Results tagged “flightrules”

The new FAA rules regarding air traffic over the Hudson River go into effect Thursday, separating pilots into three altitude corridors: in the lower two (below 1,300 feet), local commuter planes and sightseeing helicopters would still rely on the "see and avoid" method, but would also be required to tune their radio to a frequency of 123.05; announce their location, description and route; and obey a speed limit of 140 knots or less. Longer flights under the jurisdiction of air traffic controllers will fly above 1,300 feet. But critics say the rules don't go far enough to prevent another crash like the August 8th collision between a small plane and a sightseeing helicopter that claimed nine lives.

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!

There's simply no consensus about how to regulate aircraft in the crowded airspace above the Hudson River. Yesterday the FAA announced new rules for the area—rules that fundamentally differ from those recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board, which issued its own recommendations last month. And neither of those sets of rules have satisfied some local politicians, who want an immediate ban on the kind of helicopter tourism that contributed to the horrific midair collision on Aug. 8th between a single-engine plane a chopper packed with Italian tourists.

      

Investigators continue searching the Hudson River for other remains and wreckage from Saturday's tragic collision between a small plane and sightseeing helicopter over the Hudson River. So far, seven bodies have been found, as well as helicopter wreckage. Authorities are hoping to pull the plane's wreckage from the water, but they say that finding the two remaining bodies is their first priority.