Less than twice the cost of Uber and less than one-tenth the time?
I'm far from a 1 percenter, but I would seriously consider it.
21
The 1%, enriched and emboldened by Trump, are now going too far. Now they rob the rest of us of the only thing left to us - peace and quiet in our own back yards. Because peace was exceedingly important for me I moved, at the cost of inconvenience, comfort and money, to a formerly very quiet place on the north shore of eastern Long Island, but after a few idyllic years the low-flying helicopters and seaplanes were re-routed by Schumer from the South to the North Shore, and they have grown steadily worse. It's reached the point I'm thinking of moving again, but I fear the problem will just re-appear. It's almost incomprehensible that it can be allowed, but it's clearly happening everywhere.
165
Helicopter travel has become a grotesque response to what is ultimately a lack of vision, planning, and investment in building smarter, better, and more efficient infrastructure and public transportation. Living under the flight path of increasing helicopter travel is a burden that should not have to be paid by citizens on the ground. It’s loud, it’s troublesome, and it reduces the quality of life for thousands of people. It’s time more of our elected officials cared about the heavy, undue impact that helicopter travel has for those living under the flight path.
325
@sca
I am surpirsed the residents of Hoboken, Weehwaken and other NJ Hudson river towns put up with this.
Less noise and polution is generally beneficial....common sense 101
39
The noise is a HUGE problem for some of us in Astoria. Just this morning, between 8-9am there where more then 20 helicopters and seaplanes flying over my house at less then 1500 feet altitude - going mostly to the Hamptons. I know this because I track them and report it to PANYNJ. This is a common occurrence and continues throughout the day with the busiest times in the AM and 4-7, the busiest days are Mon, Thur and Fri. I use the airnoise.io button to track them and report them. They are supposed to abide by the "Fly Neighborly" Policy but don't (follow water route, avoid residential, fly slower (less noisey) and over 2000 feet) - they rarely abide by these guidelines. Ever since the FAA mandated the use of the North Shore Route they take "shortcuts" over Astoria - it's horrible and started just a few years ago.
216
@Scott - not just Astoria but the entire North Shore of Long Island - hundreds of thousands of people who settled down assuming their neighborhoods would remain quiet. Many of these people are also being battered by "NextGen" re-routed large jets. Yards are unusable, real estate values are dropping further and people moving. It's transformative, in the worst possible way.
58
@Scott - not just Astoria but the entire North Shore of Long Island - hundreds of thousands of people who settled down assuming their neighborhoods would remain quiet. Many of these people are also being battered by "NextGen" re-routed large jets. Yards are unusable, real estate values are dropping further and people moving. It's transformative, in the worst possible way.
3
@Paul Adams
Indeed....I highly recommend the airnoise.io button to easily file complaints.
24
I visit family on Westhampton Beach every year.
This past weekend we were all on the deck or the beach enjoying a beautiful environment and the helicopters started.
I commented on the frequency and the altitude of each helicopter compared to past years. Some helicopters are a few hundred feet off the beach and a few hundred feet over the water. They should be high and wide if they are going to continue.
IT IS POLLUTION and New York does have the POWER to Regulate POLLUTION.
It is like attack helicopters assaulting your ears and eyes, frightening the birds and deer, interrupting a good read and a good nap making everyone know you have a few bucks to spare to save a few minutes of time.
There should be a limit on altitude, number of flights and distance off the shore.
New York can also Tax these flights into submission
237
Another reason to despise the 1%.
19
"“If you value your time, paying this kind of money to get a couple of extra hours is worth it,”
Now comes the virtue-signalling.
For those of us stuck on the trains or highways, it's our own fault that we're there, we just don't "value our time" enough.
50
"Let them eat air."
Ever since there were thrones, those who could afford it would always find a better way to look down at those who couldn't. Some call it income equality. Some call it upward mobility. If you've got it, flaunt it and fly it. Alas, those friendly skies!
8
So because greed is putting a tremendous strain on the infrastructure by continuing to build these neighborhood killing giant glass towers we all have to put up with the new uber rich residents way to get around huh? There is no investments made to the subways, the roads or any meaningful idea of a integrated ferry system. So we have to just deal with drones of helicopters and the noise and pollution they create do they can serve the few not the many.
20
Spend some time near the heliport on 34th St. and see if you would like to put up with that horrendous noise. There are hospitals and large residential buildings close to the heliport. As an added “benefit”, the stench when helicopters are there with engines running is enough to choke you.
21
We have noticed an enormous increase in helicopters over Park Slope on Fridays and Sundays- Lots of helicopters flying low and loud. Why doesn’t the FAA require that they be routed out over the ocean, not over people’s backyards?
21
This is a very bad idea. The helicopters disturb the peace and the noise is highly disruptive and bad for people’s health. Why should a small number of people be allowed to disrupt the lives and well-being of hundreds of thousands of people? I have been in Central Park many weekends where the helicopter noise makes it difficult to enjoy being in the park or to have a quiet conversation. I started keeping track and at one point I counted 15 helicopters in one hour, sometimes 2 hovering at the same time. Start with prohibiting helicopter flights over Central Park and other parks and recreation areas and setting a low limit for the total number of flights allowed.
73
Wait until Amazon (and Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, every fast food spot and your local supermarket) has a fleet of delivery drones that are so thick they block out the sun.
29
The noise is not commuters. It is the “traffic ‘copters” that hover endlessly over my neighborhood each morning in a vain attempt to prove that traffic on the GWB, Cross Bronx Expressway and Harlem River Drive is “news,” all while destroying the ability of people to enjoy something as basic as walking outside early in the day.
30
The public should not tolerate this noise.minds me of visiting a reatively remote glacier in Iceland.
Where a French tourist flew a noisy drone (arethere any other kinds ?) and created a racket.
somewhat ruining the experience for everyone.
Yes, i did give him a earful. . His girlfreind looked around for a rock to crawl under.
Surpirsingly other tourists were willng to accept this
debasement of the (and their) environment by this person without saying a a word.
Another French tourist was most kind to me later in the day ! Waiting for us to safefly cross a small river.
8
To those of you championing this form of travel: Clearly you don't live in Brooklyn and have your morning coffee and later afternoon drink disturbed by one green commuter helicopter after another.
Take it from me -- my neighbors and I are organizing and before you know it, that helicopter ride will be a lot longer because it will have to take you out over the water, over the Verrazano Bridge and up the East River. That and we'll vote for the person who will make sure your taxes go up and you just don't have the money to take that helicopter. And guess what -- we won't feel sorry for you.
For those NY Times readers who don't know about NYC mass transit: $5 will get you a ride from JFK to Manhattan on the A train which takes under an hour. Lots of us take this option - and we're not poor. We just choose to invest our money in more worthwhile and profitable ways.
66
helicopters are the worst! i dont care how much money you do or do not have, or how "important" your time is. first, their engines give off COs which contribute to global warming, they also use about 3x more fuel than a car. second, they create a lot of noise pollution / vibration. i live in a 100% residential neighborhood by the park, and theyre always flying overhead, sometimes at off hours. ridiculous. hey, let's try to care about someone other than ourselves, shall we.
