Comment on Noise from the sky is buzzkill in ritzy Hamptons

Noise from the sky is buzzkill in ritzy Hamptons

Complaints about noise coming from aircraft ferrying visitors and locals to and from one of America's best-known playgrounds for the rich and famous have more than tripled over last year, due in part to a new service that lets people book 40-minute chopper rides from Manhattan for relatively cheap prices. Between the helicopters, corporate jets, seaplanes and other aircraft, residents say life in the vacation paradise has become a nightmare. Bob Malafronte, a retired New York City teacher who lives in Sag Harbor and is a member of a noise abatement committee, said he wants either an outright ban on helicopters or a requirement that they fly 20 miles farther east over Long Island Sound and then turn south over Peconic Bay — keeping them over water for a longer time. While chartering a helicopter ordinarily costs about $3,000 a trip, a new service called Blade that operates out of New York City allows passengers to buy individual seats on choppers for about $500 a trip. Jeff Smith, vice president of operations for Eastern Regional Helicopter Council, a trade group that represents operators of about 110 helicopters in the New York City area, said figures are still being analyzed for the cheaper helicopter flights, but a new market has definitely been tapped.

 

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