Bloomberg Okay With New FAA Rules for Hudson Airspace

Rep. Jerrold Nadler predicts the FAA's new rules for the Hudson River air corridor will make the situation worse, and Senator Chuck Schumer says the FAA needs to "go back to the drawing board." On Wednesday the FAA released its redesign plan, which, as you surely know, was prompted by the August 8th collision between a small plane and a sightseeing helicopter. While the new rules call for reorganizing air traffic over the Hudson into three separate altitude corridors, some critics still want air traffic controllers to start managing all flights over the Hudson. Currently pilots flying under 1,100 feet and over the river avoid each other simply by looking out the cockpit window; that "see and avoid" method will continue, though augmented by enhanced radio communication between aircraft. Despite the fierce criticism, Mayor Bloomberg expressed lukewarm support for the changes yesterday, telling reporters, "I'm just not going to second guess [Administrator Randy Babbitt] or the FAA. I'll ride with whatever the FAA judgment is in terms of making the city safer." See, this is exactly the kind of bold, independent leadership you get when a mayor isn't beholden to the special Interests!