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Brooklyn Heights Oppressed By Helicopters
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 26, 2009
Modified Oct 26, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 26, 2009
Modified Oct 26, 2009
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Some Brooklyn Heights residents say the cacophony from helicopters using the downtown Manhattan heliport is ruining their nice little neighborhood, with eight to ten flights landing every hour at the downtown heliport, just across the East River. Resident Neil Calet tells the Post, "We can no longer sit on our balcony because even nose-to-nose conversation is impossible." (Which means they probably can't hear the tiny violin we're playing, either.) Some fear it's about to get worse, because in April the city will shift sightseeing tours from the West 30th Street heliport to the downtown heliport. You gonna take that, Brooklyn Heights?
Like their allies on the west side of Manhattan, the Brooklyn Heights Association is demanding that the city ban all sightseeing tours. "What we have now is best described as a free-for-all of helicopters criss-crossing over Brooklyn Heights, at distances no greater than a few hundred feet," the Association wrote in a recent letter to the city Economic Development Corp.
In the wake of the helicopter/airplane collision over the Hudson River, some City Council members and other officials called for a complete ban, but Mayor Bloomberg insists tourist flights are important for the city's economy. Also, he needs to take helicopters to U2 concerts.
Tagged
ban
brooklyn heights
east river
helicopter
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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