I've seen lots of Ospreys over NYC (don't ask) but never this low and
usually over Hudson.
@nyc311 didn't
issue any standard warnings of military overflights either, although that's
not uncommon.
— Peaceful Skies Coalition. (@BanTheHellies)
January 6, 2022
Three low flying military Osprey aircraft rattled buildings and nerves on
the UES Wednesday afternoon around 2:15 after flying low over buildings for
reasons we don’t yet know. We’ve reached out the NYPD, US Army and FAA for
info.
#UES#NYC
Roosevelt Island will the the site for a film shoot tomorrow that will include a low flying helicopter over the southern tip of Roosevelt Island landing on the Cornell Tech Campus. According to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC):
Please be advised that a helicopter scene for an upcoming movie will be shot on Roosevelt Island’s Cornell Tech campus on Monday, July 8th between the hours of 6:00AM and 10:00AM. The north loop bus service will be closed during these times.
Since filming will take place solely on Cornell Tech property, RIOC has no jurisdiction to grant or deny the filming request. However, RIOC staff and PSD have insisted that the helicopter must approach the island from the southeast and only over water before it lands on the Cornell Tech campus. The helicopter will not fly anywhere near our residential buildings and no island operations – save for the temporary closure of the north loop – will be impacted during filming. PSD is working closely with the NYPD Aviation Unit and the FDNY, both of whom will be on the Island to make sure filming is conducted in a safe manner and with minimal inconvenience to Roosevelt Island residents.
In gratitude for the community's cooperation, the movie's producers will provide a Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Truck with free ice cream at the Good Shepherd Plaza from 3PM-5PM.
If you have any questions, please contact PSD at 212-832-4545.
Paramount Pictures’ and Entertainment One’s CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG will be filming on the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island. Paramount has sought all of the requisite approvals and has taken safety precautions to land a helicopter as part of the filming during a small portion of a single day (July 8th). The studio has been working closely with the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and the aviation unit of the New York Police Department (NYPD) who will both be on site for the landing. The studio is also coordinating with the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) and the Public Safety Department (PSD). The helicopter will fly in and out from the south and it will, at no point, be flying over the residential areas of the Island.
Walt Becker is directing Clifford the Big Red Dog, which stars Darby Camp and Jack Whitehall. This big, classic family film follows Emily Elizabeth who befriends Clifford as she’s trying to fit in at home and at school. He grows to a giant size and attracts the attention of a genetics company. Emily and her Uncle Casey have to fight the forces of greed as they go on the run across New York.
Here's the story of how Clifford The Big Red Dog got made.
Noise and potential safety issues from low flying helicopters and seaplanes has been a long standing complaint among some Roosevelt Island residents. During the recent June 13 Roosevelt Island Town Hall meeting with elected officials, a resident asked a staffer from Congresswoman Maloney's office what could be done to alleviate this problem. The staffer said that Congresswoman Maloney supports banning non-essential low flying helicopters over NYC. Here's the discussion.
Ms Maloney asked Mayor deBlasio to ban all non-esssential helicopter flights over NYC.
Last Friday, Roosevelt Island resident Katherine Yeske Taylor sent me this photo
taken by visitor Pablo Martin and reports:
Have you heard anything about the seemingly very near miss between a helicopter & the tram this week??
Another Roosevelt Island tipster took video of the helicopter and adds:
... video I shot starting at 8:34PM on Thursday, July 19th of a helicopter that was hovering very close to the tram and the Queensboro Bridge.
The start of the video shows the helicopter starting to move away from the bridge. Unfortunately, I... didn’t get a chance to shoot video of the helicopter that a few minutes earlier was flying much closer to passing tram cabins and the tram cables.
I was shocked that a helicopter got so close to the tram cabins and the cables, and have no idea if the helicopter was filming movie/TV footage, or if it was a military helicopter, or something else.
Click full screen icon on bottom right of video for better view.
According to a third Roosevelt Island resident who saw the low flying helicopter next to the Tram:
... it lasted almost an hour and was clearly co-ordinated with the Tram as they had an empty Tram moving back and forth in the middle of the ER several times. I was surprised they still had the southern Tram with passengers working. The Chopper had a big bulb photo thing up front which we could see moving to follow the empty Tram
The photo shows what I was screaming about for half an hour :..THE CABLES! ... Does that Chopper know those cables are there ....but his first several close-in passes there was no Tram in sight ... I understandably thought/feared he might not know the Tram even existed .... only after 20 - 30 minutes did it become clear the empty (Thank God) Tram came out and it was part of a planned event/show.
Another video of the helicopter seen very close to the Tram.
On a related note, during the June 28 Roosevelt Island Town Hall Meeting with elected officials (video of full meeting here), Roosevelt Island's Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney talked about legislation to ban tourist helicopters
over Roosevelt Island.
UPDATE 3:55 PM - RIOC Public Information Officer Alonza Robertson reports:
During the filming of “The Sun is Also a Star”, a helicopter was used for a scene at the Tram while the Tram cabin was in motion.
According to information provided by Leitner-Pomo, throughout the filming of this scene, communication was established between the Tram control room, the movie aerial coordinator and the helicopter pilot.
In order to take the Tram shot, the helicopter was hovering in the area at a safe distance with full understanding of the instructions from the Tram control room. The scene was recorded safely and completed without incident.
You Tube video of helicopter flying over Roosevelt Island
In response to this NY Times City Room article concerning Upper West Siders complaining about noise coming from overhead helicopters, one Roosevelt Island resident commented (#12):
Try living on Roosevelt Island, where overhead there is a daily barrage of police, traffic & commercial helicopters, seaplanes, regular aircraft and who knows what else.
The noise is unbearable, particularly when they fly low and slow, and frankly, it is incredible that even after the Cory Lytle “plane into building” episode, that the traffic is unregulated and worse than ever.
Shame on anyone and everyone who cannot control this menace.
The helicopter noise does not bother me, although I understand the complaint and recognize that people have different sensitivities to noise. I do wonder sometimes about what is going on when there is late night or early morning helicopter activity over Roosevelt Island and Long Island City, particularly when the high beam search lights are being flashed on the Keyspan's Big Alice plant.
Image from helicopter flying over Roosevelt Island from Viator
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
