Fed bill hits hard on commercial helicopter routes
From Brooklyn Heights to Jamaica Bay, heli tours make hellish racket
In the latest legislative move to curb noisy helicopter and other flights over Downtown Brooklyn, other areas adjoining New York Harbor and elsewhere, U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Brooklyn-Manhattan) has introduced “The Safe and Quiet Skies Act,” along with several representatives from other areas of the country.
The bill, according to Nadler’s office, would mandate strict regulation of commercial air tour operations to address defense risks and community disruption, including no overflights of defense, parks, cemeteries, and other sensitive installations and minimum altitude maximum noise limits on all flights.
While the bill doesn’t specify New York City or Brooklyn, a quote from Nadler leaves little doubt about its intended target. “The commercial air tours that buzz incessantly through New York City’s skies are not only a source of unnecessary and damaging noise and environmental pollution, they put New Yorkers and tourists in danger,” he said. “After more than thirty helicopter crashes in New York City since 1980 alone, many of which been fatal, I have repeatedly called on the FAA to impose additional regulations to keep our city safe. Unfortunately, the FAA has failed to take meaningful action.