated masses.

DAMNIT!!!

Another reason flying in NY is fun soon to dissapear for good. thanks to the a holes who do not know a damn thing about this industry.

Although I think the added restriction is unnecessary, has anyone actually flown the East River corridor and attempted to obtain clearance from LGA tower? If they refuse to issue clearances, then I would be pissed too but it seems people are pissed at the restriction itself. The corridor is not closed, you just have to talk to LGA. When I fly the Hudson River corridor over LGA, the tower has always been very accomodating. In fact, on one evening when I was a student flying with my instructor, I was handed off from LGA tower to EWR then to JFK even though after I was over the Hudson, I was not required to talk to anyone. It was so cool!

I normally do not fly the East River corridor because I think it's a bit too narrow for fixed wing but what would be cool is if LGA issued clearances to loop around Manhattan - up the East river, come around and down south along the Hudson. I wouldn't mind being "forced" by restriction to talk to LGA to do this!

I flew it once in a s76 with my dad but that is it.

i've flown the east river, and it was nice to be able to get all the way up to the williamsburg bridge without talking to anyone. this is just another step towards eliminating it for good... soon there will be very public incidences where pilots don't contact anyone and have to be escorted to land by NYPD helos. it'll happen, believe me.

what a hugh disappointment.. that was one of my favorite things to do whenever i went up.. it was one of the most relaxing yet enjoyable things to do around the nyc area if your a pilot.. hopefully one day someone with some aviation knowledge will change this and stop feeding into the masses