I will be in Manhattan 11&12 july and would like to rent an aircraft (with an fi knowledgeable of the area) to fly a scenic tour around NY. Has anybody ever done this or have tips for this?
I’ve flown the Hudson corridor in my own aircraft.
There are a lot of rules to follow and there is an online tutorial.
You need to carry a copy of the TAC chart and have a note of the compulsory reporting points.
There are two basic options: below 1300’ in the special flight rules area without a clearance, but adhering to common traffic procedures or with a clearance along the ‘skyline route’.
Transiting traffic follows the right hand bank of the Hudson above 1000’ and sight-seeing below 1000’ e.g. to circle the statue of Liberty.
All this is from memory so there are probably a few mistakes above.
I should imagine that most of the flight schools and tourist operations are well prepared to take you on a tour. There is a lot of mixed fixed wing and helicopter traffic and a 140 knot speed limit, so keep a good lookout. I turned off my TIS as it was going all the time.
This is the official crib-sheet:
http://www.faasafety.gov/files/gslac/courses/content/79/776/kneeboard.pdf
Tx
If you don’t already know… If you want to be mentally prepared before coming to Manhattan there also some useful maps online such as:
http://skyvector.com/?ll=40.75382500492185,-73.9700198122567&chart=119&zoom=2&plan=A.K6.KJFK
http://skyvector.com/?ll=40.742317987477826,-73.9768096882237&chart=200&zoom=4&plan=A.K6.KJFK
Jonas
