New York airspace is extremely crowded, with three major airports - Kennedy, La Guardia, and Newark - so close together that their controlled airspaces merge together over New York City. Coupled with the reluctance of many general aviation pilots to enter the controlled airspace, this creates a large barrier for light aircraft flying up or down the East coast.
Fortunately, there is a corridor through the controlled airspace right down the Hudson River next to Manhattan that is a passage for transiting aircraft and is one of the most exciting and photogenic flights in the US.
The New York VFR corridor extends from slightly north of the Tappan Zee bridge to just south of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. However, its narrowest and lowest section is alongside Manhattan Island from the George Washington bridge to the Inner Harbor. In this section, the width of the corridor is the width of the river, and the maximum height for flight is 1100 ft.
Along with general aviation aircraft transiting the corridor or sightseeing, there are many helicopters that fly up, down and across the corridor, on sightseeing trips, business flights, and so on. So it's clear that anyone planning to fly the corridor must be extremely well prepared, have confidence in their flying ability, particulalry height control, and use their best skill and judgement.
Preparing to Fly the New York VFR Corridor
Good preparation for this flight is key to its success.
Charts and Airspace
Make sure you have the most up to date VFR sectional chart. While flying, have the chart to hand and folded to show the airspace. it's a good idea to have the New York helicopter chart also which shows the corridor airspace in larger scale.
Radio Frequencies
Know the radio frequencies for the area. Traffic in the corridor is expected to self-announce their location as they pass various accepted landmarks up and down the river. Monitor guard frequency also as this is how you will be contacted in the case of military interception.
New York VFR Corridor Landmarks
Know the landmarks used for location self-announcement. These are, from North to South:
- Tappanzee Bridge
- Alpine Tower (An orange and white transmission tower on the New Jersey side)
- George Washington Bridge
- Intrepid
- Empire State building
- Holland Tunnel (Recognized by the ventilation buildings)
- World Trade Center/Ground Zero
- Governor's Island
- Statue of Liberty/'The Lady'
- Verrazano Bridge
Make sure you know the locations of these landmarks before you go so that you can recognize where other aircraft are when they self-announce.
The Day of the Flight
On the day of the flight, you should be confident that you are as prepared as you can be. Get the weather briefing, put in a flight plan and open it when you take off. make sure you check to make sure that there are no flight restrictions as close as possible to take-off. In paricular, if there is a game or event at Yankee stadium, the area around the stadium extending into the corridor will be closed.
Pilots
This is the top tip - If at all possible, fly with another pilot. You will be tempted to look at the sights rather than look out for other aircraft. If you fly with another pilot, then you can take turns; perhaps one of you flying down the river while the other one sees the sights and takes photos, then swap for the trip back up the river. If you're flying alone, keep your head on a swivel and don't be tempted to take photographs.
Have Information to Hand
Have your charts to hand and folded to show the airspace. Write down the radio frequencies that you need. If necessary, write down the sequence of information in the radio calls as follows:
'Hudson Traffic, Skyhawk 111, Alpine tower, southbound, one thousand feet, Hudson'
Traffic flying south over the river stay on the New Jersey side, while traffic flying north stay to the Manhattan side.
There have been, and still are, efforts from politicians and others to close this corridor due to security concerns after 9/11 and fears over the risks of collision. As of September 2009, the corridor is open and the FAA is investigating ways to improve the dimensions of, and communication within, the corridor. Notwithstanding any changes that may occur, it still remains a duty of any pilot wishing to fly the corridor to prepare carefully for the trip and exercise good skill and judgement at all times.
This is one of the best flights available to general aviation pilots. Good preparation will make sure you have a safe and memorable trip.
Sources
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