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East 34th Street Heliport

Coordinates: 40°44′33″N 073°58′19″W / 40.74250°N 73.97194°W / 40.74250; -73.97194
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East 34th Street Heliport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerEconomic Development Corp
OperatorAtlantic Aviation
ServesNew York City
LocationEast 34th Street, New York, NY 10016
OpenedJune 16, 1972 (1972-06-16)
Elevation AMSL10 ft / 3 m
Coordinates40°44′33″N 073°58′19″W / 40.74250°N 73.97194°W / 40.74250; -73.97194
WebsiteOfficial website
Map
Map
Helipads
Number Length Surface
ft m
1 304 93 Asphalt
2 44 13 Asphalt
3 44 13 Asphalt
4 44 13 Asphalt
T 44 13 Asphalt
Source: Airnav:[1]

East 34th Street Heliport (FAA LID: 6N5) is a heliport on the east side of Manhattan located on the East River Greenway, between the East River and the FDR Drive viaduct. Also known as the Atlantic Metroport at East 34th Street, it is a public heliport owned by New York City and run by the Economic Development Corporation.

History

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Planning and development

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In the mid-1960s, New York officials were mulling sites for heliports, particularly waterfront sites because of concerns about noise and the safety of operating rotorcraft above Manhattan.

In 1964, Vincent A. G. O'Connor, a former commissioner of the city's Marine and Aviation Department, told The New York Times that a site on the East River waterfront near East 34th Street was one of the preferred options because a viaduct was being planned to carry FDR Drive across East 34th Street, removing a bottleneck caused by a traffic signal on the at-grade highway.[2][3][4]

In 1965, a helipad opened on the roof of the Pan Am Building on Manhattan's East Side, despite opposition to its location away from the waterfron.[5]

In 1966, New York City Mayor John Lindsay asked the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority and Port of New York Authority to study a new facility east of First Avenue between East 36th and 38th streets that would include a 2,000-space parking garage with a rooftop heliport that could provide intercity passenger service; the facility was never built for lack of money.[6][7][8][9]

The heliport atop the Pan Am Building was abandoned in 1968 after failing to make enough money. (It reopened for three months in 1977 before a helicopter crash killed five people).[10] The city's Marine and Aviation Department sought to replace the Pan Am heliport by building a helipad next to the East River at East 34th Street.[9][11] This was approved by the New York City Planning Commission in March 1971 and the New York City Board of Estimate the following month.[12][13][14][15] The heliport was built on a concrete bulkhead that had been used by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and before that had been the site of the original East 34th Street Ferry Landing.[12][16][17]

Opening and early years

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The East 34th Street Heliport was built to handle about 20 private and charter flights per day of four-passenger helicopters. Its design included an option to expand onto a purpose-built pier into the East River, enabling the heliport to accommodate 30- to 48-passenger helicopters providing scheduled service to regional airports or for intercity service, for a total of 50 to 60 daily flights.[12][13][14][18]

The heliport opened on June 16, 1972, and began operating three days later with charter flights.[19][20] In October 1973, Island Helicopters Corporation signed a ten-year lease with the city to operate the heliport and be its fixed-base operator.[21][22]

In 1979, WCBS-TV contracted with Island Helicopters to base a Bell LongRanger at the heliport to rapidly deploy reporters and film crews around the area, including to the suburbs, and to provide live television coverage from the air.[23] By 1980, most of the flights were for sightseeing.[24] The heliport saw an average of 29 flights per day in 1976, 40 in 1978, and 67 flights in 1980.[25]

New York Helicopter Sikorsky S-58 at East 34th Street Heliport in 1987

In January 1981, New York Helicopter, a new subsidiary of Island Helicopters, began offering scheduled service— 48 daily flights on weekdays and 28 daily flights on weekends—from the heliport to the three major airports serving the city: John F. Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark.[26][27] The airline used the nine-seat Aérospatiale Dauphin until 1985, then the 14-seat turbine-powered Sikorsky S-58T.[27][28][29] Service to the three airports increased to a total of 72 daily flights during the mid-1980s, but then shrank by the early 1990s. Service to LaGuardia ended in November 1987, to Newark in 1991, and to JFK in January 1994.[30][31]

Traffic at the heliport peaked in 1985 with an average of 85 flights per day.[25] In 1987, two years after the Rivergate apartment building opened on East 34th Street between First Avenue and the FDR Drive, tenants complained about the helicopter noise and asked city officials to forbid flights between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.[32][33][34] At the time, the heliport was the only one in the city operating 24 hours a day.[35] The apartment building also discovered that the special permit granted by the City Planning Commission for the heliport had expired in 1976 and was never renewed, and asked the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals to determine which city agency regulated the facility.[25][33][34]

