Photo credit: Chait Goli
by Arline L. Bronzaft, Ph.D., Board of Directors, GrowNYC, Co-founder, The Quiet Coalition, and Honorary Chair, Quiet American Skies
Stop the Chop NY/NJ, a nonprofit working to ban all nonessential helicopter flights over New York City, the New York metropolitan area and New Jersey, has reported an exciting victory at the end of 2023. Operating hours for tourist helicopters in New York City have been reduced by three hours for this coming summer. Instead of operating from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., tourist helicopters will operate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Saturday. These hours do not apply to helicopters from other heliports or for non-tourist trips from New York City.
Stop the Chop NY/NJ informs us that the number of complaints about helicopter noise in 2023 nearly doubled. Calls to 311, the city’s non-emergency phone service, went from over 26,000 in 2022 to a staggering 58,700 in 2023. We cannot forget that noise is harmful to our mental and physical health, and these complaints represent serious intrusions on the lives of individuals exposed to helicopter noise.
This nonprofit will continue its ardent work to fight nonessential helicopter flights. We at Quiet Communities are thankful for their efforts to promote a quieter and healthier environment.
