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Hamptons May Descend Into Chaos Over Helicopter Restrictions
By
Ben Yakas
Published May 9, 2015
Modified May 9, 2015
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By
Ben Yakas
Published May 9, 2015
Modified May 9, 2015
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The Hamptons is the home to people who think that $25K champagne is served best when chilled during a 10,000-foot free-fall and locals who have very libertine views on parking. But the good times may be coming to an abrupt end: the Post reports today that new rules may restrict how much residents can fly their helicopters in the area. You know what this means.
The Post writes that under the new rules, helicopters will be limited "to one flight a week to or from the East Hampton Airport" after a three-year campaign by neighbors who were annoyed by nonstop noise from helicopter taxiing from Manhattan and other locations. "It will be like Apocalypse Now," one Hamptons resident told the Post. "But it’s not the end of the world. Seaplanes can still land in East Hampton. Everybody will be taken care of. It’s rich people’s problems."
Among those rich people who'll be affected by the new rules: Goldman Sachs chief Lloyd Blankfein, art dealer Larry Gagosian, Jets owner Woody Johnson, George Stephanopoulos, Matt Lauer, and billionaire Ira Rennert, who owns two helicopters and apparently flies them nearly every day. There's little doubt that services like Gotham Air, which is essentially Uber-for-helicopters, will also frown at this development.
All hope is not lost yet: the helicopter elite will plea Thursday for a temporary restraining order. "It’s high noon on Thursday," one aviation supporter said. "If we don’t get the TRO it will be chaos."
Tagged
chaos
Hamptons
Helicopters
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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