Helicopter tourism along the Hudson River isn't going away, at least not yet.
Last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio sat down with members of a New York and New Jersey delegation advocating for residents who want to ban helicopter tours in New York and on the Hudson River.
In attendance were U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler and U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, both of New York, as well as representatives from the offices of Sen. Robert Menendez and U.S. Rep. Albio Sires.
Robert Gottheim, the district director for Nadler, said that de Blasio heard their argument and understands that they want a ban on helicopter tours. However, there is no timetable for a resolution and the anti-helicopter group is in "wait and see" mode, Gottheim added.
For Stop the Chop co-founder and Hoboken resident Brian Wagner, that isn't good enough.
"de Blasio keeps digging himself in a deeper hole. It's that kind of lackadaisical attitude that is bringing this thing to a head," said Wagner, whose group contends the helicopters raise quality of life and safety concerns. "He's apparently been dubbed the chronically tardy mayor because he is afraid of making a decision, just like with the horseless carriage industry. His main concern is loss of jobs."
Wagner says de Blasio has the authority to terminate the city's contract with Saker Aviation -- the owner of the helicopter tour companies that operate out of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport -- at any time because the property is owned by the city.
Ian Fried, a spokesman for the New York City Economic Development Corporation released a statement on behalf of de Blasio's office in which he said the city is evaluating the issue and working with elected officials and community groups to find the right solution.
Fried pointed to statistics that contend there has been an 80 percent drop in complaints within the city's purview regarding helicopters since it implemented the Helicopter Sightseeing Plan in 2010. He said 86 percent of noise complaints received across New York City were regarding helicopters outside of the city's purview, including emergency services, news, charter and other kinds of flights.
Wagner says the number of complaints filed is diminished due to the fact that New Jersey residents cannot file complaints on the New York help line. Meanwhile, Wagner says on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River, choppers fly at a lowered height of 900 feet due to FAA regulations.
"People will say when you move along the waterfront you know it's urban," said Wagner. "But while most sounds go away, those mechanical buzzards go all day, all the time."
Delia von Neuschtaz, who co-founded Stop the Chop with Wagner, lives in Battery Park City, roughly five minutes from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport and claims that on a clear day a helicopter passes by every two minutes.
"It's like living in the opening sequence of M.A.S.H. day in and day out."
According to von Neuschatz, the helicopter tour industry has little to no impact on the New York City economy. She added that the roughly 300 jobs the industry creates are in New Jersey, as the helicopter companies store all their choppers in a Kearny facility.
Helicopters Matter, a coalition comprised of helicopter industry players advocating against helicopter air traffic regulation, find the claims of Stop the Chop to be unfounded. The group states that only 13 complaints were filed against New York City helicopter traffic this summer, which they perceive to be a low number.
"As a military veteran and pilot for over two decades, this job allows
me -- and hundreds of others like me -- to provide for our families," said Patrick Day, Helicopters Matter spokesman and pilot. "Beyond our own jobs, air tours generate tens of millions of dollars for the Tri-state area, monies that go towards myriad public services that benefit millions of residents, including those along the Hudson River."
This summer, a number of Hudson County mayors joined Menendez on the Hoboken waterfront in support of a ban on helicopter tourism. Sires too has long championed a ban on tourist helicopters.
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