Every day, hundreds of thousands of residents across Hudson County and the NY/NJ metro have their homes rattled, their sleep broken, and their peace shattered by low-flying commercial helicopters — morning, noon, and night. We've had enough. This has to stop.
There is no good day. The helicopters are always hitting someone.
May 7, 2026 · Jersey City Heights, Hoboken, Weehawken, Union City Source: ADS-B Exchange
May 5, 2026 · Kearny, North Arlington, Secaucus, Bayonne Source: ADS-B Exchange
Every day, commercial sightseeing and luxury charter helicopters fly low over our homes, our parks, our schools, and our backyards. Nearly every helicopter you see overhead is a tour flight or a Blade commuter run. Medical helicopters, police helicopters, coast guard — those are a tiny fraction of what's up there. The overwhelming majority are nonessential commercial operations run by companies like Blade, FlyNYON, Zip Aviation, Charm Aviation, and HeliNY.
And the industry just keeps growing. More helicopters. More routes. More flights per day. New services, new operators, expanded fleets. Blade alone has grown from a boutique service into a major regional operator, and the others have followed. There is no cap on how many flights they can run, no limit on how low they can fly, no restriction on what hours they operate, and no process by which the communities below them have any input whatsoever.
We have had no say in whether these companies can operate over our neighborhoods. No say in what times of day they fly. No say in how high, how often, or how many. No say in their routes. We are just down here — expected to accept it, expected to absorb it, expected to be grateful that someone gets to see the skyline from above while we can't hear ourselves think below.
The FAA controls the airspace and has, for decades, prioritized industry interests over community welfare. A recent FAA routing change — made with zero community input — pushed even more commercial helicopter traffic directly over Jersey City Heights, Hoboken, Weehawken, Union City, Kearny, Secaucus, and North Arlington. The problem doesn't stay contained. It spreads.
The only thing that has ever moved the needle is sustained political pressure. The 2016 cut in Downtown Manhattan Heliport tour flights happened because residents organized and demanded it. The 2025 NYC Council legislation happened because of years of advocacy. Every bit of progress this issue has ever seen came from people like you refusing to accept the status quo. That's what this coalition is about.
Second fatal tour helicopter crash in our region in seven years. The tours kept flying the following weekend.
This is how we fight back. Pick one action or do all five — every single one creates pressure on the people with the power to change this.