I work in lower Manhattan and there is a really high end marina near by. There are often giant yachts, but recently, there has been a yacht with a helicopter on it. We were speculating how does the helicopter take off and land – can it take off from the yacht, can it land there, or does it have to be placed there by a crane.
So, this morning, it takes off right from the yacht! This is an area with plenty of trees, pedestrians, bikers, other boats. It is possible that it’s legal (in NYC) to take off from a swaying boat when surrounded by people and property? I assume that it will land there as well, which seems even more risky to me.
The question: In NYC, are you allowed to take off and land in a helicopter any place where it’s possible to do so?
Of course, I’m talking about private owners, not the police, which probably have more leeway.
Tied up to the pier. It’s the North Cove Marina and is on the Hudson, due west of the WTC. The yacht is in the spot on the north side closest to the river.
Can a helicopter take off and land from a ship? Yes, the Navy does it all the time.
I have no idea what the local rules might be regarding that, but taking off and landing on a ship (or large yacht) can be done.
There is a corridor up and down the Hudson which is uncontrolled up to a certain altitude. I am not sure what the altitude is. As long as the helo takes off, flies out over the river, and then goes up or down the river, he is legal. Of course he will contact the Regional Air Traffic Control Center before he takes off, because a contact suddenly appearing out of nowhere over NYC would freak people out. Landing is the same. He would contact ATC before he lands, because once again a contact suddenly disappearing in the vicinity of the WTC would freak people out.
The Boardwalk would have been in the upper left spot. Right behind it is a walkway/bike path (literally right behind it – the chopper almost hangs over the walkway).
Is it really possible to legally take off and land there?
Considering that just on the other side of the ferry terminal is the tourist helicopter ride terminal… I’m sure it’s perfectly legal to take off and land in that area of Manhattan. As to how much clearance, and whether it’s legal from a ship - good question. I assume the only restriction would be safety nearby. Presumably they have the necessary clearances to safely take off and land. the only issue would I assume be crosswinds, and possible turbulence if the wind is coming from where the buildings are; I recall that can mean it changes angle frequently.
Since he or she is flying under Class B, they will have to call in to ATC and the CTAF freq, I’m guessing (not going into the FAR/AIM to confirm).
When I was stationed in NC between '00 and ‘04, sometimes our HH-60’s or C-130’s would fly that helo route, and fly at 550’. Then 9-11 happened and folks backed off, but I knew a guy who did it in 2004 as a brand-new C-130 aircraft commander (he had done it as a copilot, so felt some comfort with it) - dude had balls. A few years later another crew did it in the C-130 in 2010-ish, but this time a building was evacuated when they saw this large plane flying low over the Hudson (despite it being legal).
I can’t answer the legal piece but I spent a week and a half where I slept maybe a touch further than the first tree to the right on the other side of the bike path. It’s certainly possible for an experienced pilot to land in tight quarters like that. Legal is a different question.
June 2004…
The (a different, older) helicopter was registered to Summit Seafood, which is owned by Tilman Fittita’s Landry Restaurants, and was being operated by American Jet International of Houston. Four hurt in the helicopter crash near FM 518…
I had looked up the helicopter registration the OP is talking about and it is Landry …
Looks like they have to take the yacht out into the open to do a helicopter take off and landing, they won’t have them crashing into the marina, like not only could it damage a neighboring boat by impact, a fire could destroy many boats … the whole marina.
The video does show the precarious position the helicopter has to land at, the pilot has to carefully come down behind the yacht, and then creep forward into the dock, with constrictions in 5 directions (up,down,left,right… and forwards… ) any other way to say it, his only escape is to back out the same way he goes in… Well he might be able to go straight up, but if he goes up AND forward he runs into antenna.
Yeah, that dish roof apparently opens up to make more room (I thought that was the tightest bit.)
But the video, at about the 2-min mark, the boat in the background is rocking pretty good, and the yacht itself has a noticeable front-back rocking. I’d hate to try that careful landing maneuver unless I was a really proficient pilot. Even the guy doing the landing does it very carefully and with several apparent adjustments.
It isn’t just a crash that’d be a problem. It wouldn’t even be the main concern. Everytime it took off or landed it would: 1) Create tremendous noise, and 2) Destructive winds (at close range anyway). Marinas are filled with people and objects that would be very susceptible to both. You simply can’t let a helicopter takeoff or land within a certain distance to everyday life.
That yacht is pushing the limit for being barely large enough to have a helipad*!*
