In an editorial, Safe Skies Coalition – Hudson County member Marisa Gerke expresses why local helicopter safety concerns should be taken seriously.
Upon learning about the deadly mid-air collision in Washington, D.C., on January 29, 2025, I immediately thought of the frequent low-flying helicopters in my community.
As a resident of Jersey City Heights in Jersey City, NJ, my home is located 9.5 miles from Newark Liberty International Airport, 4.5 miles from the HHI Heliport in Kearny, NJ (the largest operating heliport in the United States), and 2.1 miles from the Newport Helistop in Jersey City, NJ.
Throughout the day and night, helicopters fly so low overhead that the sound of their blades is deafening, and items in my family’s home rattle from their proximity.
I have lived in Hudson County for most of my life and have been a resident of Jersey City for over 20 years.
What were once infrequent noise occurrences, expected in an urban area, have sadly become a regular nuisance and safety concern, not only in Jersey City but also in neighboring towns in Hudson County, such as Hoboken, Weehawken, and Bayonne.
The reason for this significant increase is the number of non-essential helicopters traveling to and from NYC, offering sightseeing tours and quick commuter transportation.
Companies such as New York Helicopter, Blade, FlyNON, Hummingbird, and Heliflite have proliferated, dominating our once peaceful skies.
These companies offer tourists the chance to see the sights of NYC and the Statue of Liberty without ever touching the ground. FlyNON even offers “doors-off” flights, allowing passengers to dangle their feet outside the doorless helicopter for a more immersive view.
Within Hudson County, concerned residents have organized, pleading with city officials, contacting the FAA, and writing letters to heliport owners, all to no avail.
We have even coordinated efforts with the well-established grassroots organization, Stop The Chop NY/NJ, which has spent years working to ban non-essential helicopters and regulate airspace over the NYC metropolitan area.
And while some progress has been made on the other side of the Hudson River thanks to the efforts of Stop The Chop NY/NJ, nothing has happened in New Jersey.
Each party tends to defer to the others, with no single entity willing or able to do anything meaningful about this public safety and quality-of-life issue.
In the wake of the Washington, D.C., tragedy, I wonder how quickly change would come if a catastrophe like the one in Washington, D.C., occurred over a densely populated city like Jersey City, NJ, instead of a body of water.
Is that what it would take to prompt action and create effective legislation drastically reducing the thousands of non-essential helicopter flights that clog our skies and burden the already overwhelmed air traffic control center at Newark Liberty International Airport?
For the sake of my family and neighbors, I dread to find out.
Sincerely,
Marisa Gerke, member of the Safe Skies Coalition – Hudson County
