In the mid-1960s, New York officials were mulling sites for heliports, particularly waterfront sites because of concerns about noise and the safety of operating rotorcraft above Manhattan.
In 1964, Vincent A. G. O'Connor, a former commissioner of the city'sMarine and Aviation Department, toldThe New York Times that a site on the East River waterfront nearEast 34th Street was one of the preferred options because a viaduct was being planned to carryFDR Drive across East 34th Street, removing a bottleneck caused by a traffic signal on the at-grade highway.[2][3][4]
The heliport atop the Pan Am Building was abandoned in 1968 after failing to make enough money. (It reopened for three months in 1977 before a helicopter crash killed five people).[10] The city's Marine and Aviation Department sought to replace the Pan Am heliport by building a helipad next to the East River at East 34th Street.[9][11] This was approved by theNew York City Planning Commission in March 1971 and theNew York City Board of Estimate the following month.[12][13][14][15] The heliport was built on a concretebulkhead that had been used by theLehigh Valley Railroad and before that had been the site of the originalEast 34th Street Ferry Landing.[12][16][17]
The East 34th Street Heliport was built to handle about 20 private and charter flights per day of four-passenger helicopters. Its design included an option to expand onto a purpose-built pier into the East River, enabling the heliport to accommodate 30- to 48-passenger helicopters providing scheduled service to regional airports or for intercity service, for a total of 50 to 60 daily flights.[12][13][14][18]
The heliport opened on June 16, 1972, and began operating three days later with charter flights.[19][20] In October 1973, Island Helicopters Corporation signed a ten-year lease with the city to operate the heliport and be itsfixed-base operator.[21][22]
In 1979,WCBS-TV contracted with Island Helicopters to base aBell LongRanger at the heliport to rapidly deploy reporters and film crews around the area, including to the suburbs, and to provide live television coverage from the air.[23] By 1980, most of the flights were for sightseeing.[24] The heliport saw an average of 29 flights per day in 1976, 40 in 1978, and 67 flights in 1980.[25]
New York Helicopter Sikorsky S-58 at East 34th Street Heliport in 1987
In January 1981,New York Helicopter, a new subsidiary of Island Helicopters, began offering scheduled service— 48 daily flights on weekdays and 28 daily flights on weekends—from the heliport to the three major airports serving the city:John F. Kennedy,La Guardia andNewark.[26][27] The airline used the nine-seatAérospatiale Dauphin until 1985, then the 14-seat turbine-poweredSikorsky S-58T.[27][28][29] Service to the three airports increased to a total of 72 daily flights during the mid-1980s, but then shrank by the early 1990s. Service to LaGuardia ended in November 1987, to Newark in 1991, and to JFK in January 1994.[30][31]
Traffic at the heliport peaked in 1985 with an average of 85 flights per day.[25] In 1987, two years after theRivergate apartment building opened on East 34th Street between First Avenue and the FDR Drive, tenants complained about the helicopter noise and asked city officials to forbid flights between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.[32][33][34] At the time, the heliport was the only one in the city operating 24 hours a day.[35] The apartment building also discovered that the special permit granted by the City Planning Commission for the heliport had expired in 1976 and was never renewed, and asked theNew York City Board of Standards and Appeals to determine which city agency regulated the facility.[25][33][34]
Island Helicopters was found to have underreported its income from 1975 to 1980, was sued by the city, and filed for bankruptcy.[36] It continued to provide service. In 1988, an audit byNew York City ComptrollerHarrison J. Goldin found that Island Helicopters was understating its revenue and owed the city $287,000 in rent; the company agreed to pay this sum plus the accrued interest. As part of its original dispute with the city over unpaid rent, the company had agreed to apply for a renewal of the special permit for the heliport and began to prepare anEnvironmental Impact Statement (EIS). The city, through its Economic Development Corporation (EDC), later assumed responsibility for completing the EIS as part of the second dispute over unpaid rent.[37] Island Helicopters had previously renewed the option on its original lease with the city, which was set to expire in October 1995.[24][25]
A helicopter used for sightseeing flights parked at the heliport in 1987
Noise complaints led the city to reduce the number of permitted flights to and from the heliport by 47 percent. At the time, the East 34th Street Heliport was believed to be the busiest public-use heliport in the world.[38][39] The nearbyNew York University Medical Center also expressed concerns about pollution.[40][41]
In May 1996, EDC issued arequest for proposals from heliport operators; it included limits on takeoffs, landings, and operating hours.[42] Island Helicopters (operating as National Helicopter) sued the city over the restrictions to flights, arguing that the limits could force it into bankruptcy. Federal district judgeSonia Sotomayor decided in favor of National Helicopter. The city appealed the ruling.[43][44][45]
The city then moved to evict National Helicopter from the East 34th Street Heliport over its failure to pay $700,000 in back rent. It also planned to close theEast 60th Street Heliport, moving its operator (Johnson Controls, which did not operate sightseeing flights) to the East 34th Street Heliport.[46] National Helicopter filed for federal bankruptcy protection in an attempt to prevent the eviction, but the company's request was dismissed.[45] The company was ultimately evicted from the heliport in August 1997, which brought an end to the sightseeing flights.[47][48] The following year, a federal appellate court ruled that the city could restrict flights at the East 34th Street Heliport; the city imposed operating hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.[49] Weekend flights were banned altogether later in the year.[50]
