FAA Makes Deal With NYC Tour Copters

[Gerard]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/l...NPFDvEnPI7EawI

[Matt Molnar]

Ken Paskar, a Manhattan pilot and safety advocate, put it more bluntly: “You have hundreds of helicopters flying up and down through that airspace, and nobody knows about it ...

Uhh, I think a pilot would know about it when he sees another aircraft in his path.

I agree, the secrecy is bad news. But the whole Hudson reconfiguration was probably rushed due to political pressure and not very well thought out in the first place.

[Gerard]

Uhh, I think a pilot would know about it when he sees another aircraft in his path.

Especially if its in the HUNDREDS!!! Wow talk about exageration. And I'd love to read this guys "pilot" AND "safety advocate" credentials which I know The Post
investigated.

[njgtr82]

Especially if its in the HUNDREDS!!! Wow talk about exageration. And I'd love to read this guys "pilot" AND "safety advocate" credentials which I know The Post
investigated.

Not 100's of different helicopter's but I can tell you that there is easily 200+ tour flights a day on the river from these tour companies

[PhilDernerJr]

I don't know exactly what to make of it, as it can easily be overexaggerated media stuff, but the NTSB commenting on it like that lends it legitimacy. Matt said it well...if not for the secrecy, otherwise not a big deal, and prob put in place by the people up in arms after that collision.

[cancidas]

i just will never understand why the media just has to sensationalize everything. it's really immature. having said that, i don't think that the helo tours should be inside the transient corridor. there are lots of pilots out there like me that fly in and out of there every day and can easily hear a radio call and know exactly who it is and where that a/c is in relation to mine. the 'weekend warriors' are the ones i worry about more. the secrecy was really stupid, but i'm sure the FAA wanted to avoid all the bad press that would have surely come about had it been public.

there is a saying that goes: "professionals are predictable, it's the amateurs that are dangerous." well it couldn't be more true. the way i see it these two groups of pilots have very different skill-sets to go along with the very different a/c they're flying. someone that flies the hudson once or twice a year is not going to know where to expect a helicopter to pop out of. mixing transient traffic and the helo tours is just a recipe for disaster!

[JetBlueAirwaysFan]

Tour operators sought the exception because of Manhattan residents’ noise complaints, said Jeffery Smith, chairman of the Eastern Region Helicopter Council.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/l...#ixzz1atw600Ia

I'm sorry, but if you live in Manhattan I don't think you should be complaining about any noise. You live in a bustling city with all sorts of noise. How big of a difference is it going to make by allowing helicopters to fly higher? My guess is extremely minimal if any.