Not sure if this has been posted already, but sad to see these fine tours come to an end....not to mention impact on pilots and businesses...
"The uproar over the noisy comings and goings of sightseeing helicopters along the West Side of Manhattan has finally led to a plan to eliminate them.
Air Pegasus, the operator of the heliport at the west end of 30th Street, has agreed to start phasing out tourist flights next year. The number of those flights would be capped at 25,000 for the year by May 31, 2009, then cut to 12,500 over the following 10 months, then halted completely, according to a draft of the agreement made in State Supreme Court.
In the interim, Air Pegasus and
Liberty Helicopters, the sightseeing company that uses the heliport, will build barriers to reduce the noise and fumes emanating from the heliport, which sits within the boundaries of the Hudson River Park.
Air Pegasus, which is controlled by Alvin Trenk and his family, also agreed to move the takeoffs and landings of tourist flights onto a barge in the river and to try to relocate the entire heliport onto barges until a new, permanent site for the heliport is chosen.
The heliport would continue to handle commercial, emergency and government flights, according to a statement from the operator.
The agreement
would settle a lawsuit filed last year by the
Friends of Hudson River Park Trust, a group that raises money to support the park.
The group
sued the operator and the trust, a state authority, contending that the existence of the heliport on the land side of the park violated the law that created the park.
The agreement requires the approval of a State Supreme Court judge, Justice Marcy"
From:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/20.../index.html?hp