46
Gosh!! This just in!! The NYT has discovered that “wealthy” people sometimes use different, more costly means of transportation than less wealthy people. What a revelation!! Stop the presses!! So, over the past 5,000 years, as royalty rode in carriages while commoners walked, that was different. As the wealthy rode in sedan chairs while the less affluent rode horses, or simply walked, that was different. While people with money took taxis while others took busses, that wasn’t the same. Call the Pulitzer Prize committee!!
25
@stevevelo
Sending a helicopter over right away !
6
@stevevelo
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.
4
I visit Central Park for peace, reflection, nature. This year there are helicopters hovering over the reservoir. Not one but several. Not ER helicopters. Not a one way trip, but U-turns over the park. The horses are no longer allowed on the paths. What's next? SpaceX and the like. Away with the common people?
17
"If you value your time, paying this kind of money to get a couple of extra hours is worth it,” said James Kogut as he waited for a helicopter to take him to Kennedy International Airport."
What an idiotic comment. Who doesn't value their time? Everyone I know does. But since we're not one the "Masters of the Universe types," we have to sit in traffic.
35
The Masters of the Universe are the policy makers. Tell me why they haven’t invested in the appropriate infrastructure that would enable to move around the city without having a painful experience.
I wonder how many jobs were created by building those helicopters. I wonder how many jobs have been created in scheduling, maintaining and flying those helicopters????
9
The high-tech Heathrow Express train takes you, from Central-London to the Airport in just 15 min
Distance 18 mi
Economy Class 18$
First Class 43$
32
The maglev train on Shanghai from airport to city center in 8 minutes. HK, Taipei all have highspeed airport transit.
The US has 3rd class public infrastructure. We rather spending money on useless walls and wars than improving the lives of ordinary citizens. What do we governments for?
44
@boris johnson It will cost 2 or 3 times as much to build high speed rail in this country. First, for trains to go that fast the tracks have to be straight. Elevated structures and eminent domain is prohibitively expensive. Another cost-we have stringent environmental laws here. China doesn't. Finally, the auto/petrol lobby already has everything sewn up.
See "why the us has no high-speed rail" on you tube. https://youtu.be/Qaf6baEu0_w
3
"It's the 1% . .. privileged . . . playground for the rich . . income inequality . . . a new Gilded Age."
Congratulations, as NYT writer James Barron pushed all the classist buttons.
20
I hear these things over my house on a daily basis they make the house and glasses rattle, they fly too low and are annoying as hell.
14
@Margo Channing
Horrible situation . Let your local pol know, your are not alone. If we accept s&*(Y( we wil get it
4
Many people cannot afford cars. People using these cars across the New York region shows how income inequality affects even the basic commute.
10
Anyone that uses a helicopter to get around couldn't care less about global warming and their carbon footprint.
32
@Don Wiss Indeed. Helicopter rides have 3 to 5 times the carbon footprint of other modes of transportation: https://www.cedelft.eu/en/publications/491/helicopter-emissions-a-comparison-with-other-transport-modes
But then, the 1% won't be affected by climate change. Only the peons will be affected.
13
@Don Wiss
The climate/environment will get fixed right after they change the color of the sky.
4
Not sure what that fella is talking about it certainly is NOT a three hour ride from Penn to Jamaica. What is he talking about?
5
From Penn Station to JFK?? I can easily be three hours.
6
G-D bless the rich who spend their money.
Think of the benefits to the workers who build helicopters, the pilots who fly them, the people who teach the pilots, etc.
None of those people are 'priveleged'.
11
Gothamite serfs should see 'Blade Runner'. In a few short years, that's you town, complete with fetid weather, captive urban masses and AI maintaining the status quo. You all asked for it.
14
“If you value your time, paying this kind of money to get a couple of extra hours is worth it,”..?? What an incredibly obnoxious thing to say. I'm certain most people "value" their time; they simply can't afford to pay for the extra hours.
With that said, if I could I totally would. The feeling of flying over long lines of traffic must be exhilarating.
6
Simply capitalism at work here, nothing special.
10
Worse than helicopters are the ear-piercing sirens used by ambulances and firetrucks. The decible level is harmful to hearing, and totally unnecessary. In addition, they get stuck in traffic rather than using traffic apps like Uber to find the best route.
The noise pollution is a serious problem - Deblasio? When you drop out of the presidential campaign, please address this!
17
The price isn't that awful, but I'd never take such a trip. Not for me. Not thanks. I'm terrified of helicopters and would never ride in one. But for those who like to ride in those things- good for them. If it gets some cars off the road and helps to alleviate some traffic, why not?
4
Helicopters at low altitudes are incredibly loud, you can even feel the vibration from the blades when they are overhead.
I recently lived in Park Slope where in the afternoon and early evening on Fridays and Sundays, especially in the summer, there was almost a non-stop parade of helicopters. If our apartment windows were open when a helicopter passed over, you couldn't hear the television or the stereo.
Our magnificent (not!) mayor, Mr. DeBlasio had a campaign pledge to make helicopters fly around Brooklyn and over the water to keep the noise away from residents. He caved on that immediately after complaints from the high and mighty.
Also, the N.Y.P.D. uses its helicopters too much. Many times causing great annoyance, we would hear them hovering nearby for long periods of time performing most times, I'm sure, a useless function at a ludicrous cost.
At least ban all personal flights from flying over land and cut back on the over use of police helicopters. It would be a small step in keeping the city livable.
31
How come there is absolutely no mention or concern about the incredible noise pollution these helicopters generate? Th price of the fare doesn't cover the true costs of these services. I vote to ban them over NYC and elsewhere!!
34
Step 1: Ban non-essential flights over Manhattan.
Step 2: Build a mass-transit system that is blazing fast (think more like bullet trains down the spine of Long Island.
If there was the collective will, we could build public goods so that the masses could enjoy the convenience of less wasted time.
19
Helicopters? If the blade stops moving, you go down like a rock. There's no plan B when that happens. Planes have multiple engines, etc. Risks versus Benefits.
5
@K Henderson Actually that's not necessarily true! If the engine dies, helicopters can still passively land using a process called 'autorotation.' Basically wind passing through the rotors as it falls will cause it to spin by itself (imagine a maple seed falling). This produces lift and slows down the helicopter enough to safely land.
Helicopter pilots are all trained in this maneuver and it's a pretty important part of helicopter design.
For reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autorotation
9
Helicopter ride to JFK from Manhattan for $195 is a steal, for those who can afford it. I wonder what this increase helicopter traffic is doing to the environment?
9
I flew into JFK last month and since I was traveling light (no kids and just a carry on bag), for the first time in my life I took the AirTrain option. What a revelation! For 8 dollars or so I went from JFK to midtown in the same amount of time as it would have taken in an $80 taxi. (I know this doesn’t relate to the helicopter story but thought this comment thread could use some positive vibes...)
89
@Cincin89 I was waiting for a comment like this! I have a friend in North Hollywood in LA I stay with regularly when I need some CA beauty...the van service from NoHo to LAX when I leave CA: $8....the service is friendly, simple and comfortable
14
I am old enough to remember when a helicopter, from the top of what was then the Pan Am building to JFK was just $25. I made the flight on a couple of occasions.
Now I am against all of this helicoptering, for reasons of the environment, the inequality it puts on display, the noise, and the possible danger it poses for the people in a crowded city. I now live in Quogue, LI. and have to listen to a steady stream of helicopters shuttling back and forth from the city to East Hampton each Friday afternoon -- and then again on Sunday.
