I think that the submission we received below, is the closest that the industry* has come to making some sort of formal contact with our group, despite our numerous attempts to contact them. Apparently Mr. Protesters of F**k you, NY, feels that his freedom to fly is somehow in jeopardy. I have to say that "f**k you, NY" is definitely the message that NY has been hearing loud and clear from the sight seeing helicopter industry, for quite a long time now. So, thanks for the laugh Mr. Protesters. I have to say though, your comments appear to be missing some punctuation. Or, is it that you just have not learned the distinction between "their" and "there?"









 

 

Labels: comments, petition

According to the NY Times, The NYCEDC is moving forward with the transition of the Downtown Heliport management, despite a suit questioning its fairness.

The NYCECD told the NY Times that in the next several weeks, FirstFlight, an upstate based helicopter pad operator, associated with Alvin Trenk, of Pegasus Air (currently operating the 30th Street heliport) will have assumed management of the Downtown Heliport. Earlier this spring, the controversial award of the management contract from the EDC to FirstFlight, led to a suit from a competing operator based at Linden Airport in NJ. The NY Times says that Patricia Ornst of the EDC "acknowledged that some sightseeing flights are very likely to be diverted to the downtown heliport because the West Side heliport has started gradually phasing down the sightseeing traffic there. But she added that she was sensitive to complaints from downtown residents about helicopter noise."

The reason that 30th street sightseeing traffic is going to be phased down, is to comply with a settlement agreement entered into this summer, after Air Pegasus was sued by Friends of Hudson River Park. The suit, and settlement agreement should be an indication of how NYC residents feel about the constant tourist helicopter noise. By saying that she was "sensitive to complaints from downtown residents about helicopter noise," Ms. Ornst must mean that she has listened to the voicemail messages that the EDC has been receiving. It is dubious, judging from the action by the EDC (or lack thereof) since they have been delegated to handle noise complaints about helicopter traffic in NYC, how much EDC really is sensitive to residents afflicted by the noise.

Labels: Downtown Heliport, EDC, Noise Pollution, NYEDC, Suit

Anonymous wrote:

I just found your web site while searching for links to heliport information. As a member of the "enemy camp" I find this site a bit distressing. Certainly my experiences in NYC are that it, like Chicago where I reside, is a noisy place. With the sounds of cars honking, buses, trucks, sirens, etc. how can you possibly hear the helicopters?That being said, I have to think back to New Orleans after Katrina when the citizens were happy to see helicopters hovering over their homes to rescue them. If you chase them all away, who will be there to save you when things go terribly wrong?

Anonymous, thanks for taking the time to share your sentiments with us. We agree, that like Chicago, NYC is generally loud. You will not find, however, pervasive sirens and horns before dawn on a consistent basis. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for helicopter noise. If this were to become the case however, there are "quality of life" statutes currently in force, in NYC to deal with most types of pervasive noise pollution, especially during the hours when most people are at home and trying to sleep. Once again, not the case when it comes to helicopter generated noise pollution. Helicopter noise is immune to these statutes because the FAA preempts anything that the City could legislate to address helicopter noise.

With respect to your comments re: New Orleans and Katrina, apparently you did not spend much time reading what we are attempting to accomplish with this site. Military, police, emergency and even private corporate helicopter traffic is not what we are intending to curtail. Indeed if the helicopter traffic over Manhattan were limited to the above reference categories, there would most likely be no issue at all. The real offenders are the tourist helicopters and the news media helicopters. Those, my dear Anonymous, are the ones that we say, must go.

Labels: citizen, comment, feedback, Noise Pollution, response

Labels: Complaints, Contact, News, Noise Pollution

The following message was recently submitted through the "comments" section of the site:

Labels: citizen, Complaints, feedback, response

After several months of pressure from NYC area groups and individuals, the EDC agreed to have 311 calls dealing with helicopter noise complaints, routed directly to the EDC. Previously, the helicopter noise complaints were being routed by 311 operators to a helicopter industry representative. Despite a perceived victory for opponents of helicopter noise, the shift in routing of 311 calls may have been in vain. As before, it appear that the 311 calls may be again be falling on deaf ears. HFNYC has become aware of multiple instances in which 311 callers referred to the New York City Economic Development Corporation, have been routed to voicemail, with no return phone call received by the 311 caller. One contributor to the HFNYC comment page reported "I have called 311 and they always direct me to the Economic Development Corporation, where I have to leave a message, and where no person seems to feel the need to call back. I have done this several times, to no success." This does not come as a huge surprise, given then contraversial manner that the new contract for the Downtown Heliport was recently awarded to Firstflight, by the EDC. Feel free to share your 311 experience with us, by commenting on this post, contributing to the comments page, or sending an email to administrator@helifreenyc.com. It may also be helpful to share your experience with the EDC via their contact page, by clicking here.

Labels: 311, EDC

The settlement between Air Pegasus and Friends of the Hudson River park was recently signed by a judge. The full text of the settlement can be downloaded here (PDF Format).

Labels: 30th Street Heliport, Suit