Community Board 11 to draft resolution backing CB7 effort to curb nonessential helicopter flights

A joint meeting of Community Board 11’s health and social services and transportation committees heard a presentation from Ken Coughlin of Stop the Chop on Nov. 13, 2020, and moved to draft a resolution urging limits on nonessential helicopter flights.

Coughlin, who said he represents the grassroots Stop the Chop coalition and is a member of Manhattan Community Board 7, described the group’s goal as banning commuter, sightseeing and charter helicopter operations in the New York metropolitan area. He mapped the main origins of those flights to three heliports — East 34th Street, the Downtown Manhattan Heliport and a West Side facility in Hudson River Park — and cited safety, noise and pollution concerns, including a recent fatal crash and an industry liability settlement after a 2019 East River accident.

The presentation summarized pending and passed measures at multiple levels: a New York City law sponsored by Council Member Amanda Farias that Coughlin said will ban the noisiest helicopters from the two city-run heliports beginning in 2029; state bills that would relocate the West Side heliport offshore and impose noise taxes; and a federal proposal that would ban nonessential flights within a 20-mile radius of the Statue of Liberty. Coughlin said the industry has sued to overturn local restrictions and noted jurisdictional limits — for example, flights originating in New Jersey are not subject to NYC rules.

Board members reviewed local impacts cited in Community Board 7’s resolution (more than 26,000 311 helicopter-noise complaints in 2024, an average of roughly 40 a day) and asked for more economic and operational detail. Coughlin cited Economic Development Corporation (EDC) estimates that the two city-run heliports produce about $80 million in activity annually, of which about $50 million is fuel purchases; he described the remainder as a modest share of the city’s $110 billion budget and pointed to a reported $120 million settlement following the East River crash as a large industry liability.

After discussion, Chair Sandra Umbra moved that Community Board 11 draft a resolution along the lines of Community Board 7’s action asking the full board to consider limits on nonessential helicopter operations; David Levitt seconded the motion. Committee members asked the presenter to provide the full resolution language to staff (Jeremy) for circulation. The motion was seconded and a quorum was present; no roll-call vote was recorded on the transcript and no objections were voiced on the record.

The committee asked staff to gather follow-up information requested by members — including the potential effect on film production and whether specific state bills would affect movie shoots — before the full board considers the draft resolution.

Next steps: board staff will circulate the full proposed resolution to committee cochairs and add the item to the full board agenda for the Nov. 20 meeting.