In March 2003,Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation was selected as the new fixed-base operator of the heliport. The heliport is operated by Atlantic Aviation, a subsidiary of Macquarie.[51]
In February 2007,US Helicopter began providing passenger service from the 34th Street Heliport to JFK and Newark airports.[52][53] Through theTransportation Security Administration'sScreening Partnership Program, passengers checked baggage and underwent security screening at the heliport and disembarked at theairside zone of the terminals of partner airlines, bypassing the need to check luggage or go through security at the airport if their flight was departing from the same terminal.[52][54] Flights to JFK Airport originally operated to Gate C43 inAmerican Airlines' Terminal 9 and were shifted to Gate 11 inDelta Air Lines' Terminal 3 in May 2007 due to the construction of American's new terminal.[55][56][57] Flights to Newark Airport operated to Gate 71 atContinental Airlines' Terminal C.[53][58] The passenger flights ended in September 2009 when US Helicopter shut down its operations due to financial difficulties.[59][60]
Atlantic Aviation's operation of the heliport was renewed for five years in October 2024. Under its agreement with EDC, Atlantic will add charging stations forelectric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft within a year ofFederal Aviation Administration certification for commercial operations of eVTOLs.[61] New York City has been announced as a launch market for eVTOLs;Archer Aviation andJoby Aviation plans to operate eVTOLair taxis to the airports serving the city. Atlantic has been working with Archer,Beta Technologies, and Joby to make sure the heliport can accommodate all certified eVTOLs and plans to install bothCombined Charging System (CCS) and global electric aviation charging system (GEACS) chargers.[62] The heliport plans to continue accommodating conventional aircraft.[63]
Since this is a heliport and not an airport, there are noinstrument procedures for this facility. Boats in the nearbyEast River require pilots to be careful when approaching the heliport's landing pad.
In 2010, 72% of the flights were air taxi, 18%general aviation, 9% commuters, and less than 1% military.[1] In 2017, 96% were air taxi, 3% transient general aviation, and 2% military.[1]
On May 23, 1974, David Frank Kamaiko, a 21-year-old man fromGreenwich Village claiming to be a member of theJewish Defense League, hijacked a helicopter from the East 34th Street Heliport and demanded $2 million in ransom. The helicopter's pilot landed on top of thePan Am Building, then tried to escape; Kamaiko shot him in the arm. The other hostage inside the helicopter disarmed Kamaiko, and police took him into custody.[64]
On February 27, 1975, aBell 47G-2A on a non-commercial flight fromGarden City crashed into a fence while attempting to land at the 34th Street Heliport in gusty winds. The pilot was severely burned in the resulting fire, but survived.[65]
On April 26, 1985, the engine on anAérospatiale SA 360 Dauphin operated by New York Helicopter failed shortly after takeoff from the heliport, sending the helicopter into the East River. Five passengers and two crewmembers were rescued but one passenger trapped inside the submerged craft was killed.[66]
On May 2, 1988, aBell 206-B on a sightseeing flight around Manhattan crashed into the East River nearLong Island City while preparing to land at the East 34th Street Heliport, killing one person and injuring four others.[67]
On February 10, 1990, a strong gust of wind sent aBell 206-L ona sightseeing flight crashing into the East River shortly after taking off from the East 34th Street Heliport. A 14-year-old boy was unconscious when pulled from the wreckage and later died. The pilot and three other passengers (including the boy's father and two French tourists) were injured in the crash but survived.[68][69]
On June 17, 2005, aSikorsky S-76C carrying sixMBNA executives returning toDelaware after a business meeting in New York City crashed into the East River less than one minute after taking off from the East 34th Street Heliport. All eight aboard survived the crash.[70]
On October 4, 2011, aBell 206 crashed into the East River, killing one person, after taking off from the East 34th Street Heliport. The pilot and three other passengers on board were rescued,[71] though one died of his injuries a week later.[72] TheNational Transportation Safety Board report on the crash, released on December 20, 2012, said the cause was excess weight in the helicopter; the aircraft is rated to carry 3,200 pounds (1,451 kg), but it was estimated to have weighed between 3,228 pounds (1,464 kg) and 3,461 pounds (1,570 kg) at takeoff.[73]
On June 10, 2019, anAgustaWestland AW109 Power en route to Linden, New Jersey, crashed into theAxa Equitable Center on Seventh Avenue, which sparked a fire on the top of the building and killed the pilot, Tim McCormack.[74]
^"TSA Awards Private Screening Contract to U.S. Helicopter and McNeil Security Under Screening Partnership Program" (Press release). Transportation Security Administration. January 4, 2007.ProQuest192378308.
^Sharkey, Joe (January 31, 2006)."Helicopter to Kennedy".The New York Times. RetrievedOctober 7, 2024.
^Dolmetsch, Chris (May 14, 2007). "Delta partners for helicopter flights in New York".Deseret News. Salt Lake City. Bloomberg News.ProQuest351556681.
^"US Helicopter extends partnership with Delta".Airline Industry Information. April 8, 2008.ProQuest210572241.
East 34th Street Heliport Final Environmental Impact Statement. December 28, 1995.
Peisen, Deborah J.; Winick, Robert M.; Berardo, Stephen V.; Ferguson, Samuel W. (November 1997)."Six Heliport Case Studies"(PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. pp. 13–41. RetrievedOctober 8, 2024.
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