Long Island North Shore Route Now Mandatory

The hotly debated North Shore Route over New York’s Long Island will be mandatory for at least the next two years. The route was added to the New York helicopter chart in 2008 and operators were encouraged to use it voluntarily. However, local politicians, including U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), pressed Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the FAA to make it mandatory. Operators have expressed concern that a substantial part of the route is over water. The rule mandating the route will lapse in two years unless the FAA takes further action.