9
@Charles Skeen You bring up a lot of good points. Safety and noise are definitely an issue that have to be taken into consideration.
In terms of environment, I'm a little unsure. Is it more or less impactful to have a helicopter fly for 15 minutes or a car idling in traffic for 1+ hours? I don't know honestly.
Regarding inequality, I'd argue that this can't really be considered an issue. It's already happening on a large scale all over New York and it's much more obvious than a few helicopters flying in the air. Should we ban nice apartments because there are homeless people sleeping in the alleys next to them? Or airplanes because a lot of people can't afford them? Or how about cars?
4
What's money good for if it can't buy you convenience? Nice vacations, plastic surgery -- I have no problem with that. Political power, life as opposed to death in the medical system -- that's another story.
8
This has been on going on for a long time. What works for the few, doesn’t work for the rest of us. Living near the heliport there is a constant din of noise accompanied by the percussive reverberation of the rotors.
Outside conversations are halted till copters fly away leaving just a few minutes before the next one lands or takes off and interrupts again. This is torture and probably unhealthy.
26
Those helicopters and small planes are ruining the peace and quiet of our barrier beaches. Besides encouraging building of huge monstrosities in Manhattan barring air, light and views for the less fortunate, these 1%ers are now dominating how we would like to live. Time to put them in their places and legislating against those short flights over other people's property and grounding those aircraft. If they want to be in the Hamptons, let them suffer with traffic along with the rest of us.
28
I was on Governor's Island this past weekend. A wonderful place of release from the intensity of Manhattan save the fairly steady parade of helicopters overhead. I assumed that most of the helicopters were giving tours. On the island removed from ambient noise of the city the helicopters really shattered the peacefulness of the place. Helicopters are extremely noisy machines!
59
No, it isn't the whole 1%; it is more likely the 0.1% or the 0.001%. Calling them the 1% obscures how skewed out wealth and income distributions really are.
4
@John Williams The helicopter ride costs barely twice what a cab costs. You don't need to be that rich to justify spending an extra $100 to avoid sitting in traffic for an hour one time. This isn't an inequality issue; however, this is an infrastructure and climate nightmare!
19
My understanding is that airplanes and helicopters use more fuel and give off a ton more CO2 than cars, trains, or virtually any other form of travel. These companies and their customers have a lot to answer for...
50
What about the carbon emissions from these flights? Do helicopters use a lot of fuel? And do they add to the air pollution (not just noise) in our city?
Put a carbon tax on it if it does!
23
Change the commute to small passenger planes for the sake of noise control.
1
@The Buddy This wouldn't work for many reasons. You need a runway to take off a plane. Where will you put that in NYC? How will people get to the runway and how many people can it service? You'll just get another traffic jam in a different spot and nobody's better for it.
A lot of the flights to the Hamptons use seaplanes which land on the East River out of a terminal near the foot of East 23rd Street.
A lot of hateration going on in the comments for what is, ultimately, a relatively harmless privilege. So what if some folks can afford to helicopter to JFK or the Hamptons. Why are we counting their money? I'm hardly rich but I would take a helo to JFK if it was worth the savings in time but since I live in Queens, it usually is not.
3
@A. Jubatus
It's not a "harmless privilege" for those of us that have to live with the constant racket (and yes, they are louder than sirens and honking cars).
20
@A. Jubatus -- the overhead noise this is what's most troubling.
9
@MarcS
I said "relatively harmless". If you're trying to avoid noise, you're living in the wrong city, sir.
2
I seem to remember an era late in the last century when helicopter rides for wealthy important people were all the rage. They were also popular for media reporters and traffic reporting.
Then the crashes started.
Helicopters are nifty toys in the hands of the wealthy, but they are an ultimately self-limiting phenomenon. More copters, more crashes, more phoning it in and paying drivers while you work in the back seat in traffic.
14
If we continue to foolishly insist on never-ending growth, then our urban transportation system has to go 3D sooner rather than later. Otherwise, daily activities will grind to a halt in 2D gridlock. The wealthy just happen to be a step ahead of everyone else in this case...
3
If we continue to foolishly insist on never-ending growth, then our urban transportation system has to go 3D sooner rather than later. Otherwise, daily activities will grind to a halt in 2D gridlock. The wealthy just happen to be a step ahead of everyone else in this case...
2
Helicopters are specialty aircraft used not just for the rich or curious but also for executive travel (many corporations in and around NY have helicopters) sightseeing in such places as the Grand Canyon or Hawaii and big cities, electronic news gathering and photography, aerial surveys of many types, transporting workers and equipment to oil platforms, air medical and rescue where helicopters often save lives, maintenance of power lines, keeping crops from freezing in sensitive areas, of course, the military where a bunch who now work in NY have been trained, and more; plus, whole industries have been built around each of these uses employing many thousands of people in many different vocations supporting the industry as a whole.
Since at least the late 80s and certainly the 90s pilots have been encouraged by groups such as Helicopter Association International and the Eastern Region Helicopter Council to fly neighborly and reduce the noise signature where they are able. Inside the Class B of JFK, LGA and EWR the altitudes are restricted by fixed wing traffic and helicopter altitudes prescribed on the route chart. Outside the Class B pilots can fly higher or offshore and are encouraged to do so.
Not everyone can be pleased or accommodated, but helicopter operators and industry still seek solutions that are safe and work.
6
Thirteen years ago my wife and I moved into our new condo in Battery Park City and were looking forward to enjoying one of the building's amenities, a rooftop deck with nice views of the Hudson and NY Harbor. We quickly learned that the nonstop helicopter traffic from sunrise to sunset eliminated most of the pleasure of the open air and view. Even conversation became difficult over the pounding of the blades. Most of the craft we saw were NYPD, Homeland Security and tourist flights. To think that commuters are now adding to the din and stress is dispiriting.
44
Keep giving the rich (tax) breaks and it will backfire at some point and in so many ways that will worsen society for all.
11
@AIG Keep trying to punitively tax the rich to pay for free college, free lunches, free housing, free medicine, free drugs, free birth control, free abortions, free internet, free everything and see what gets worsened.
5
.. income inequality affects even the basic commute
That is why I am against congestion charges. It increases inequality
Against first class passenger TSA lines. It increases inequality. Should the TSA be the hand maiden of airlines?
Against that private planes, no matter how large, are exempt from TSA checks altogether. The national security burden of 9/11 should be shared equally by all, shouldn't it?
11
If Dr. Stephan’s helicopter ride is $195, and a ride to the Hamptons starts at $695, why did he pay only $795?
2
Choppers or birds have been the major mode in Brazil for years because of gridlock traffic. The good news is ,that because of this we may have a new method of transportation in the works with air cars.The movie Blade Runner has made them famous ,and now the future is near.
3
And this noise is worse than every other we are constantly bombarded by here in NY? I get it-- the intent is to attack rich people and fuel class hatred. Fear not. Deblasio's presidential run is about over. He'll be back here and can rail against the horrible "inequality" of all this, start up a new city agency with a billion or two of our tax money, and fund a "helicopters from the hood" program to level all this out.
13
So apparently helicopter pilot is a growth industry. That sounds like a fun job.
