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3 Ship Flight in the Hudson River Corridor

Nived17

Active Member
With the decrease in Commercial Airline Traffic in the NYC Area, a few of us decided to run the Hudson in formation. It was abnormally quiet with only 3-4 other VFR targets seen. The most eerie part was the complete lack of boat traffic in the river and bay.

https://youtu.be/5UKHlrHfmJo

Hopefully things return to the more bustling norm that we're used to in the Northeast. Until then, enjoy our video!

 
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A little tight

Nice video but I have to question the flight on the backside of the statue.
It sounds like you were not talking to approach. At 1100?, it is very difficult, at best, to fly behind the statue (and not over a national park) and not fly into Newark airspace. Certainly not recommended for a formation, you leave no ?out?.

Hope you tell me you were talking to approach, that you cut it out of the video. Still, would be a good idea to point this out to viewers. A lot of work has gone into keeping the corridor open to fixed wing, especially after the mid-air, we don?t want to lose it!
 
Great video Devin! I know how much work goes into making and editing these videos.

At 1100’, it is very difficult, at best, to fly behind the statue (and not over a national park) and not fly into Newark airspace. Certainly not recommended for a formation, you leave no “out”.

As measured per Google Maps and Foreflight using the COL023 radial, that's a 1650-1700' gap between the statue and Newark Airspace (COL023 radial). Pretty easy to hit. Put another way, that's wider than we were high above the water, by almost 150%...

As for needing an out? Ask Captain Sully... That decision was made prior to ever entering the corridor. Good luck trying to hit anything worth landing on from 1300' and below while over the river. Even with my FP prop. It's all assumed risk management. That's our job as pilots.
 
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Nice video. After 9/11 we did a 52 plane formation flight over the river. We had one plane from every state. I was representing Puerto Rico back then.
 
Great video Devin! I know how much work goes into making and editing these videos.



As measured per Google Maps and Foreflight using the COL023 radial, that's a 1650-1700' gap between the statue and Newark Airspace (COL023 radial). Pretty easy to hit. Put another way, that's wider than we were high above the water, by almost 150%...

As for needing an out? Ask Captain Sully... That decision was made prior to ever entering the corridor. Good luck trying to hit anything worth landing on from 1300' and below while over the river. Even with my FP prop. It's all assumed risk management. That's our job as pilots.


Justin & Devin,
I certainly know about risk management, I was an Aviation Safety Manager for many years. In fact, when people ask me what I do, I tell them I am in "risk management", most then assume I am in insurance and walk away;-). Whether at 500' or 1000' over the Hudson, if the engine quits, you are going for a swim. You will make the news and everyone will forget as soon as the next news cycle comes along. It is a risk we all understand and accept when we fly down the corridor.

The risk I was referring to was the risk of busting Class B airspace or overflying the National Park. Yes, 1700' sounds like a lot but it can disappear quickly if any unexpected maneuvering is required. In the video, it appears that Devin hugged the Class B airspace, leaving "plenty" of room to the park. All fine and good but at one point he was distracted by an overflying plane. A short rollout here would quickly put you in Newark airspace. Now, the chance of hitting someone if you skirt just inside the airspace is extremely low. BUT, the chance of attacking attention is high. There are already a lot of people that want the corridor shut, it almost happened after the mid air a few years ago. Took a lot of people a lot of time (I spent an afternoon on a conference call with the FAA an others) when the final ruling was being made, to convince the FAA to keep it open.

We don't want the corridor closed, give the helicopters their space so they don't complain, give the airspace plenty of space to stay out of the spotlight and we can all enjoy the trip down the river for years to come.

Scott A. Jordan
80331
 
Scott,

I understand what you're saying. And I apologize if I ruffled any feathers, that wasn't my intent. As a community, we have nice things in Aviation and we need to protect them. I get it.

