Dogs Flown Above NYC By Helicopter Firm Involved In Fatal Crash

NEW YORK — The company involved in a fatal 2018 helicopter crash is taking dogs on dangerous flights high above New York City, drawing outrage from federal lawmakers.

New Jersey-based FlyNYON is offering "doors-off" helicopter flights at a deep discount and using dogs to tout a promotion benefitting Pilots N Paws, a charity that arranges flights to rescue troubled animals.

Social media posts have shown dogs strapped in for FlyNYON flights even as the company faces two federal probes over the March 2018 East River crash involving one of its flights that left five people dead.

U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Robert Mendendez accused the company of skirting federal and local rules restricting helicopter travel over the city as it makes a troubling foray into canine air travel.

"(I)t is a sheer jaw-drop to know that the same company is strapping in dogs for people to snap pictures of while the animals all but dangle high above New York skies, experiencing the sound of the rotors and who knows what other cruel things," Schumer, a New York Democrat, said in a statement Sunday.

The senators wrote a letter calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to examine the loophole that they say FlyNYON is exploiting to take thrill-seekers on doors-off trips.

But FlyNYON says it is "fully compliant" with all the FAA's safety and operating standards.

"The facts are simple," the company said in a statement. "Today, we are focused on raising money to help these animals and their human partners that are on the frontline of supporting recovery efforts like those of hurricane Dorian, not trying to score political points."

FlyNYON offered 50 percent discounts on all its flights last month and donated part of the proceeds to Pilots N Paws. The promotion raised $13,307 for the South Carolina-based nonprofit, according to FlyNYON's website.

The deal effectively allowed passengers to buy tickets for themselves and their pets for the price of one full-price flight. Flyers never needed a dog to take advantage of the discount and social media posts advertising it did not explicitly encourage them to bring pets along, though one featured a photo of a pup in front of a chopper.

But passengers have shared images of their daring dogs flying high above Manhattan. One video shows Mister Bentley, a bulldog with 329,000 Instagram followers, staring out the window of a doorless chopper.

Canine passengers wear harnesses just like human flyers, according to FlyNYON. But Schumer called the phenomenon "another disaster in waiting."

"The idea that passengers and their pets are being strapped in and dangled out of open doors hundreds of feet above ground without strong safeguards in place is astonishing, downright cruel for the animals, and a tragedy waiting to happen," Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said in a statement.

The senators also say FlyNYON is getting aroud restrictions on doors-off sightseeing flights by taking advantage of a loophole in federal aviation rules.

The FAA halted some doors-off flights in the wake of last year's crash and New York City's Economic Development Corporation banned them from taking off at its busiest heliport.

But FlyNYON operates its flights under regulations governing specialized "aerial photography or survey," even though it caters to amateur smartphone photographers seeking Instagram glory, according to Schumer.

Schumer and Menendez asked the FAA to close the "regulatory loophole." FlyNYON says it is ready to support "smart actions that allow for enhanced helicopter safety in New York and New Jersey."