Some people have too much money.
5
From the article: “These flights are run solely for the benefit of the private operators and the few passengers with the means to afford the expensive ticket,” said one of the three, Mark Levine of Manhattan, adding that the city does not have the authority to ban such flights."
But can't the City/State shut down the heliports (at least the one at W 30th St, in Hudson River Park)?
13
Logjams along routes from Manhattan to LaGuardia are 100% the fault of the City Council members along the N who won't fall on their swords and allow the extension of the N to LGA.
4
And sitting in a fancy departure lounge enjoying a cocktail is far more enjoyable than stewing in an unmoving car.
“The exclusivity of it, I like that,” said Tami Fox, a writer who has flown by helicopter to Southampton. “I like the efficiency. I’ll be there by sunset with a glass of rosé in my hand.”
This is all trump and the republican party want anymore; America and her citizens are just those little bugs down there, sweating like suckers while the new American oligarchs thrill at their exclusive luxury. They are, as we speak, installing multi-million dollar air filtration systems for their dachas in Colorado or NY.
I was struck by the photo: A spoiled rich white woman, attended by a black man she ignores. He'll join that sweaty commute home, while she sighs with comfort and air conditioned, alcohol-comforted happiness.
I guess the Gilded Age is back. After trump supporters enjoyed the reforms of the New Deal and all that America offers, they gave it away to the rich again, to spite minorities. Again.
Now trump/Mnuchin are going to hand MORE of America's wealth to the happy helicopter strata: indexing capital gains to inflation, so their (already lucrative) investments will pay even LESS back to America's, you know, other citizens. Look it up; they're pushing real hard for it, as if the rich need more help. Trump wants personal, unlimited power and money, Putin offers it, for a small price, of course.
The 1% ruling the 99%. In America.
75
This is unjust! Obviously, we need to tax the wealth of all US billionaires in order to provide a free, desegregated helicopter commuting service to all in the middle and lower classes. In the new utopia, people would ride for free to obtain free healthcare and commute to free college classes. Rush hour congestion? No problem since there would be no need to commute to work as all private companies would be banned and money would be simply dispensed to the masses from the ample leftover funds from the wealth tax. I don’t know why anyone would bother running for President if they don’t espouse ideas that involve free stuff and giveaways. Pragmatism? Pragmatism’s for losers!
8
@Rek It won't work, I suggest we surrender the country over to Mexico now and move to Norway, I hear they have it all figured out.
And millennials whine about being broke. “I’m using my savings to do this,” she said before boarding, “but it’s worth it.”
After her flight to Southampton, she said that she had smiled all the way as she looked down at traffic on the Long Island Expressway.
5
@Matt O'Neill it doesn't make sense to generalize about all millenials from one quote in a lifestyle article. It seems like the whining baby boomers and gen Xers are equally guilty of frivolous helicopter use.
2
I suspect when the real estate market eventually turns Realtors like Jame Kogut cites in the article will stop taking helicopters to their flights and perhaps wish they never had.
5
It becomes increasingly harder to identify as a Democrat when they blame the rich for simply being able to afford what we all want. The real people making our commutes miserable are the people committing crimes on the subway, the endless hordes of homeless and mentally ill people, the jerks who get a rush out of pulling a subway break or running around on the tracks. They trash the subway cars and keep the whole thing from running on time and thanks to the pro-crime policies of new wave liberals they stay on our streets to keep doing all of the above. Why not get angry at them?
14
The people who allowed themselves to be quoted for this article are ridiculous.
What person of any net worth in this day and age in this political climate would say in the National Paper of Record (!) 'I have disposable income and I don't mind flying above the rest of you. It's fun!'
Are you crazy? Or maybe just ignorant.
I wasn't surprised when I found out that most wealthy people go to lengths to NOT appear on any lists of wealthy people. It just goes to show, it's like my grandfather said, 'People who show it don't have it. And people who have it don't show it.'
16
This isn't an article about the 1%, it's an article about the failure of both the city and the state to maintain adequate infrastructure.
The infrastructure failure is fully the fault of our elected officials to negotiate reasonable contracts with the builders, to coddle the unions (didn't this paper do an article about exhorbitant labor costs and labor padding by the sandhogs union) and to study to death an obvious problem.
You can blame those with money for their "privilege" or you can accept that they are merely solving a problem that we've created and don't have the intestinal fortitude to resolve.
10
Every night, usually around 10pm, a low flying helicopter flies over my house. Its obnoxious.
But, I'm actually going to defend the airport service. Its pretty cool and eliminates the uncertainty of the traffic, having spent 2hrs going from the Throgsneck to JFK last week.
I didn't see it mentioned, but the flight plans advertised for the airports are mostly over water. For LGA they fly up the East River to LGA. To EWR they fly down the East River, across the Upper Bay and over to EWR, flying over Bayonne. To JFK its around the tip of Manhattan, off of Brooklyn and into Jamaica Bay.
Service runs 7am to 7pm. So it doesn't seem very disruptive.
3
@SXM
I can assure you that the flights over my building in Park Slope are not flying "mostly over water", and there are 10-20 of those "obnoxious" flights a day.
5
...and the rest of us shall eat cake
16
life expectancy in the USA has decreased for the last 2 years and is still dropping. There are 49 million Americans who cannot afford even the most basic needs. 1 in 5 American children do not get enough to eat.
But thank God the 1% can afford to avoid the traffic that the rest of us are mired in.
48
Using means, whether earned or inherited, to opt out of the problems plaguing the nation's failing infrastructure might solve personal problems of the moment. But there are hundreds of millions of Americans using sub-par and failing infrastructure all over the country and it's going unaddressed or given very little attention because the masses cannot speak with the same voice that the wealthy and well connected have when it comes to setting policy priorities. I'm not saying successful people or wealthy people shouldn't have what they have or buy what they wan't but America's problems can't just be swept under the rug and left to fester until those with means can no longer ignore the infrastructure crisis that the rest live with every day. It's just fact that in America unless a critical mass of of the country's wealthier individuals and entities are advocating for a policy, in this case infrastructure, it simply won't get done.
26
Not sure what the complaints are about. The one percenters have the wealth but their voting share is still that: 1%. If the so called 99% people have so much problem with the 1%, why not flex that power during elections.
Reading all these comments, one would think this is not a democracy but a communist country.
13
@VS
Me: earns less than $100 K per year. Tried to get a meeting with my state senator to ask him about why he voted to repeal my families healthcare.
Lobbyist: buys $10,000 plate at said senator’s fundraiser. Gets to talk to said Senator at length.
The USA is not a communist state but it is an oligarchy.
185
@VS Why can't the 99% flex that power during elections? Two words: Citizens United.
We are struggling to keep our democracy. We're moving from an oligarchy of the rich into a kleptocracy, with our president and his family leading the way.
20
@VS, there's this thing called the 'electoral college' ...
8
Maybe the city can't ban the flights. But they can ban helipads in the city using zoning laws.
16
@MKV The FAA controls the flights but the city can of course amend the zoning, but existing helipads would be grandfathered in.
3
I expect Elizabeth Warren to adjust her campaign speeches accordingly....
Free Healthcare...
Free college...
Debt Write-off...
Minimum Income....
Free Helicopter.....
