Helicopter Association International (HAI) President Roy Resavage told members of Congress today that a recommendation by Congressman Steve Rothman (D-New Jersey) to ban all helicopter and general aviation traffic from the airspace 15 miles around New York City would have "a severe financial impact" on business and corporate operators.

"Helicopters are not recreational vehicles utilized by weekend pilots. They typically are commercial business operators or corporate operators of Fortune 500 Companies," Resavage said in a letter to Congressman Rothman as well as members of the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut congressional delegations. "These operators conduct upwards of 100,000 operations per year at the three Manhattan heliports," Resavage said. He also emphasized that the creation of "gateway airports" outside of the FRZ, that would mandate landing and inspections of aircraft by TSA, are also not realistic.

It is the contention of HAI, Resavage said, that the recently instituted Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) established in the New York City metropolitan area meets all the necessary security requirements with which Congressman Rothman and others are concerned. The ADIZ prohibits all unknown traffic in the area 30 miles around Kennedy, La Guardia, and Newark airports by specifying certain requirements.

Temporary flight restrictions around sporting events also continue to be enforced, which include the Meadowlands, Yankee Stadium, and Shea Stadium, for periods of one hour before and one hour after an event.

Resavage concluded by saying that helicopters are not a threat to New York City. "They require a significant amount of training in order to be flown, they are kept in secure locations due to their high cost, and they are not recreational vehicles," he said, adding that "most helicopter pilots are ex-military, and many have had the highest security clearances." HAI encourages its members who reside in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to contact their members of Congress on this issue.

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