Simviation Forums

Helicopter carrying Tourists and a Light Aircraft....>>>>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8191582.stm

Paul.

Very sad. Lets hope there's some good news later on. Not holding too much hope though.

It doesnt look to good at all  :'(
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090809/ap_ ... _collision
9 believed dead

I was caught in the Lincoln Tunnel between New Jersey and Manhattan when that happened. As the whole of New York's finest made their way to the rivers edge, it produced a bit of a jam. I was on my way to JKF to fly home at the time. Fortunately we budgeted quite a bit of extra time to cross so we where not late for the flight.

Matt

Looks like it ended badly, then.

I'm surprised that it doesn't happen more often with the vast amount of (unregulated?) Air Traffic in the Hudson area, often just sight-seeing!

Another thing that always surprises me are the amount of low-flying Helicopters, (Police, News Channels, Tourists, Photographers, etc), constantly buzzing the Sky Scrapers in the various U.S Cities... ...!

..always seems to be asking for trouble, to me!... ...!

Low-flying Aircraft, tall buildings, and densely populated areas don't mix very well!... ...!

Paul... 8-)...!

Looks like it ended badly, then.

I'm surprised that it doesn't happen more often with the vast amount of (unregulated?) Air Traffic in the Hudson area, often just sight-seeing!

Another thing that always surprises me are the amount of low-flying Helicopters, (Police, News Channels, Tourists, Photographers, etc), constantly buzzing the Sky Scrapers in the various U.S Cities... ...!

..always seems to be asking for trouble, to me!... ...!

Low-flying Aircraft, tall buildings, and densely populated areas don't mix very well!... ...!

Paul... 8-)...!

Yeah I agree, I find helicopters flying low alot also.

At my house across the streeet they havent built the houses yet so its a big dirt lot. Well one time a helicopter was trying to land there.

He was making his approach then as he got alot closer he realized he couldn't land so he flew away. What is a helicopter gunna land in the suburbs for?  ;D

Before you know it the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds will be practicing by flying inbetween buildings.

Just found the 4th body...http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090809/ap_ ... _collision

It's very odd that an airplane and helicopter collided in that airspace- the tour helis tend to fly lower, in fact I think that one had just departed the 30th st. heliport nearby.
It's not forbidden, but fixed-wing traffic should, and usually does, stay around 1000 ft. AGL or thereabouts. why the Piper was descending, I don't know, but apparently that's what happened... the pilot failed to see the chopper slip right under his nose and he descended onto it.
There's really quite a lot of room for all sorts of traffic in there, if common sense is exercised.

It's very odd that an airplane and helicopter collided in that airspace- the tour helis tend to fly lower, in fact I think that one had just departed the 30th st. heliport nearby.
It's not forbidden, but fixed-wing traffic should, and usually does, stay around 1000 ft. AGL or thereabouts. why the Piper was descending, I don't know, but apparently that's what happened... the pilot failed to see the chopper slip right under his nose and he descended onto it.
There's really quite a lot of room for all sorts of traffic in there, if common sense is exercised.

I often wonder if flight conditions around the Statue of Liberty and the Hudson River,etc, with Pilots just wandering around in unplanned, different directions, means that the pilots are spending time looking at the surrounding scenery and relaying details to the passengers, instead of concentrating on looking out for other air traffic around them?
...a bit like flying Russian Roulette... ...!

I don't suppose Air Traffic Control and their Radar have much immediate control over them?

Paul...generally always looking where I am going!......!

It's very odd that an airplane and helicopter collided in that airspace- the tour helis tend to fly lower, in fact I think that one had just departed the 30th st. heliport nearby.
It's not forbidden, but fixed-wing traffic should, and usually does, stay around 1000 ft. AGL or thereabouts. why the Piper was descending, I don't know, but apparently that's what happened... the pilot failed to see the chopper slip right under his nose and he descended onto it.
There's really quite a lot of room for all sorts of traffic in there, if common sense is exercised.

I often wonder if flight conditions around the Statue of Liberty and the Hudson River,etc, with Pilots just wandering around in unplanned, different directions, means that the pilots are spending time looking at the surrounding scenery and relaying details to the passengers, instead of concentrating on looking out for other air traffic around them?
...a bit like flying Russian Roulette... ...!

I don't suppose Air Traffic Control and their Radar have much immediate control over them?

Well...despite the sometimes-large volume of "free flying" traffic in that area for almost 100 years there has only been one midair over the Hudson so far (that I know of)!
Sure, it can be risky in there... but not by the nature of the airspace, so much as by lack of good practice on the part of pilots.

There's no ATC control within that area- in fact, it's a VFR free-flight exclusion carved out of the

My cousin flew law enforcement helicopters around Orlando for years. Between his department.. news choppers, and the plethera of tourist choppers in the Disney World area; it could get pretty interesting. ATC control doesn't keep a pilot from doing something ill-advised, nor making a mistake. This terrible accident is pilot error. It happens anywhere.  :'(

I've flown the VFR corridor up Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, many times. O'hare and Midway might not be the same combo as, Newark and La Guardia .. but it's pretty close. Altitude and direction limitations are published. There is a CTAF for that corridor. Postion and intent announcements, if used and acknowledged, keep things quite safe.

Me.. summer 2008