11
@William
Senator 1/1024th keeps using that word, but I don't think she knows what it means.
2
er...ah...ahem...$1.35 ParkSlope to JFK w/SeniorMetro card via "2" train & "B15" bus
7
Even though I can't afford such a ride, my time is still too valuable to waste comparing myself to people who can.
They have their lives, and I have mine. Mine is very good.
18
Helicopter travel is even more fun if you are wealthy enough to afford it and you don't pay taxes to support the air safety infrastructure that stops your airborne taxi from crashing into another one.
It's always fascinating how the "cut my taxes" wealthy feel they don't need to pay their fair share of the services they still feel entitled to use with the rest of us. And at the same time, they go to great lengths not to have to be anywhere near or have anything to do with us.
We're just vermin to best be avoided, but the wealthy still want to live in our cities, use our public services, rely on us when they have emergencies. And they don't feel they need to pay for any of it.
101
@Van Owen What does fair share even mean? If someone making a million a year paid twenty percent income taxes--$200,000--that's more than most people especially women who don't work but produce children on government largesse. Are those women paying any share?
7
@Van Owen I would go to great lengths not to be around you.
Same old drivel, since "rich" people hate paying taxes, they must not be allowed to use public services. Wah wah. Cry baby words.
4
@Bob
Amazon paid nothing in taxes last year. Just saying.
19
They're not flying over the traffic jams. They're flying over our gardens and parks and the racket on the weekends has become intolerable
161
Thanks, NYT - you mentioned Blade, so now I'm going to have the song "The Hustle" in my head all morning.
2
Probably inevitable as the infrastructure in the NY region continues to collapse and traffic reaches epic proportions. I am just waiting for the proposed Uber flying cars before joining them in a hop over the decay ... and the congestion taxes.
6
Once again, using the 1% as a pejorative. A household income of $470K puts you in the top 1% of income earners. Many of these people are High Earners, Not Rich Yet (HENRY's). Doctors, lawyers and MBAs earn a high salary, but have 6 figure student loans (BTW Bernie, most of the high dollar student debt is held by these folks, forgiving the debt would be a subsidy for high earners).
I get it, you are upset that some people have access to travel that others don't. Thats fine, I suppose. But the 1% is a population of over 3 million people, and aiming your ire at this group will backfire. There is a small subset of the population that is very wealthy, but policies that punish 3 Million people will not end well.
22
@James If you make more than 99% of the entire population then I think it's safe to say you are RICH. Also the US population is now roughly 327 million. What do you think will be the result of policies that punish 324 million people? Just curious.
20
@James
Earning $470k a year is "not rich"?
I don't think you get "it" at all
A note on your comment about student debt:
6 figure student loans can be easily repaid with 6 figure incomes
Try paying off a 6 figure student loan with a 5 figure income
23
@Curious One Do you mean the policies that result in 324 million people paying a lower income tax rate, the policies that actually result in a negative income tax for the lowest earners (Earned Income Tax Credit).
To me, rich is financial independence. Income doesn't define it, savings & investments does. A cop with a $100K/yr pension is rich, especially when they can retire at age 45 to 50 (actuarial value of that pension is in the millions).
Having millionaires like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders propose policies that would take away the ladder now that they are on top is generational theft.
Most of the current rich would not be impacted by Dem proposals, since they already have accrued their wealth. The policy proposals on stage last night would punish the merely high earning and trickle down to the middle class (watch everyone's 401k sink). it is impossible to target the "rich" without also damaging a much broader population.
5
“I’m using my savings to do this,” she said before boarding, “but it’s worth it.”
If you have tons of money, sure, go ahead. But using savings? Bad, bad idea. This is aspirational consumer society gone completely mad.
40
It would be interesting to see a comparison between the amount of carbon contributed by limos crawling in hours of stop and go traffic with the amount of fuel burned on an 8 minute helo flight.
6
I have such limited sympathy for the people in the three hour traffic to the Hamptons who complain about the privilege of the people in the 20 minute helicopter to the Hamptons.
187
The issue isn't inconveniencing people going to the Hamptons. The issue is this "disruptive" helicopter business causing real damage to every regular New Yorker in the path of their incredibly loud, aggressive machines. Especially those of us who lived through 9/11. Speaking only for myself, I have never been so triggered by something that directly evokes 9/11, my heart starts racing, my cortisol spikes. You're lucky that you have never had your PTSD triggered by these greed-driven, irresponsibly loud and aggressive war machines.
100
@J Williams
there's a bumpersticker for that:
No All of Us Are on Vacation
32
You left something out: It's the One Percent, Helicoptering Over Your Traffic Jam...
..while lobbying for YUUGE tax cuts for themselves, thereby starving your government of funding for public transportation.
51
No concerns about pollution?
Climate change?
12
I don't care what people choose to waste their money on. What I do care about is my quality of life which is negatively impacted by the constant noise and pollution of helicopters. They should be banned or taxed out of existence.
108
@MikeJJNYC Hopefully, your medivac will not require only 4 wheels over badly maintained roads, but, on the plus side, your ambulance driver can ask for a dab of grey poupon while stuck in traffic.
4
a blight afflicting the north fork of long island is summertime's endless racket of helicopters hurrying the well-heeled from nyc to the hamptons. every thursday afternoon through monday morning so many low-flying, thumping helicopters pass over i imagine robert duvall landing and telling me of his character's love of the smell of napalm.
the faa requires these 1%-haulers to fly across the north fork to get to the hamptons -- something to do with it being safer. that seems spurious. the effect is to divert helicopter traffic and all its noxious externalities away from the most direct route from nyc to the hamptons, a route that would afflict ... the hamptons.
66
@unezstreet
yes, they diverted their flight pattern because the locals in the south fork have been battling this for years. they were getting hammered. but the industry is sneaky, they just changed their routes to keep 'em coming.
5
@unezstreet
They are supposed to fly over the North Shore but they don't they fly directly over the South Shore. They fly low and are extremely loud. Loud enough to rattle the china and the house. Fridays are THE worst and then Sunday evenings on the return flights are horrible. What the faa says and what pilots do are two entirely different things.
15
Blame the 1% if you must, but for me the worst helicopter noise comes from the news helicopters that hover over the city for extended periods, usually in airspace where the city has no jurisdiction. To that you can add police helicopters that often find ways to swoop lower over the city than almost any other air traffic.
14
The wealthy have always found ways to beat the traffic. As far back as the 1920's, chauffeur driven commuter yachts ferried the moneyed class from Manhattan to their Long Island mansions each and every day.
7
The thing that bothers me the most about helicopter travel being offered only to the wealthy is something not mentioned in this article at all.
The noise is irritating, but it's nothing compared to the sirens or worthless horn honking that always goes on. Not even as annoying as the drunks screaming at each other outside most bars, most nights.
The fact that it's only for the wealthy, well, there are a lot of such things. Luxuries are everywhere and out of reach for most people, that's part of living in a capitalist society.
It's definitely not the occasional accidents. Deaths due to helicopter are nowhere near the deaths due to cars, or even bicycles. More people have been killed on bicycles this year in NYC than all the people killed in helicopters in NYC during my entire life.
