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Keep in mind that not every helicopter spoiling your waterfront is sightseeing. Public safety, medical, and even private travel helicopter flights are very comm

Keep in mind that not every helicopter spoiling your waterfront is sightseeing. Public safety, medical, and even private travel helicopter flights are very common in New York, so if you ban sightseeing you’re still only part of the way there. I’d suggest that it’s really just the size of NYC causing the annoyance that you experience. Look at the bright side: they aren’t Hueys. You’d probably lose your mind if a squadron of angry Hueys thumped up the FDR on the deck. At least the average 206 or Eurocopter you’d see is designed to be somewhat reasonable.

CydeWeys 9y ago
Private travel to/from Manhattan should be banned as well, for the same reasons. As for public safety flights, e.g. police helicopters, they smartly launch from less populated parts of other boroughs, where noise pollution isn't as big of a problem and land is more available. As for medical flights, I don't think there are any that take off from or land in Manhattan. It just doesn't make sense. There aren't helipads near any hospitals that I know of, nor any space to put them, and there's no way you're going to safely land a helicopter on a street to load up a patient. We've already got several world-class hospitals in Manhattan anyway, so a quick ambulance drive is all it takes. And as for the size of NYC, yes, there's 2 million people who live here in Manhattan full time and then a good deal more than that during the workday. So it's paramount to allocate our scarce resources in a way that maximizes the public good. Spoiling the pleasant enjoyment of so much prime waterfront real estate just for some helicopter flights doesn't make sense and isn't the best allocation of limited resources.
- maxerickson 9y ago
  A major use of helipads is transport from small hospitals to larger institutions. I guess there are lots of big hospitals outside of NYC proper though.
- saalweachter 9y ago
  > Private travel to/from Manhattan should be banned as well I suspect this is more broad than you intended, but you'd probably find support for it as well.
  - CydeWeys 9y ago
    In context, it takes a very uncharitable reading to assume I was referring to anything other than helicopter travel.
    - avs733 9y ago
      speaking for the OP, it was a joke. Unless he was proposing a remake of 1981 classic film.
      - saalweachter 9y ago
        I mean, there's a recurring discussion on HN about eg congestion pricing in Manhattan. If you were to float a proposal that no private cars be allowed into Manhattan anymore (just buses, licensed taxis and delivery vehicles), a reasonable fraction of Manhattanites would be in favor.

CydeWeys 9y ago

Private travel to/from Manhattan should be banned as well, for the same reasons. As for public safety flights, e.g. police helicopters, they smartly launch from less populated parts of other boroughs, where noise pollution isn't as big of a problem and land is more available. As for medical flights, I don't think there are any that take off from or land in Manhattan. It just doesn't make sense. There aren't helipads near any hospitals that I know of, nor any space to put them, and there's no way you're going to safely land a helicopter on a street to load up a patient. We've already got several world-class hospitals in Manhattan anyway, so a quick ambulance drive is all it takes. And as for the size of NYC, yes, there's 2 million people who live here in Manhattan full time and then a good deal more than that during the workday. So it's paramount to allocate our scarce resources in a way that maximizes the public good. Spoiling the pleasant enjoyment of so much prime waterfront real estate just for some helicopter flights doesn't make sense and isn't the best allocation of limited resources.

maxerickson 9y ago
A major use of helipads is transport from small hospitals to larger institutions. I guess there are lots of big hospitals outside of NYC proper though.
saalweachter 9y ago
> Private travel to/from Manhattan should be banned as well I suspect this is more broad than you intended, but you'd probably find support for it as well.
- CydeWeys 9y ago
  In context, it takes a very uncharitable reading to assume I was referring to anything other than helicopter travel.
  - avs733 9y ago
    speaking for the OP, it was a joke. Unless he was proposing a remake of 1981 classic film.
    - saalweachter 9y ago
      I mean, there's a recurring discussion on HN about eg congestion pricing in Manhattan. If you were to float a proposal that no private cars be allowed into Manhattan anymore (just buses, licensed taxis and delivery vehicles), a reasonable fraction of Manhattanites would be in favor.