[Edited November 19, 2009] The information that was originally on this page has been superseded by the creation of the New York SFRA. For information on how to fly in the Hudson River Exclusion Zone, consult the FAAST website which provides a brief but excellent course on the topic:
FAAST: http://faasafety.gov/files/helpcontent/Courses/NY%20Course/index.htm
The information that was originally on this page has been superseded by the creation of the New York SFRA. For information on how to fly in the Hudson River Exclusion Zone, consult the FAAST website which provides a brief but excellent course on the topic: http://faasafety.gov/files/helpcontent/Courses/NY%20Course/index.html (November 19, 2009)
Archived and edited:
Spring is here again, and one nice thing to do on a clear spring/summer day is to fly the Hudson River VFR corridor. [Some out dated material deleted.] First, a discussion about the risks you will have to manage when flying the VFR corridor.
A lot of complicated airspace: There is obviously the NY Class-B with complicated “shelves” on both sides of the river. There are also a bunch of Class-D airports---Duchess County, Stewart International, Teterboro, Caldwell, Morristown---in the area. There is also the West Point Restricted Area (think live fire exercises) on the west bank of the Hudson just south of Stewart. And there is the distinction between “transient” and “local” operations over the Hudson.
A lot of helicopter traffic, and occasionally even banner-towing (slow moving) aircraft. The helicopter traffic is often to/from Manhattan to Newark or Teterboro. Which means that they may cut directly across the “local” part of the Hudson River Exclusion Zone.
Around Manhattan, the Hudson is a bit less than a statute mile wide, so not a whole lot of room to maneuver in.
NY is frequently the subject of TFRs---this happens whenever domestic or foreign dignitaries are in town (not all that frequent but happens), whenever the UN is in session, whenever there are games at Yankees or Giants stadium, etc. So you need to make sure that the airspace is cleared for fixed wing flight on the day of your flight.
The biggest one for me, personally, is that the fact that there are virtually NO emergency landing sites south of the Tappan Zee Bridge, and north of Sandy Hook on the NE corner of NJ. North of the George Washington Bridge, you will see cliffs on both sides of the river. Between the GWB and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge at the south end of the Exclusion Zone is some of the most densely populated real estate in the country on both sides of the river. The roads along the river on both sides are generally highly congested. For the entire length of the Exclusion Zone you will be flying below 1300 feet (1000 feet, if you are “local”)—that is, below some of the taller buildings in Manhattan—giving you precious little altitude to glide. You may not even have enough altitude to get *across* the river. So, if you experience engine problems, you are most likely in the drink. Since both banks are heavily built up (with piers and the like), once you are in the water, it could be surprisingly difficult to get out. There are precious few places where you could simply “walk out” of the Hudson. Add to that the strong currents influenced by the tides (around Manhattan, the Hudson “River” is technically a tidal estuary and sometimes flows upriver), where you ditch and where you end up may be dramatically different. During the winter, the area gets cold enough for the river to freeze over. So, the recent “Miracle on the Hudson” of Flight 1549 not withstanding, you are not likely to survive a winter ditching into the Hudson.
That said, flying along the Hudson River between the Verrazano and Tappan Zee bridges offer some stunning views, and is not likely to be a trip you will soon forget. Among other things, you get a different view of the Manhattan skyline, overfly two graceful suspension bridges, and get to look at the Statue of Liberty from the front side and up close.
[Obsolete information deleted.]
What about doing this route at night? While the prospect of getting to see the illuminated skyline of Manhattan and the surrounding cities is tempting, and the Verrazano and Washington gets lit up quite nicely at night, I would highly recommend against it. The reason is that the lights of the city and the surrounding areas make it too easy to lose sight of the beacon and nav lights of any nearby traffic. Particularly so for helo traffic departing the Manhattan heliports. Sure, strobes are easier to spot, but with the river no wider than a mile, and you flying no higher than 1300 feet (or even 1000 feet), the available reaction window is really small. If you must, I would strongly recommend contacting EWR Tower (127.85) if you are northbound, or LGA Tower (126.05) if you are southbound to be cleared into the “Skyline Route” (Class B VFR Transition Route). That way, you are over all the VFR traffic, and are under positive control (with traffic advisories).
Hope this is useful. A lot to keep track of in a span of 40 miles or so. But some of the most interesting flying around. I’m sure the information here can be improved. If there are any errors (especially if something I’ve written here is unsafe), please let me know.
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Posted by: xanax | 08/03/2011 at 04:42 PM