Michael Strasmich, a retired small business owner in his late 50s, was riding his bike over on the west side's Hudson River Greenway in March 2007 when a helicopter landed at the West 30th Street airport. According to his attorney, David Rankin, the aircraft’s top blade was approximately 30 feet from Strasmich at the time of the incident, and a gust of wind from the chopper knocked him off his bike! Strasmich has hit by another cyclist and injured, but it was all for a good cause: the helicopter was delivering important executives from the East Side of Manhattan to the West Side. more ›

As noted in our newsletter this morning, on this day in 1953, the first commuter passenger service by helicopter began. New York Airways provided a lift for busy folks who wanted to avoid traffic. more ›

After a long dispute with the Hudson River Park Trust, the heliport operator at West 30th Street and the Hudson has agreed to phase out its flights for tourists by 2010. The NY Times reports Air Pegasus will cut its tourist flights over the next two years, "capped at 25,000 for the year that ends on May 31, 2009, then to 12,500 over the next 10 months, then halted completely." more ›