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October 26, 2009

Copter Rage in Brooklyn Heights

helicopter%20bk.jpg
Not in my back river? Some Brooklyn Heights residents are complaining about noise from the Downtown Manhattan heliport, says an article in the Post, and they're less than thrilled about plans to allow dozens more sightseeing flights to take off from the facility every day. The Brooklyn Heights Association wants helicopter tours completely banned: "What we have now is best described as a free-for-all of helicopters criss-crossing over Brooklyn Heights, at distances no greater than a few hundred feet," the group wrote in a letter to the EDC. A neighborhood resident says he no longer uses his balcony because the helicopter noise means "even nose-to-nose conversation is impossible." The Post had a similar story about helicopter noise this summer in which residents said the din has become worse recently. Any Heights or Dumbo residents care to comment on how big a quality-of-life issue this is?
B'klyn Hts is Chopping Mad [NY Post]
Photo by nautical2k.




Posted by Gabby at 10:31 AM | Comments (26)
Categories: Brooklyn Heights, Quality of Life

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Comments

I think I've been suffering from copter rage for a couple of decades.

Please ban them everywhere or make them stay above 2000 feet.

Posted by: northsloperenter at October 26, 2009 10:49 AM

"even nose-to-nose conversation is impossible."

HAHAHAHAHA. While I'm a fan of exaggeration, this has crossed the line into absurdity!

Posted by: tybur6 at October 26, 2009 10:49 AM

there was one flying around brooklyn heights this morning that almost put me in a rage! I have noticed an increase in them lately.

Personally, if it is flying around because there is a high profile "terrorism suspect" at one of the courts, like a few weeks ago, that is fine with me. BUT, a tourism helicopter brings out my coper rage, for sure. I am already annoyed enough with those hideous double-decker red buses that charge around the heights, being a menace to bikers and pedestrians, now I have to add helicopters to the list?...not to mention the unnecessary pollution caused by these tours... I am most definitely against these.

Posted by: bodhi_brooklyn at October 26, 2009 10:50 AM

Not sure how absurd it is... copter buzzed through park slope at about 150 feet this morning and my wife and I couldn't hear each other for about 20 seconds. They are effin loud.

Posted by: northsloperenter at October 26, 2009 10:52 AM

Judy at the BHA routinely gets suckered into making ridiculous "complaints" over nonissues.

I have been a victim of one such letter, which of course never amounted to anything and was simply public griping for the sake of public griping.

Posted by: infinitejester at October 26, 2009 11:01 AM

jester, did you get cited for public dancing, ala Dirty Dancing?

Posted by: bodhi_brooklyn at October 26, 2009 11:06 AM

Wish it was for something as rebellious as dancing. Dance, dance, wherever you may be...

Posted by: infinitejester at October 26, 2009 11:08 AM

public groping i think

Posted by: Petebklyn at October 26, 2009 11:09 AM

driving a hearse without a license?

Posted by: bodhi_brooklyn at October 26, 2009 11:14 AM

It wasn't me, it was my nonprofit where I sit on the board, and I had to go smooth things over. Hence the comment I received from a few weeks ago, "This conversation is going a long ways toward ending our differences. In fact I think they are ended."

Posted by: infinitejester at October 26, 2009 11:16 AM


"The Brooklyn Heights Association wants helicopter tours completely banned"

Not going to happen.

Posted by: East New York at October 26, 2009 11:19 AM

Wait we live in Carroll Gardens so this is not about Brooklyn Heights - I can hear those f'ing helicopters all the time and the only thing I hate more than tourists on those double decker buses with the screeching brakes that tear at my intestines, is the noise that comes from those copters - this isnt just in BH its in CG and in Cobble hill and any of us who live nearer to the coast have to just put up with whatever money making scheme some schmuck has come up with to destroy humanity. AND I DONT HAVE A CASE OF THE MONDAYS CHRIST!!!!

