When it comes to the whirlwind of complaints about helicopters flying over Hudson County, many have pointed toward one culprit as the major source of the problem: a Kearny heliport.
The 7.26-acre HHI Heliport, as its officially known, opened in December 2010. It provides 38,000 square feet of hangar space, a 24,000-gallon fuel facility and is only a two-minute flight from Manhattan, according to the heliport’s website. It currently houses 22 helicopters, according to AirNav, a website that provides aviation information.
“We made it clear today that this isn’t a substitute for engaging the community directly ….” Menendez said Thursday after the meeting. “Unless it was a complete and total callous regard for it, anybody would recognize that this was going to be a high-traffic installation that was going to seriously jeopardize , and they cannot play ignorant,” said Paul Dudley, director of the Linden airport.
Another factor is the flight paths for helicopters flying in and out of Kearny, critics say. Plenty of them fly over Jersey City, Bayonne and Hoboken while heading to sightsee.