Later operation

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Island Helicopters was found to have underreported its income from 1975 to 1980, was sued by the city, and filed for bankruptcy.[36] It continued to provide service. In 1988, an audit by New York City Comptroller Harrison J. Goldin found that Island Helicopters was understating its revenue and owed the city $287,000 in rent; the company agreed to pay this sum plus the accrued interest. As part of its original dispute with the city over unpaid rent, the company had agreed to apply for a renewal of the special permit for the heliport and began to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The city, through its Economic Development Corporation (EDC), later assumed responsibility for completing the EIS as part of the second dispute over unpaid rent.[37] Island Helicopters had previously renewed the option on its original lease with the city, which was set to expire in October 1995.[24][25]

Noise complaints led the city to reduce the number of permitted flights to and from the heliport by 47 percent. At the time, the East 34th Street Heliport was believed to be the busiest public-use heliport in the world.[38][39] The nearby New York University Medical Center also expressed concerns about pollution.[40][41]

In May 1996, EDC issued a request for proposals from heliport operators; it included limits on takeoffs, landings, and operating hours.[42] Island Helicopters (operating as National Helicopter) sued the city over the restrictions to flights, arguing that the limits could force it into bankruptcy. Federal district judge Sonia Sotomayor decided in favor of National Helicopter. The city appealed the ruling.[43][44][45]

The city then moved to evict National Helicopter from the East 34th Street Heliport over its failure to pay $700,000 in back rent. It also planned to close the East 60th Street Heliport, moving its operator (Johnson Controls, which did not operate sightseeing flights) to the East 34th Street Heliport.[46] National Helicopter filed for federal bankruptcy protection in an attempt to prevent the eviction, but the company's request was dismissed.[45] The company was ultimately evicted from the heliport in August 1997, which brought an end to the sightseeing flights.[47][48] The following year, a federal appellate court ruled that the city could restrict flights at the East 34th Street Heliport; the city imposed operating hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.[49] Weekend flights were banned altogether later in the year.[50]

In March 2003, Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation was selected as the new fixed-base operator of the heliport. The heliport is operated by Atlantic Aviation, a subsidiary of Macquarie.[51]

In February 2007, US Helicopter began providing passenger service from the 34th Street Heliport to JFK and Newark airports.[52][53] Through the Transportation Security Administration's Screening Partnership Program, passengers checked baggage and underwent security screening at the heliport and disembarked at the airside zone of the terminals of partner airlines, bypassing the need to check luggage or go through security at the airport if their flight was departing from the same terminal.[52][54] Flights to JFK Airport originally operated to Gate C43 in American Airlines' Terminal 9 and were shifted to Gate 11 in Delta Air Lines' Terminal 3 in May 2007 due to the construction of American's new terminal.[55][56][57] Flights to Newark Airport operated to Gate 71 at Continental Airlines' Terminal C.[53][58] The passenger flights ended in September 2009 when US Helicopter shut down its operations due to financial difficulties.[59][60]

Current operations

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Since this is a heliport and not an airport, there are no instrument procedures for this facility. Boats in the nearby East River require pilots to be careful when approaching the heliport's landing pad.

East 34th Street Heliport

Statistics

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In 2010, 72% of the flights were air taxi, 18% general aviation, 9% commuters, and less than 1% military.[1] In 2017, 96% were air taxi, 3% transient general aviation, and 2% military.[1]

