Maloney raises seaplane safety and noise concerns on East River
A July 5 hard landing required FDNY evacuation; residents face regular noise and traffic; the city owns the facility and can set rules.
Second,
Sea planes are an issue that hits close to home for the Eastside communities that I represent.
On July 5th of this year, a seaplane carrying eight people made a hard landing in the East River right off the base at East 23rd Street, snapping a wing strut.
The FDNY had to take passengers off the plane.
Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt, but it was not the first incident on the East River, and residents along the waterfront are living with regular noise and traffic of these flights.
I understand the federal government regulates aviation and the city cannot set the flight paths, but the city owns the facility and therefore can set reasonable rules for how it is used.
EDC did that just 10 years ago at the downtown Manhattan heliport when it cut tourist helicopter flights in half and ended them on Sundays.
And when this council passed Local Law 64 last year to rein in noisy helicopters, seaplanes were not covered.
We want to know who EDC has agreements with at the seaplane base, what the city gets in return, and whether EDC is prepared to use the tools it already has to work with the council and Eastside communities to better regulate these planes.