It's just frustrating that even perfectly legal and cool content created and put on the internet still gets some negativity generated.

p.s. I wish Oshkosh was happening just so I could buy you a beer and hear about that phone call with the FAA :)
 
Nice video but I have to question the flight on the backside of the statue.
It sounds like you were not talking to approach. At 1100?, it is very difficult, at best, to fly behind the statue (and not over a national park) and not fly into Newark airspace. Certainly not recommended for a formation, you leave no ?out?.

Hope you tell me you were talking to approach, that you cut it out of the video. Still, would be a good idea to point this out to viewers. A lot of work has gone into keeping the corridor open to fixed wing, especially after the mid-air, we don?t want to lose it!

I?ve flown the corridor since 1989 and have not found an issue transiting the airspace. That includes circling the statue, just Need to watch those pesky helicopters, keep your head on a swivel and make your call outs, if not taking to ATC, if on the Skyline route.
 
Not much different than flying the Fisk arrival

Scott,

I understand what you're saying. And I apologize if I ruffled any feathers, that wasn't my intent. As a community, we have nice things in Aviation and we need to protect them. I get it.

It's just frustrating that even perfectly legal and cool content created and put on the internet still gets some negativity generated.

p.s. I wish Oshkosh was happening just so I could buy you a beer and hear about that phone call with the FAA :)

No offense taken.
Beers next year.

The one thing I tell folks when they ask about the corridor is to "be professional". Make the calls at the right time, be clear and concise. The number one opponent to fixed wing aircraft in the corridor is the helicopter operators. Despite this, I tell folks the most important (not a factor these days but returning soon) is to work WITH the helicopters! They are fellow airman and whether corporate types or sight seeing, they are just slugging it out, trying to make a living.

Listen to what they are doing, tell them what you are doing. Do what you can to fit into their flow. If they are circling clockwise, you should circle clockwise, If they are circling counter-clockwise, so should you (even if you are at 1000' and they are at 500'). Keeps everything orderly and will prevent the helo passengers from claiming that they were "almost rammed by a plane going the wrong way". Don't want stuff like that ending up on someones vacation You Tube clip!

The beauty to the RV is that we can fly almost as slow as the helicopters. In have dropped flaps, slowed to 70KIAS in very loose trail, told a chopper that I am well clear and will follow him around, out of his way. Works great for everyone.

I strive to fit in without interrupting the flow, let the helo guys know we can do it without sacrificing their safety. A few times I have got a "Thank You" from a helicopter and even from the heliport on the radio as I departed.
 
The risk I was referring to was the risk of busting Class B airspace or overflying the National Park. Yes, 1700' sounds like a lot but it can disappear quickly if any unexpected maneuvering is required. In the video, it appears that Devin hugged the Class B airspace, leaving "plenty" of room to the park.

Since you brought it up here, I made a call to my FSDO yesterday and had a conversation about the corridor. We thoroughly went over the NY TAC both front and back even though I have flown the route dozens of times. The SFRA rules of the VFR Corridor are listed on the back of the TAC (Blue/Grey chart with VFR corridor Instructions). It outlines all boundaries and areas where VFR Flight is permissible. After about 20 minutes of discussion, my FSDO and I agreed that there are no restrictions on flight over the national park on the SFRA chart. You would still however have to maintain 1000' clearance from the highest obstacle (the statue 305' so 1305' MSL which is higher than the corridor ceiling). My FSDO and I determined that directly over flying the statue would be the only way to violate yourself over the water within the boundaries outlined in the SFRA.

I really enjoyed the call and as always appreciate the learning from this page. As for the risks involved, we did a thorough briefing as well as extensive traffic monitoring on various frequencies including approach. Also worth noting is that traffic was extremely low due to covid. I may have done a little editing to make it appear slightly busier for "dramatic effect."

Anywho, thanks for inspiring the conversation. Second me for the beers next year!!! And if there is any way we can help keep that VFR route open, sign me up for the volunteering! I am only a short RV ride away from the corridor.
 
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