Posted by: Ljubitca at October 26, 2009 11:22 AM

I can hear one humming right now as I write this...I've definitely noticed an uptick in how often they're buzzing around, mostly rush hours. I work late and have been woken in the morning by them before. If they were to add all day tourist tours, who knows how annoying it could be. Also, I'm in Boerum Hill, not the other BH.

Posted by: nodnyc at October 26, 2009 11:22 AM


"tourists on those double decker buses with the screeching brakes that tear at my intestines, is the noise that comes from those copters"

Welcome to "gentrified" Brooklyn.

Posted by: East New York at October 26, 2009 11:39 AM

Ljubitca is right the problem is not just Brooklyn Heights. The News choppers hover over Carroll Gardens where they are getting a good traffic shot of the Gowanus Expy and the Battery Tunnel entry for the morning news programs. They'll just hover for 15-20 minutes at a time and god forbid there's a major accident, there will be two or three of those f'ing things up there for 45 minutes or more.

Posted by: HDL at October 26, 2009 11:48 AM

You are missing the point, which is to spare Manhattan residents the undue noise and bother of the Chelsea heliport. It was closed and all the traffic diverted to the Downtown heliport. Our City fathers could give a flying leap about Brooklyn or its residents. Manhattan groups sued the FTA and got rid of the heliport near them. Now its our turn.


Posted by: Minard Lafever at October 26, 2009 11:51 AM

The news choppers are definitely the worst, and it's absurd that more than 1 of them is allowed in the same area at the same time.

Every six months or so it seems one of them crashes somewhere in the country while doing something stupid and having visions of filming the next OJ chase.

If we can't ban them, and we at least impose a 1500% tax on helicopter fuel?

Posted by: northsloperenter at October 26, 2009 11:52 AM

It isn't the tourist copters that are annoying -- it is the police and traffic copters hovering over the BQE and the bridges for hours.

No choppers before 7:30 would be fine with me.

Posted by: thwackamole1 at October 26, 2009 11:53 AM

I honestly think the BHA has a chance of getting something done here. It's gotten especially bad in the last year. Can't the news people get a "pool" chopper? And aren't we done with the helicopter tours?

Posted by: Ringo at October 26, 2009 12:13 PM

I dont care if its a news copter or a copter full of Japanese-Spaniards - its abuse - this is not south central EL LAY - its a car crash for christ sakes - just a sad event made worse with overhead brown noise! Manhattan is so over - who even lives there anymore -ugh HOW COMMON!

Posted by: Ljubitca at October 26, 2009 12:35 PM

speaking of noise pollution, could someone pls ban the red hook cruise horn in the morning?

thank you.

Posted by: antidope at October 26, 2009 1:44 PM

"there was one flying around brooklyn heights this morning that almost put me in a rage"

bodhi, I'm terribly sorry. That was my chopper you saw this morning. But how else am I to get from Brooklyn Heights to midtown?

Posted by: CarrollGardened at October 26, 2009 2:08 PM

I'll be glad if these tours ever come to Bed Stuy because by then my property will have more than tripled.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at October 26, 2009 2:43 PM

almost all the news helicopters are based in NJ(near Linden) so taxing the fuel is a non issue. Most of the noise you hear is NOT from Sightseeing helicopters but corporate ones. Sometimes they line up over Brooklyn Heights to land and hoover causing the noise problem....before you complain about the type of helicopter look first.

http://www.erhc.org/

here is a place to file complaints along of course with the FAA

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/field_offices/fsdo/frg/

Posted by: smeyer418 at October 26, 2009 4:44 PM

I got buzzed again on the way home tonight. Was that you CarrollGardened?

Flying over Park Slope around 6:00pm?

Posted by: northsloperenter at October 26, 2009 6:43 PM

I don't care if it's tourism, or traffic-copters hovering over a jam on the BQE, or some
local news event: it is ANNOYINGLY LOUD. Make it STOP!!!!

Posted by: pswivelhead at October 26, 2009 7:49 PM

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