Sorry if this has already been covered.
In a conversation with a fellow NY based Helo pilot, I was made aware that in the accident Astar, the pilot seat was located on the left side of the aircraft to accomodate an extra seat up front. Yet another factor as well as the low-wing configuration of the airplane.
I'll just chime in on what I thought was the reason for the Piper to be in the position he was in at the time. He was right on the edge of the class bravo and hadn't been cleared in. He had no choice, regulatorily speaking, than to fly below 1100' until he'd been cleared in. Listening and broadcasting on two freq's, while possible, may not have worked either way. He was between the proverbial rock and other place. Someone mentioned that radar coverage wasn't possible at the altitudes involved, and this couldn't be further from the truth. Even LGA will aquire an aircraft at around 600' on the Hudson, despite the buildings.
To my recollection, I've never been refused a clearance down the Hudson at 1500'. Perhaps fixed-wing aircraft could be limited to above 1000'/below 1500' and given that airspace to fly without the need for ATC clearance although I don't know all the vagaries of how the airspace is sliced up ATC-wise.
I understand from a news crawl that there may be a decision today on new regulation resulting from this mishap.
Keep your head on a swivel and watch out for the monkey wrench.