Accidents and incidents

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  • On May 23, 1974, David Frank Kamaiko, a 21-year-old man from Greenwich Village claiming to be a member of the Jewish Defense League, hijacked a helicopter from the East 34th Street Heliport and demanded $2 million in ransom. The helicopter's pilot landed on top of the Pan Am Building, then tried to escape; Kamaiko shot him in the arm. The other hostage inside the helicopter disarmed Kamaiko, and police took him into custody.[61]
  • On February 27, 1975, a Bell 47G-2A on a non-commercial flight from Garden City crashed into a fence while attempting to land at the 34th Street Heliport in gusty winds. The pilot was severely burned in the resulting fire, but survived.[62]
  • On April 26, 1985, the engine on an Aérospatiale SA 360 Dauphin operated by New York Helicopter failed shortly after takeoff from the heliport, sending the helicopter into the East River. Five passengers and two crewmembers were rescued but one passenger trapped inside the submerged craft was killed.[63]
  • On May 2, 1988, a Bell 206-B on a sightseeing flight around Manhattan crashed into the East River near Long Island City while preparing to land at the East 34th Street Heliport, killing one person and injuring four others.[64]
  • On February 10, 1990, a strong gust of wind sent a Bell 206-L on a sightseeing flight crashing into the East River shortly after taking off from the East 34th Street Heliport. A 14-year-old boy was unconscious when pulled from the wreckage and later died. The pilot and three other passengers (including the boy's father and two French tourists) were injured in the crash but survived.[65][66]
  • On June 17, 2005, a Sikorsky S-76C carrying six MBNA executives returning to Delaware after a business meeting in New York City crashed into the East River less than one minute after taking off from the East 34th Street Heliport. All eight aboard survived the crash.[67]
  • On October 4, 2011, a Bell 206 crashed into the East River, killing one person, after taking off from the East 34th Street Heliport. The pilot and three other passengers on board were rescued,[68] though one died of his injuries a week later.[69] The National Transportation Safety Board report on the crash, released on December 20, 2012, said the cause was excess weight in the helicopter; the aircraft is rated to carry 3,200 pounds (1,451 kg), but it was estimated to have weighed between 3,228 pounds (1,464 kg) and 3,461 pounds (1,570 kg) at takeoff.[70]
  • On June 10, 2019, an AgustaWestland AW109 Power en route to Linden, New Jersey, crashed into the Axa Equitable Center on Seventh Avenue, which sparked a fire on the top of the building and killed the pilot, Tim McCormack.[71]

