North Shore Helicopter Route Should Be Permanent, Queens Pols Say

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — A pilot program shifting air traffic away from Northeast Queens is due to end in October, and elected officials are fighting to make it permanent.

City Council Member Paul Vallone and U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi are lobbying the Federal Aviation Administration to continue shifting helicopter and other air traffic to the alternative route, which the agency began testing in October 2018.

The FAA extended the test through this summer, which Vallone says has provided substantial noise relief for residents of Bayside, Bay Terrace, Malba and Whitestone.

"From Memorial Day to Labor Day and into the fall, Northeast Queens residents will be free to enjoy their backyards, parks and waterfronts without the constant assault of helicopter noise that unfortunately in past years became the norm," Vallone said in a statement.

Whitestone resident Doreen Fogarty-Ellis said she's noticed a huge difference in noise levels since the FAA launched the alternative route.

"Last summer and the summer before that was brutal. You couldn't even sit outside and enjoy your yard and I was being woken up to the sound of helicopters," she said.

Airplane noise increases during the summer months, which have more air traffic, officials say.

The increased noise could be more than just unpleasant. A 2018 Columbia University study found "extreme" airplane noise could shave up to a year off locals' lives.