The problem is, helicopters use a tremendous amount of fossil fuel to transport very few people. They're pumping carbon directly into the air at a prodigious rate, for zero benefit to society as a whole (unlike helicopters used for medical evacuation and so on).
If they could use helicopters that run on biofuel or some other renewable energy resource, that'd be great. Until then, these flights for the rich are a great example of how we're destroying our environment as fast as we can.
195
@Dan Stackhouse
Biofuels would also emit carbon dioxide.
Even electric cars and helicopters do very little to stem CO2 emissions, as about 70% of our electricity is generated by burning coal and natural gas.
We have to come up with sustainable methods for producing electricity.
17
@Dan Stackhouse - one of the more apropos/fantastical comments on "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" was the seeming ease of driving in LA in a less populated time - there's only one possible way of going back to the traffic of that era and its not going to be fun
10
@Dan Stackhouse well said
8
Who is paying for the additional personnel in the air traffic control towers that may be needed?
8
For those of us who lived through 9/11, the sounds of these helicopters can trigger PTSD (as someone in their path I can attest they are shockingly loud even if you have all the windows closed). I didn't realize what was happening and why this was stressing me out for hours after I heard it, so much more than other city noises until someone else commented that it triggered their 9/11 PTSD. Of all the cities to try this business in, New York is the most grotesquely appropriate.
Why makes that councilman think New York City cannot regulate its own airspace? If we can't do it directly, I bet we could do it indirectly by finding ways to, say, create new helicopter business regulations then fine these companies a million dollars for every infraction.
Why should we citizens have to shoulder the burden of Uber's negative externalities that they make no attempt to minimize? It's just another sociopathically "disruptive" business doing whatever it takes to squeeze out every penny of profit, even if the side effects for neighbors are horrible. Why should they rake in millions in profits from this fundamentally ill-conceived business, at the expense of the well being of millions of regular New Yorkers?
42
Despite what some other commented here, this enterprise creates jobs, for veterans who come home and have "flying" expertise. I do agree with others who think the industry needs to be regulated and taxed for the many reasons other industries are.
IF people that have the money want to do this, fine - after all that is the ethos that grew our country into what it is. BUT the operations must be controlled to limit impacts on the rest of us and operators must be held to them. In places a formerly quiet as the North Fork, helicopters bound for the Hamptons have become a plague of locusts. Operators interested in cutting time and therefore costs cut across the formerly peaceful villages while their charges coo at the vineyards.
16
@Orienter locusts are quiet compared to these monsters.
3
I think it’s great. In fact, if they offered service from where I live I would take a helicopter to LaGuardia Airport where I fly at least twice a month. NYC traffic is a disaster. Especially during the summer. Because NY is too cheap to pay for night time construction on roadways. So the traffic is snarled on all major roadways everyday during the summer. For example, there has been construction going on at the Whitestone bridge for three years now. It’s absolutely ridiculous. It adds an extra half hour to my ride which would be only about 20 minutes without traffic. But instead of fixing the problems which are causing the helicopter traffic, they will undoubtedly spend their time and money fighting it. It’s the NY way.
7
@Mike L - a helicopter is a million times noisier and a thousand times more polluting than a car.
9
“If you value your time, paying this kind of money to get a couple of extra hours is worth it,” said Mr. Kogut, 30, an associate broker in a Manhattan real estate firm who was bound for a JetBlue flight from Kennedy to Reno, Nev., and a bachelor party in Lake Tahoe, Nev.
Thoughts from a typical self-important New York grifter.
87
“If you value your time....” says a man lounging at a bar with a drink.
126
Why isn't this taxed to death?
61
@Anthony because it affects the wealthy and the wealthy in America are not taxed.
62
It gets them and their idiot limo drivers off the road, so it's a good thing. But I'm amazed at the arrogance of the quoted comments from them. Yes these people should be taxed to the point where they think twice about not only using the service but being so haughty about it. But that's unlikely. Bigshots have been coptering to and from manhattan for years.
13
We used to be able to pack about 25 Marines into a CH47 Chinook. At $2000 a flight, that would be $80 each. They'd need to put better seats in it though; those canvas seats were uncomfortable. The thing was loud inside and out, and it guzzled fuel like it was drinking beer at a baseball game.
For the longer commutes, they might consider an Osprey.
As usual, the wealthy can add to global warming, and avoid the messes that (some of them) have helped to create.
19
Is this mostly about envy?
If you are stuck in road traffic grid lock, and don't have to see others traveling by helicopter, do you feel better?
13
@Bob Krantz, maybe for you, but others might worry about the environmental impact (both air and noise pollution) and it's conspicuous consumption.
21
@Bob Krantz - no it's about incessant and appalling NOISE.
15
@Bob Krantz
nah, it's the noise and the pollution. the disgust is secondary.
12
There's something very scary about UBER offering a flying service. Especially with an OSPREY type plane and no pilot!
13
Infrastructure week will fix this, eventually.
5
In the movie Jerry McGuire, Rene Zelweiger sums it up with this remark about flying cabin class: "It used to be a better seat. Now it's a better life."
1
A direct ride from Shanghai airport to center city by maglev train takes 8 minutes to traverse 19 miles. https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/shanghai/getting-around.htm
One way fare is USD 7.25 at current exchange rates.
Yes, capitalist China opened it in 2002.
And here we spend millions of manhours stuck in traffic.
161
@Jerseyite
The reason those trains exist is because China can take whatever land it wants for construction regardless of the consequences to the people whose homes and land are appropriated. Here in the US there are all sorts of obstacles: private property, environmental impact studies, right of ways, outraged residents who will lose their housing, the list is daunting. If you're comfortable with exercising imminent domain to acquire the land needed for a rail line, then build away.
20
@B Dawson We're doing it for a wall on the border, why not for a train that will benefit the many instead of a few?
24
Its interesting that your 1% article starts with the name of an East Indian (or a descendant of one). By consensus in the immigration debate I really thought we were the cheap labor from India undermining the US salaries.
5
One more reason to get out of this city!!
12
I for one haven’t looked back.
3
Are these the same people that are screaming out that not enough is being done regarding climate control?
15
I wonder how the climate control is in these helicopters.
1
Why does the headline need to editorialize, pandering to the easy unexamined resentments of the mob? The helicopter overhead doesn't make your commute longer, it actually makes it slightly shorter. If you don't like noise or change, you're living in the wrong city.
The article that needs to be written is about the coming democratization of VTOL aircraft and what it means for all of us.
11
The article harnesses the buzzwords of the current zeitgeist - 'the new gilded age' 'privileged' 'indulgence' - but let's quantify this 'trend.' 5,487 take-offs and landings at LGA and EWR last year. That's ~2,744 roundtrips, or less than 4 per airport per day last year.
4 round-trips a day by helicopter to a major airport is not worthy of a NYT trend piece ... until it's conflated with the city's infrastructure and income-inequality issues.
12
@Andy Deckman - into East Hampton airport alone there are over 70 helicopter flights a day in the summer, flying low over tens of thousands of residences. Normal conversation is no longer possible except for a few hours on saturday afternoon. Quality of life has gone down the tubes. But agreed, not worthy of notice - to the 1%.
31
Duh, money gives people advantages. Most people believe that "the most important things in life are free". But, that doesn't stop the Times from pushing class warfare.