See also

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References

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Notes
  1. ^ a b c "6N5 – East 34th Street Heliport". AirNav. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  2. ^ "FDR Drive Bottleneck to Be Ended". Staten Island Advance. February 1, 1962. Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "O'Connor Assails Pan Am Heliport". The New York Times. December 21, 1964. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  4. ^ "New Part of F.D.R. Drive Open to Rush-Hour Traffic". The New York Times. May 13, 1967. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  5. ^ Hudson, Edward (December 22, 1965). "Heliport Opened Atop Skyscraper". The New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  6. ^ Knowles, Clayton (October 13, 1966). "Heliport Sought For Intercity Use". The New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  7. ^ "3-Year Target Set For New Heliport". The New York Times. October 14, 1966. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  8. ^ "Helicopters in Midtown?". The New York Times. September 1, 1969. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  9. ^ a b FEIS 1995, p. I-1.
  10. ^ McFadden, Robert D. (May 17, 1977). "5 Killed As Copter on Pan Am Building Throws Rotor Blade". The New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  11. ^ Burks, Edward C. (October 23, 1970). "Transport Units Ask $590-Million". The New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Burks, Edward C. (March 18, 1971). "Plan Commission Approves 34th Street Heliport; Permit for New Facility on East River Is Subject to an Estimate Board Vote". The New York Times. Retrieved August 25, 2009.
  13. ^ a b Toscano, John (March 18, 1971). "Planners Approve East River Heliport". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b Burks, Edward C. (April 23, 1971). "Board Backs 34th St. Heliport". The New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  15. ^ Toscano, John (April 23, 1971). "Top City Board Okays Heliport For E. 34th St". New York Daily News. Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(cartographic) Plate 62, Part of Section 3, (1930)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  17. ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(cartographic) Plate 62, Part of Section 3, (1955)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  18. ^ FEIS 1995, p. A-1.
  19. ^ "New Heliport on E. River". New York Daily News. June 17, 1972. Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Bamberger, Werner (June 22, 1972). "4th Heliport Set to Start Service; City Facility on E. 34th St. To Offer Flights to L.I." The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
  21. ^ "New branches, tenants". Newsday. October 29, 1973. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ FEIS 1995, pp. I-1–I-2.
  23. ^ Kaufman, Bill (October 30, 1979). "Ch. 2 takes to the air—literally". New York Newsday. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ a b Peisen et al. 1997, p. 17.
  25. ^ a b c d FEIS 1995, p. I-2.
  26. ^ "Corporate Activities and Contracts". New York Newsday. August 4, 1980. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ a b Khiss, Peter (January 7, 1981). "New Copter Flights Connect Manhattan and 3 Airports". The New York Times. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  28. ^ Lefer, Henry (October 1993). "Up and away from the traffic jams". Air Transport World. Vol. 30, no. 10. pp. 91–92. ProQuest 224291153.
  29. ^ FEIS 1995, p. II.D-1.
  30. ^ FEIS 1995, pp. II.A-1, II.D-1.
  31. ^ Peisen et al. 1997, p. 30.
  32. ^ Hinds, Michael Decourcy (March 3, 1985). "A Building Boomlet Giving Manhattan 9,000 Apartments". The New York Times. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Shot Down". New York Daily News. July 1, 1987. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ a b Carper, Alison (July 7, 1987). "Tenants Seek to Ground Their Grievances". New York Newsday. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ "City Council claims heliports lack safety guidelines". Staten Island Advance. Associated Press. September 5, 1985. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ Patrick, Reginald (December 18, 1988). "Twice-fooled". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved October 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ Peisen et al. 1997, pp. 17–18.
  38. ^ Lambert, Bruce (January 14, 1996). "City Agrees to Curb Helicopters". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  39. ^ Peisen et al. 1997, p. 13.
  40. ^ Howe, Marvine (January 16, 1994). "34th St. Heliport May Cut Flights". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  41. ^ Lambert, Bruce (October 8, 1995). "Heliport: New Lease And Quiet?". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  42. ^ Ramirez, Anthony (May 12, 1996). "Foes Readying A New Attack On Helicopters". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  43. ^ Ramirez, Anthony (September 22, 1996). "Helicopters Won't Cut Back Without a Fight". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  44. ^ Ramirez, Anthony (January 12, 1997). "Helicopter Operator Wins Court Fight". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  45. ^ a b Barron, James (August 9, 1997). "Helicopter Company Loses Bankruptcy Plea, Clearing Way for City Eviction Move". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  46. ^ Levy, Clifford J. (April 30, 1997). "Giuliani Plans To Reduce Copter Flights". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  47. ^ Kennedy, Randy (August 14, 1997). "Embattled Helicopter Service Evicted From Heliport". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  48. ^ Waldman, Amy (July 9, 1998). "Study Rejects New Limits on Helicopters". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
  49. ^ Chen, David W. (February 20, 1998). "Court Lets City Restrict Flights at 34th St. Heliport". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
  50. ^ "East Side Heliport Ceases Operations on Weekends". The New York Times. November 7, 1998. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
  51. ^ "C 170158 ZSM" (PDF). New York City Planning Commission. June 21, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  52. ^ a b "US Helicopter Expands Airport Shuttle to Service Midtown Manhattan" (Press release). Business Wire. January 23, 2007. ProQuest 445104363.
  53. ^ a b Newman, Richard (February 6, 2007). "Helicopter shuttle increases Newark flights". The Record. Bergen County. ProQuest 426379814.
  54. ^ "TSA Awards Private Screening Contract to U.S. Helicopter and McNeil Security Under Screening Partnership Program" (Press release). Transportation Security Administration. January 4, 2007. ProQuest 192378308.
  55. ^ Sharkey, Joe (January 31, 2006). "Helicopter to Kennedy". The New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  56. ^ Dolmetsch, Chris (May 14, 2007). "Delta partners for helicopter flights in New York". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. Bloomberg News. ProQuest 351556681.
  57. ^ "US Helicopter extends partnership with Delta". Airline Industry Information. April 8, 2008. ProQuest 210572241.
  58. ^ Yu, Roger (December 10, 2006). "Airport Check-in: Speedy service from Newark to Manhattan coming". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 27, 2009.
  59. ^ McGeehan, Patrick (September 25, 2009). "U.S. Helicopter Halts Shuttle Service to J.F.K. And Newark". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  60. ^ McGeehan, Patrick (November 27, 2009). "Helicopter Service to Airports Faces Uncertain Future". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  61. ^ Rims, Peter (May 24, 1974). "Helicopter Hijacked To Pan Am Building". The New York Times. Page 69, columns 1–4. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  62. ^ "Helicopter Pilot Is Injured in Crash at East River Pad at 34th Street". The New York Times. February 28, 1975. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  63. ^ Berger, Joseph (April 27, 1985). "A Copter Crashes in the East River". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  64. ^ Terry, Don (May 2, 1988). "One Dies, 4 Hurt In Copter Crash Into East River". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  65. ^ Barron, James (February 12, 1990). "A Copter Crashes in the East River". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  66. ^ Hirsch, Abby (August 1, 1994). "Nightmare On The East River". New York. Retrieved March 27, 2010 – via Google Books.
  67. ^ Feuer, Alan (June 19, 2005). "In Seconds, A Routine Trip Became a Fight for Life". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2009.
  68. ^ Barron, James (October 4, 2011). "Copter Crashes in East River, Killing One". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  69. ^ "Second Passenger in Helicopter Crash Dies". The New York Times. October 12, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  70. ^ "NTSB: Helicopter that crashed into N.Y. river too heavy". USA Today. Associated Press. December 20, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
  71. ^ "1 Dead in Helicopter Crash-Landing On Manhattan Building". ABC7 New York. June 10, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
Sources
  • East 34th Street Heliport Final Environmental Impact Statement. December 28, 1995.
  • Peisen, Deborah J.; Winick, Robert M.; Berardo, Stephen V.; Ferguson, Samuel W. (November 1997). "Six Heliport Case Studies" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. pp. 13–41. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
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