We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) all-volunteer organization founded in 2014 with a mission to ban nonessential (tourist and commuter) helicopters from flying over the New York metropolitan area. We educate the public on the negative impacts of nonessential helicopter flights in our region, and the role of federal, state, and local government in banning nonessential  helicopters, regulating helicopter traffic, collecting data, and reducing helicopter noise levels. We also have a sister organization – Stop the Chop Advocacy Fund – a 501(c)(4) nonprofit,  that can endorse candidates and lobby for legislation: www.stcadvocacy.com

There are five main reasons: 

• noise (excessive noise pollution causes bodily and psychological harm, reduces cognitive abilities and degrades quality of life); 
• pollution (helicopters use excessive fossil fuel for a small number of passengers); 
• safety (high risk of crashes, with 20 serious or deadly crashes in our densely populated region since 1980); 
• security (vulnerability to terrorist hijacking); 
• economic losses (reduces property values under flight paths; externalizes environmental pollution and other costs to society, including medical visits and emergency services following crashes and lost worker productivity due to noise and crashes).

Nonessential helicopters are tourist, commuter, charter/corporate, and non-professional photography flights.

Essential helicopters are military, emergency services, police, medical, government, construction, news and media flights

The vast majority of helicopter flights in the NY/NJ metro area are nonessential. A significant reduction in, or ban of, nonessential helicopter flights would dramatically reduce helicopter noise and pollution throughout the region.

Stop the Chop estimates that residents of the NY/NJ metropolitan area are subjected to about 80,000 nonessential flights per year (or about 220 flights every day, 365 days a year). Nearly 30,000 tourist flights (and a moderate number of commuter flights) take off from NYC’s Downtown Skyport (also known as Downtown Manhattan Heliport,  Wall Street Heliport or Pier 6), operated by the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC), each year.  Other tourist flights originate from nearby heliports in New Jersey, like Kearny and Linden.
Blade and other commuter operators fly thousands of flights annually from the West 30th St Heliport (owned by the Hudson River Park Trust) and the East 34th St Heliport also operated by NYC EDC. These commuter flights take passengers to and from regional airports (JFK, LGA, Newark, Teterboro, Westchester) and other destinations, such as the Hamptons.

The NYPD does use helicopters in its operations, but the vast majority (we estimate over 95%) of helicopter flights over the NY/NJ area are nonessential.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibits localities from regulating their airspace. However, cities can exert control over their heliports and states can take measures like levying taxes on nonessential flights.

The optimal solution would be federal legislation closing the NYC region’s airspace to nonessential helicopter traffic. Disney World, for example, was granted just such a restriction by Congress in 2003. Without such a special restriction, the FAA permits helicopters to fly essentially anywhere, at any time often without direction from air traffic control.  (see below for more information).New York State, New Jersey, and New York City legislation to close the heliports primarily responsible for nonessential flights would also be immediately effective. In 2016, thanks to Stop the Chop’s efforts, New York City cut in half the number of tourist flights from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport (now called “Downtown Skyport”) from 60,000 to 30,000 per year, and restricted hours and routes, including a prohibition on tourist flights over land and on Sundays.  In 2025, again thanks to Stop the Chop’s relentless work, the hours for tourist flights from Downtown Skyport were reduced by three hours each day from 9:00 a.m-7:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., Monday-Saturday.

A combination of tourist and commuter/charter flights fly over Manhattan (including Central Park) and the NY Harbor. These helicopters for the most part are flying from NYC-based heliports, NJ-based heliports and some from the Hamptons and Westchester.

Commuter/charter flights can and do fly over land and parks, no matter from where the flight originates. Nearly all flights passing over populous areas of Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island are charter and commuter helicopter flights to and from JFK airport and other destinations, such as the Hamptons. Blade is the largest operator of these flights. Tourist flights from NJ do also fly over the Brooklyn waterfront areas, and even though the Downtown Skyport tourist flights do not fly over Brooklyn, their noise negatively impacts Brooklyn waterfront communities and Brooklyn Bridge Park directly across the East River. More information here…

Tourist flights from the only New York City heliport that allows them (Downtown Skyport) are prohibited from flying over land.  These flights take off from their Wall Street East River location, fly close to the Brooklyn shoreline and Governor’s island, fly around the Statue of Liberty, then continue north up the Hudson River, with turn arounds at either W. 79^th St. or W. 86^th St., or with the longest tour turning around at Spuyten Duyvil past the George Washington Bridge. They return south flying down the NJ side of the Hudson River.

Because the FAA, and only the FAA, regulates all airspace (and has preemption over local governments desiring to regulate air traffic), flights originating in New Jersey or Westchester County are not subject to New York City’s “water-only” rule for sightseeing helicopter flights. Non-NYC-based helicopters can fly anywhere, including over Central Park, around the Empire State Building, and the Brooklyn Bridge, to  name a few common sights. 

Commuter/charter companies based in NYC fly out of all three heliports: Blade and others fly out of the W. 30th Street heliport (hours appear to be unrestricted), and the E. 34th Street heliport (Monday- Friday 8:00am –8:00 pm). Blade and others also use at the Downtown Skyport (Monday- Friday 7:00am-10:00pm, Saturday 7:00am-7:00pm, Sunday 7:00am-5:00pm).

The sightseeing and commuter flights that fly in and out of the Kearny (HHI) and Linden heliports are major noise pollution, quality-of-life, health, and safety issues for residents of Jersey City, Hoboken, West New York and other communities.  These helicopters (including many of the hated “doors off shoe-selfie” sightseeing tours) fly extremely low over densely settled neighborhoods, often just hundreds of feet above homes, schools, parks, and hospitals as they make their way to and from NYC destinations. 

Perhaps. But none have yet been approved by the FAA. Even if and when they get certified, it will take years, perhaps decades, for entire fleets of fossil-fueled helicopters to be replaced. And while electric helicopters (called eVTOLs) are quieter, they may still pose safety and security risks.

There are two ways, both free: You can use the free ADS-B Exchange or  https://www.flightradar24.com site and/or download the free apps. Both track helicopter tail numbers, make and model, owners, flight paths, heliport departure and arrival locations, and flight altitudes. You can screenshot that information and share photos on social media and helicopter complaint forms, such as NYC 311. NYPD helicopters are all identified by a tail number ending in PD.

Helicopters produce anywhere from 20 – 40 times the emissions of a private automobile. In addition to planet-warming CO₂, helicopter flights also generate other forms of air pollution. For more on the environmental impacts, click here.

Almost none. Helicopters may legally fly nearly anywhere as long as they respect visual flight rules (avoiding obstacles and other aircraft). There is no minimum prescribed altitude, although there is a maximum in the NY metro region: the FAA bans helicopters from flying above 2,000 feet to prevent crashes with aircraft using our three major airports. The FAA has also set forth certain recommended helicopter routes over the NYC area that are not required in most cases. For more information on these routes, click here (see “Digital Downloads”).