NYPD chases helicopter that picked up passengers in Brooklyn vacant lot

[MikeD]

No rooftop helipads in NYC since this

5 KILLED AS GOPTER ON PAN AM BUILDING THROWS ROTOR BLADE (Published 1977)

5 killed and 7 critically hurt as NY Airways helicopter landing gear collapses during passenger embarkation at heliport atop Pon Am Bldg, NYC; 5th victim is Madison Av pedestrian struck by pieces of rotor blade; witnesses describe accident; scene described; criticisms over safety of Pan Am...

www.nytimes.com

Similarly, many of the building helipads in the LAX major metro area are emergency use only. Not for routine ops.

 

[Low_Level_Hell]

Well in all fairness to the NYPD and witnesses, at least 50% of helicopter operations are for nefarious purposes.

 

[Bob Ridpath]

The post 9/11 media (social and otherwise) has people wound so tight that the slightest thing outside their little bubble sends them into an absolute panic.

I’d hate to see what happens if something bad really happened…oh, wait, where’d all the toilet paper go?

I couldn’t begin to count the number of 911 calls over fifteen years from concerned/scared citizens about “little airplanes flying above the Hudson River” or a “big airplane flying low - it says ‘JetBlue’ on the side“ (always commercial and/or Air Guard into SWF).

Sadly, it didn’t take lot to turn from a Pollyanna (former pastor) mindset to a grumpy curmudgeon dealing with idiots on a regular basis.

 

[Fixtur]

I wonder if it was the same Robinson doing...something...at about 100' AGL last night over Gardiner's Island.

 

[Doug Masters]

I ran into this when I was looking at doing some drone work here. This is the actual city code for it:

c. Take offs and landings. It shall be unlawful for any person avigating an aircraft to take off or land, except in an emergency, at any place within the limits of the city other than places of landing designated by the department of transportation or the port of New York authority.

§ 10-126 Avigation in and over the city.

Legal publisher offering ordinance codification services for local governments, specializing in providing codes of ordinances in print and on the Internet

codelibrary.amlegal.com

I also got to learn the fun new word “avigate,” and now regularly include it in my briefings.

4. "Avigate." To pilot, steer, direct, fly or manage an aircraft in or through the air, whether controlled from the ground or otherwise.

This definition is how they get it to apply to UAVs as well.

 

[moxiepilot]

I avigate

 

[Oxman]

I couldn’t begin to count the number of 911 calls over fifteen years from concerned/scared citizens about “little airplanes flying above the Hudson River” or a “big airplane flying low - it says ‘JetBlue’ on the side“ (always commercial and/or Air Guard into SWF).

Sadly, it didn’t take lot to turn from a Pollyanna (former pastor) mindset to a grumpy curmudgeon dealing with idiots on a regular basis.

Don't worry, my town's FB page lights up when a military jet or helicopter flies over. It's so pathetic. They even do it when the LOCAL hospital medevac helicopter flies over. They even ask about it when the traffic helicopter hovers. They post...What doe's it mean?, Who are they?, What's going on?
It's embarrassing.

 

[Richman]

Back when Southernjets was doing in-aircraft training for the 767 during the merger (don't ask), they'd pack up 10 or 12 folks grab a 767 and launch off to one of the local fields around DTW...Lansing, Grand Rapids, Toledo, etc.

The good folks in one town absolutely flipped when they saw a 767 doing touch and goes, and thought it was another 9/11. Made the papers and everything. The comments section was hysterical.

 

[MikeD]

Back when Southernjets was doing in-aircraft training for the 767 during the merger (don't ask), they'd pack up 10 or 12 folks grab a 767 and launch off to one of the local fields around DTW...Lansing, Grand Rapids, Toledo, etc.

The good folks in one town absolutely flipped when they saw a 767 doing touch and goes, and thought it was another 9/11. Made the papers and everything. The comments section was hysterical.

I remember watching America West 737-200s working the traffic pattern in the middle of the night doing touch and goes for crew training back in the day. Same thing, 10-15 folks onboard.

 

[fholbert]

The good folks in one town absolutely flipped when they saw a 767 doing touch and goes, and thought it was another 9/11. Made the papers and everything. The comments section was hysterical.

I remember watching America West 737-200s working the traffic pattern in the middle of the night doing touch and goes for crew training back in the day. Same thing, 10-15 folks onboard.

Sorry, I've got to one-up you guys.

During my USAF days I've seen as many a three C-5A's in the closed pattern doing touch and goes at Altus AFB. Down in the RAPCON I took great joy telling the Tower to keep their traffic inside the Airport Traffic Area (Class D for the youngsters) which always resulted in one C-5 coming back to us for RADAR patterns.

During my FAA days at Fresno a Flying Tiger 747 would come up from LAX to do touch and goes. In those days there was a jumbo class (C5, L1011, DC10, 747) for wake turbulence . A large aircraft (727, 737, 757, MD-80) behind a jumbo was 10 miles wake turbulence separation. Needless to say one jumbo could really f'up everything. IIRC a heavy behind a jumbo was 6 miles.

 

[MikeD]

Sorry, I've got to one-up you guys.

During my USAF days I've seen as many a three C-5A's in the closed pattern doing touch and goes at Altus AFB. Down in the RAPCON I took great joy telling the Tower to keep their traffic inside the Airport Traffic Area (Class D for the youngsters).

sadly, I’ve seen C-5s and -141s flying tighter closed traffic patterns than many GA Cessnas in the local airport pattern.

 

[fholbert]

sadly, I’ve seen C-5s and -141s flying tighter closed traffic patterns than many GA Cessnas in the local airport pattern.

I'll give you that one.

 

[NovemberEcho]

sadly, I’ve seen C-5s and -141s flying tighter closed traffic patterns than many GA Cessnas in the local airport pattern.

i feel personally attacked

 

[Richman]

sadly, I’ve seen C-5s and -141s flying tighter closed traffic patterns than many GA Cessnas in the local airport pattern.

I have no idea when that became a thing. In at least two of the airports I was based out of, a pattern like that would either see you swimming or snake/gator bait if you lost an engine.

 

[Conrad]

 

[Cherokee_Cruiser]

I land all the time on random roads and in random places. Standard ops, just not what people are always used to seeing.

Dang, that 737-200 really is capable.

 

[MikeD]

Dang, that 737-200 really is capable.

the T-43 version of it is even more capable. It can be in 12 different places on earth at the same time, but only one would be correct.