17
@Amy
you might feel differently if you lived way, way out in the country and one day really rich people began buzzing your home in noisy, smelly machines and the governing authorities endorsed and sustained that buzzing. you might even think of an old bruce cockburn song and sing the chorus to yourself.
15
And some people have chauffeured Bentley’s and others have Fiestas. That is the way life is if you don’t have the brains and drive or weren’t born in the right family.
1
It's time to start putting up "barrage balloons" over Queens and Long Island....let the helicopters fly over the water and away from the homes below.
It's only a matter of time before one crashes, killing innocents on the ground.
And I can't wait until Amazon starts delivering by drones....
16
Uber flights will increase the number of helicopter flights in an already crowded airspace. Look what they've done to NYC streets. I can see Pier 6 from my apartment and witness the increase in landings and takeoffs, and noise, on a daily basis.
Keep in mind that these are primarily all single-engine helicopters, flying in restricted airspace, using only visual flight rules to keep the skies safe. Aside from checking in at LGA Tower, there is no Air Traffic Control.
NYC needs better road and subway access to its airports, and congestion pricing could help in lessening volume. Until then, we will see more helicopters.
9
When people half-seriously lament our lack of flying cars, I think of the racket from these flying limousines, and shudder.
5
Of course we who are not the 1% should see this as the future where the wealthy and corporations pay less and less in taxes to support roads and public transportation and use helicoptors and private planes to go everywhere, never setting foot among the unwashed. Oh wait, that's what is already happening and it's only going to get worse if trump and his ilk contine to be allowed to run this country.
10
Caution:Unless you want to go deaf wear headphones.Those things are LOUD, on the inside too!
1
Cry me a river. $200 to get to Kennedy in 8 minutes? Where can I buy a ticket? Instead of whining, why not aspire? Instead of “why does he get to do something I don’t get to do,” why not “I’m going to achieve that as well”?
That’s the problem with the whiny left nowadays. They don’t want to better themselves, they want to lower others so they don’t feel so bad about their own lives.
Make different choices. Go back to school. Start a company. Take a second job. Do something instead of complain. I spent 12 years producing 30% more than anyone in my department before getting promoted. Life is good now. I have a nice car, nice house, go on fantastic vacations. But I also budget strictly and track every penny. People who would look at me and think I’ve got it made might be right, but I did this. I achieved this, with purpose, determination and hard work.
Every year we go to a small island in the Caribbean. You can get their by ferry boat or small plane. The ferry costs $25 and takes 3 hours. The plane costs $400 and takes 7 minutes. I take the plane. The money doesn’t magically appear. I have to budget and save for it. And I do. You can too.
Don’t cry about the noise of the helicopter. Get on the helicopter.
26
@Mike
That's so unfair!
JK. I'm on board.
3
@Mike
Couldn’t agree more. It’s personal responsibility and drive, not envy of others, that is determinative of your life experience.
5
@Mike
Not everybody can be a CEO and the world still needs someone to sweep the floors
But, screw those guys who are stuck at the bottom of the pyramid scheme called capitalism, right?
51
As these massively offensive machines make ungodly levels of noise over my community at all hours of the day there are several things that come to mind:
1 - imagine being Iraqi or a citizen of one of the other nations we've invaded.
2 - those helicopter scenes from Apocalypse Now
3 - can I summon some kind of super hero level mind power to force them to land and render them incapable of taking off again
4 - I've often thought if I ever met a helicopter pilot I would give that person an earful as loudly as they give me.
And wow Mr. Kogut...just wow. In one person, just one person, the NYTime found the embodiment of so much of what is wrong with Americans. Well done.
16
“I decided you only live once,” he said. “I do have to be there for a meeting.”
Thus turning this into a tax-deductable business expense.
35
Blade says it’s $195.00 a ride & Uber is going to be $200.00. An Uber (car) would be $80.00. Assuming one person is traveling alone: Not sure spending an extra $115.00 to go to the airport makes one the kind of spoiled person the article implies.
7
@George - but it certainly makes one selfish, since one's convenience comes at the cost of the peace and quiet of thousands who are under these new flight-paths.
9
The 30th Street Heliport at Hudson River Park is more than a scandal: it is a public safety threat as well as a security threat. The noise, pollution, exhaust and safety issues are well known and ignored. Yet, two years after the terrorist attack at Hudson River Park on Halloween, 2017, cars are still allowed to enter the park from the West Side Highway, cut across and drive down the bike and pedestrian lanes so they can wait in a parking lot with their motors revving for passengers. Hudson River Park Trust officials know of this situation and had not made any changes. In honor of those who were killed and injured on October 31, 2017 from the same neglect and disregard, Hudson River Park Trust and Friends of Hudson River Park have the moral obligation to act immediately. What are they waiting for?
40
Trump had better be working full-speed on his domestic security and detention program because one fine day the peons are going to have had enough. One can be trickled-down on for only so long before it becomes time to do something.
If the "movers and shakers" are insulated from the consequences of the breakdown of our infrastructure where will the incentive to fix it be? Why should they care? They're sipping drinks in sublime comfort far above the suffering masses.
We won't be able to call it Bastille Day, maybe Helicopter Day?
18
@Chuck Yeah I'm 26, and I'll be shocked if there's not some sort of proletariat uprising in my lifetime, truly.
28
It is kind of crazy that you can't reach either of our airports by foot or bicycle (yes, I know JFK has the train). I'd love to ride my bike to LGA - maybe lock up in East Elmhurst and walk to the terminal.
The other day it took me an hour to get out of LGA after a return flight. It is physically impossible to leave LGA walking.
Anyone know if this flaw is being addressed in the redesign?
21
@Mike
Important to remember these airports were designed / located in an era when air travel was only for a tiny segment of the population (ie the extremely wealthy).
5
@Mike
It is certainly possible to access and leave LGA on foot. I have done this about a dozen times in the past 3 years. Only once did construction make it impossible.
Go to the far west end of the central terminal, near the taxi stand, and look for the cross walk that connects to the new parking garage. Follow the path that leads to the 94th street overpass.
Every time I do this (to get to rental car vendors) I share the route with other travelers, and with people who work at the airport.
12
@Mike
I too have been confused by how to get to and from LGA on foot. But now I know how.
4
Obviously, the comment that this article screams for higher taxes on the 1% to pay for investments in infrastructure essentially writes itself. In cities like Hong Kong and London where there is great public transit to the airport, helicopters aren't really needed.
33
If you have the money to pay $200 for a ride to the airport, then you probably have the money to pay your fair share in taxes so the rest of us don’t have to be stuck with bumper-to-bumper traffic or unreliable transit. Just as we saw during the Reagan and Bush administrations, tax cuts for the rich have come with the same kinds of over-the-top displays of wealth that the rest of us get to watch on breathless lifestyle shows on TV and in magazine and newspaper articles while we contend with clogged roads, crumbling transit, failing schools and ever diminishing prospects for getting ahead.
312
@AJD
"...then you probably have the money to pay your fair share in taxes so the rest of us don’t have to be stuck with bumper-to-bumper traffic..."
Which of the people in this article is not "pay[ing their] fair share in taxes"?
"Just as we saw during the Reagan and Bush administration [...] tax cuts for the rich..."
Why didn't Clinton or Obama or any Democratic congress person initiate tax increase initiatives if this is such a strictly partisan scheme?
