14 October 2006
Yesterday (<a href=’newsfeed.php?artnum=312′ target=’_blank’>in this report</a>) we reported that the FAA was considering restrictions on light aircraft using the ‘corridors’ up and down the East River alongside Manhattan. Overnight, they’ve apparently enforced some of those restrictions, requiring most light aircraft to be in contact with air traffic as they fly the East River route. (To be accurate, in typical aviation fashion, it’s worded as a complete ban on flying in that area – unless pilots have clearance from and are in contact with ATC. Full wording <a href=’http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/notams.html#ny’ target=’_blank’>here</a>).
The exceptions are seaplanes flying to/from their base on the East River (thank goodness – those seaplanes have always been one of the great New York sights) on the grounds that their pilots know the airspace better than anyone, and helicopters.
If you want to know more about the airspace and how Lidle’s accident flight interacted with it, see this <a href=’http://www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2006/10/11/nyregion/20061011_CRASH_GRAPHIC.html’ target=’_blank’>New York Times</a> page.
Further afield, Mayor Daley (Chicago’s infamously anti-GA mayor, who closed waterfront Meiggs airfield following 9/11) has called for a complete ban on GA over Chicago as a response to the New York crash. It’s elicited a fiery rebuttal from the normally firm but calm Phil Boyer from US AOPA (who does a great job in supporting the interests of GA in the States) Read it <a href=http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2006/061013enough.html’ target=’_blank’>here</a>.
