Hudson County officials want sightseeing helicopters to buzz off

HOBOKEN – A campaign to ban tourist helicopters from flying over the New Jersey side of Hudson River is gaining momentum with the backing of Rep. Albio Sires, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and several Hudson County mayors.

"All over this area helicopter flights have increased to the point that this is a safety issue," Sires, D-West New York, said at a news conference today at Pier A Park, with his voice competing with the buzz of helicopters flying along the waterfront. "We have all these tourist helicopters coming over until almost until midnight. ... The safety issue and quality-of-life issue is paramount. If they (tourists) want to see the skyline of New York let them drive over here. This is the most beautiful view in the country."

Sires said a recent accident in which a sightseeing helicopter carrying a family of four tourists made an emergency landing in the Hudson River after losing power on June 30 "really woke everybody up."

Sires was joined at the press conference by Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer, state Sen. and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, West New York Mayor Felix Roque, Guttenberg Mayor Gerald Drasheff, Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner, Freeholder Chairman Anthony Romano and Bill Gaughan, representing County Executive Tom DeGise, and Hoboken Councilwomen Beth Mason and Theresa Castellano.

Sires, with the support of Menendez, he will be meeting with the Federal Aviation Administration to ask them to ban flights over the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, after meeting last week with mayors in Hudson County, Mason, and members of a local group, Stop NYC Tourist Helicopters over NJ.

"I am meeting with the FAA and I am meeting with the people in Washington to try to ban these flights over this congested area," Sires said.

Zimmer said the helicopters are "getting out of control," flying "too frequently, too low and loudly" over homes and the waterfront without bringing benefit to New Jersey.

"The helicopters are a major, major issue, and you hear an endless stream of helicopters flying over on the weekends and on the holidays," Zimmer said. "Hoboken is an urban area. For us, our parks are supposed to be an oasis from the noise of urban life. But more often than not it sounds like a war zone with all the helicopters flying overhead. ... It's not just an inconvenience. This New York tourist helicopter noise is excessive, unreasonable, and unfair."

Although not present at the meeting, state Sen. and Union City Mayor Brian Stack and Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith, who has been fighting his own battle with helicopter traffic, said in a statement they backed the call for a ban.

One of the helicopter routes runs from the Statue of Liberty to the George Washington Bridge, officials said.

"The helicopters that travel north along the river make a turn right at the Guttenberg-North Bergen border, where over 3,000 of our residents live and come within a couple of 100 feet of the Galaxy and Bull's Ferry development," Drasheff said. "Since they don't have the habit of staying in the air, we are very concerned what happens when they have to make an emergency landing."

After complaints from New Yorkers, the New York City Economic Development Corp.  has banned helicopters from flying over Brooklyn, the Chrysler Building and Central Park in Manhattan, increasing traffic on the New Jersey side, Sires said.

"As a resident of Hoboken, this goes on from 9, 10 every morning to about 11 o'clock every night," said Brian Wagner, a Hoboken resident and founding member of Stop NYC Tourist Helicopters over NJ. "We have an ongoing assembly line of tourist helicopters in addition to all the helicopters that fly through the area that we have to deal with."

Wagner estimates that between 40,000 to 60,000 helicopter flights over the area each year, equating to roughly 700 a helicopters a day.

Jeff Smith, chairman of the Eastern Region Helicopter Council, which represents the helicopter industry in the region, said in an emailed statement that in 2010 a comprehensive plan to minimize helicopter noise in and around New York City was implemented that reduced the number of tour routes, increased altitudes and kept all northbound and southbound air tour traffic over the Hudson River.  

"As a result of this plan, we have seen a dramatic decrease in noise complaints from 2010 and we will continue to work with all parties to minimize future complaints," Smith said in a statement. "We have always taken community concerns very seriously and for years have worked with elected officials, local leaders, the FAA and community residents to find the best solutions to mitigate noise concerns."

Helicopter New York City offer rides at Pier 6 in Downtown Manhattan for $149 for their basic New Yorker Tour, which includes views of the Statue of Liberty, Empire State and Chrysler Buildings, up to $299 for their Deluxe Helicopter Tour, which includes the Yankee Stadium, Harlem, The Bronx and George Washington Bridge. 

Liberty Helicopter offers a 15-minute ride, The Big Apple, from its Downtown Heliport at 6 East River Piers to the Statue of Liberty for $150 per person. At the top end, the company offers a 20 minute Married Over Manhattan tour where four customers can "celebrate their wedding vows" in a helicopter overlooking Manhattan for $1,895.