The FAA has extended the expiration date to Aug. 5, 2022, for the rule requiring pilots operating civil helicopters under visual flight rules to use the New York North Shore helicopter route when flying in that area of Long Island, New York. The rule, which regulators extended several times and was most recently scheduled to expire on August 6, took effect in 2012 to further decrease noise levels achieved voluntarily.
Following a 2018 request for comments ranging from revising the route to extending or eliminating it, the FAA decided to maintain the status quo. “We could not reach a consensus after reviewing the comments, so the program is extended with no changes to provide time to access route modification suggestions,” the agency said.
The route has drawn controversy because it is over water, imposes the same eastbound and westbound floor of 2,500 feet, and is near flight training airspace. Additionally, the vast majority of comments complained about increased noise since the rule’s inception. “Without additional data and analysis, however, it is difficult to determine whether an increase in the level of activity or the rule is the greatest contributing factor to the increase in noise complaints,” the FAA said.