Sea Planes in New York
 

Found this item to be quite interesting. Passing it along to those of you who have interest in seaplanes and the fact they are still flying in and out of New York and the East River.
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Clear to Land, but Dodging East River Flotsam


November 18, 2003
By MICHELLE O'DONNELL
New York Times

Of all the airplane runways in New York City, the longest
and most treacherous is the murky vein of the East River.

It does all a river can do to distinguish itself from the
asphalt lanes at Newark and La Guardia and Kennedy.

It coughs up piano casings and the shells of old
refrigerators. It sends back corpses from its depths. Its
currents have currents, its eddies have eddies, and cargo
ships and high-speed ferries crisscross it with no apparent
regard for an aeronautical grid.

But to a small and select breed of aviators, the urban bush
pilots, the East River and its slapping waves have a
special draw. These fliers honed their skills landing
seaplanes in wilds from the Caribbean to Alaska and have
transported their skills to New York City, where they ferry
vacationers to the Hamptons instead of tourists and
mailbags to the bush....

..Shoreline flies planes in from a hangar in Bridgeport,
Conn., for their runs from Manhattan to eastern Long
Island. The company strictly guards its passengers'
privacy.

Mr. Kelly has fired pilots who have asked for
autographs, but he could still list some passengers' most
grating traits: they have been known to stand in mist as
thick as bisque and insist that a flight not be canceled.

They are likely to comment on turbulence and to point out
when a flight is late.

"We've had a number of guys come from Alaska who were bush pilots, but when they get tossed in New York City, they get frazzled," said Eric Atkins, a pilot with Shoreline.... Full story at:


http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/18/ny...b5d9ddd13f3d11

Having worked for that company, and operated those Caravan Amphibs into and out of the 23rd Street Pier on the East River, I can tell you it's always an exciting couple of minutes. The winds are always opposite the currents, there is a multitude of floating or partially submerged objects (including the occasional body) and you're dodging fairly heavy helicopter traffic while doing a sharp 180 to avoid the Williamsburg Bridge (the "Willie-B").
And it ain't easy keeping the passengers' Guccis dry.
But it sure is fun.