I agree that there is income inequality. I don't agree that hoary and vague assumptions blanketed over 300+ million citizens are still being thought of as informative or relevant.
9
$200 to JFK is a lot cheaper than I thought it would be. Isn't that close to what copter tourist rides cost anyway? If you're spending a few thousand on a 2-week vacation, adding on a helicopter ride over NYC for that price while also getting to the airport doesn't sound so 1 percenty.
54
@Mario - but it does cause annoyance and suffering for the thousands who live below the extremely noisy flight-paths. Don't they have any rights?
35
@Mario If you are "spending a few thousand on a 2-week vacation", you are already in the (high) upper class. How many of the hardworking New Yorkers can afford vacations like that? Probably less than 5%. The helicopter has now become the new status symbol of the social climbers. The 1 percenters have had the copter for some time. They already have their charter flights.This is the "upper class for the masses".
13
Not at all surprising. Public transit from JFK to Manhattan takes ~90 minutes to go 20 miles. That's an average pace of 13 mph! Unfortunately we seem to be more capable of making electric self-flying helicopters than reliable and rapid public transit.
7
@Pete
"Public transit from JFK to Manhattan takes ~90 minutes to go 20 miles"
No it doesn't. LIRR from Jamaica Station- Penn takes about 20 minutes.
9
@Peter It takes at least 15 minutes just to get to Jamaica station, plus however long the you have to wait for the air train.
If you luck out and you just catch the LIRR, maybe you can make the total trip in a little less than an hour. However, if you just missed an LIRR train, it can be 15-20 minutes to the next one depending on the time of day.
4
@Pete
The only time you will wait more than 5 minutes for a Penn Station bound LIRR train is late night. All LIRR branches, except Woodside, pass through Jamaica on their way to Penn. There is a train every few minutes running between Jamaica and Penn and Vice-Versa. Way more frequently than the helicopters to the airport. (Checking the LIRR schedule now, after 10pm, and their are Jamaica departures at 10:25, 10:38, 10:48, etc)
I regularly take the LIRR-AirTrain combination and it typically takes just over half hour from Penn to my terminal.
5
I think the point about the noise affecting people living under the flight path is a valid one.
However, beyond that, what is the problem here. I HATE that it takes me 1 1/2 to 2 hours total to get to and from work each day (most of it spent on a bus in traffic that has nearly ground to a halt). If I had the means to hop on a helicopter and do it in a just a couple of minutes, I absolutely would.
This isn't about inequality at all - it's about the sorry state of our infrastructure and the fact that are cities have WAY too many people in them.
108
@Kristin
Those with power and wealth are never going to support infrastructure if they don’t need it. For them, it’s a poor people problem and they don’t care.
64
@Kristin
Completely agree. However, I do hope people in this country consider the retrograde decision of living in single-family homes far away from city-centers where workplaces tend to concentrate. Obviously, a lot of people may have very little choice about their commute and a place where they can afford to live, but that should make them a loud constituency in fighting a self-interested minority in preventing the development of keeping desirable locations as single-family home zones (and manipulating school finding through real estate taxes). This issue is probably as critical and completely intertwined with an inefficient public transit system.
6
@Enrique Yes, we can all live cheek to jowel, like in those monster towers in Hong Kong. That will appease many of the walking city advocates, right?
5
Every commuter riding in a helicopter is one less person driving on the roads. Maybe more people should fly?
10
Great Job!!! If you can afford it go for it. This is a "work hard play hard", country. I cant afford it, but I understand why people would want to use this service.
11
@Jacob Paniagua - the problem is, the convenience of the 1% comes at the expense of endless noise for the 99%, especially those beneath the flight paths.
15
I live across the river from the heliport, the increase in usage has made the noise near constant in the evenings and weekends. We also deal with noise from party boats, and concerts on the pier that point their speakers at the water.
What was developed as a quest riverfront area to live and escape the city has turned into a cacophony created by the worlds noisiest neighbor.
Unfortunately our local politicians are too corrupt to care since they don’t live there.
41
@Paul C
So you want the politicians to cancel concerts so you have peace?
They are the vehicle of the upperclass. Just as cars were at the turn of the 20th century. Eventually they will need to be better regulated, they self navigate the skies. Accidents are likely. But more importantly, if the industry, and the well to who use them, are going to push forward in continuing to overtake our skyways, the least they could do is put in the initiative of manufacturing quieter vehicles that do not put out so much fumes. They inflect terrible noise and air pollution. As someone who lives near the Hudson water front, they are utterly destroying the landscape with their ongoing drone. It's been going on for years now. It's heartbreaking to bear witness too.
41
@Fromjersey - it's a plague that's spread all along the North Shore of Long Island (even though these low-flying aircraft are all going to the South Shore).
10
@Paul Adams
yes I know, I spend a lot of time on the LI Sound ... and on LI. They are infiltrating the region quite steadily. There needs to be some accountability. It's terrible. I'm sure they are effecting birds that migrate in the region as well.
10
If you work hard for your money, you should be able to do what you want with it. I look forward to being able to do this when I have a successful career because it would save valuable time. You can say the noise is annoying and helicopter commuting shouldn't be allowed, but I bet you wouldn't be saying that if you were the one in the helicopter and worked hard to get there.
18
@Kayla M - but only if it doesn't directly affect others. Tens of thousands lie below the incredibly noisy flight-paths, and their quality of life is as important as that of the rich. It's now almost impossible to hold a normal converzsation outdoors on much of the North Shore of Long Island, not just fridays and mondays, but almost all weel (except for a brief window saturday afternoon). Utterly disgusting.
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@Paul Adams I definitely see where you're coming from and would also be just as upset. It wouldn't be as much of a problem if they were environmentally friendly and quieter. Eventually we'll have technology to do both, and air traffic will become more normalized without the problems it presents now
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@Kayla M
I just hope all you "successful" people in your helicopters will be ferried over the rivers, so when the inevitable crashes due to congested airways occur, you will fall in the drink and not kill those of us on the ground.
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The noise over Crown Heights this summer is crazy. I live close to Atlantic Avenue, which has become some kind of helicopter highway. Helicopters are noisy, polluting relics of the past... not the future.
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In Boston the frequency and the excessive noise of helicopters has become a public nuisance. They should be taxed enough to pay for the public transportation improvements we so desperately need.
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For the sake of fairness, can we just occasionally say "hard working" and "successful" rather than privileged? I'm sure Dr. Stephan and the "geneticist entrepreneur" were not flying in helicopters at the start of their careers.
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Lots of people are hard working without being able to afford $200 helicopter rides to the airport.
Just because you can’t doesn’t make you unsuccessful.
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@Paul C
You have made a logical error. You stated the inverse (?) of M. Casey's statement and that is not necessarily true.
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@M. Casey
Most Americans are "hard working." Most of us are also unfairly compensated -- in either direction.
No one works harder than the guys fixing my roof this week in the heat. No helicopter for them, though.
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I remember--at least 50 years ago--being amazed that a member of my grandfather's club in south FL where he was pro had a helicopter he used to fly from his club to Seminole GC, because he wanted to avoid the traffic. The club let him put in a helicopter landing pad. A man before his time--and for sure one of the 1 percenters.
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