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West 30th Street Heliport
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West 30th Street Heliport
The West 30th Street Heliport also known as the Westside Heliport (IATA: JRA, ICAO: KJRA, FAA LID: JRA) is a heliport on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Originally constructed by the Port of New York Authority (PA) in 1956, the facility has been operated by Air Pegasus since 1981. The heliport currently operates under a lease agreement with the Hudson River Park Trust.
In November 1953, New York City Marine and Aviation Department commissioner Edward F. Cavanagh Jr. proposed the development of a helicopter landing area serving Midtown Manhattan along the Hudson River waterfront to New York Airways and the Port of New York Authority (PA). The heliport was to be situated on barges tied up to piers at a point between 33rd and 37th streets. Although the specific location of the heliport was not identified, a landing pad in this area would provide convenient access for the delivery of mail carried by helicopters to and from the General Post Office (located on Eighth Avenue between 31st and 33rd streets) and would also allow for helicopter landings and take-offs to occur over open water. At that time, New York Airways was operating helicopters transporting mail and passengers between the airports serving the area. The proposed heliport would require PA approval because of a 1947 pact between the city and the PA related to the development of new airport facilities.
The following month, New York City Mayor-elect Robert F. Wagner Jr. announced that he would appoint Cavanagh as the city's Fire Commissioner and Vincent A. G. O'Connor would be replacing him as the new commissioner of the city's Marine and Aviation Department. O'Connor included a proposed heliport on the Hudson River at 30th Street in his request for capital funds for 1955, but helicopter landing pad was to be included as part of a new freight-forwarding terminal. O'Connor further outlined the city's plans for the heliport at a budget hearing in January 1955, mentioning that it would be built atop a terminal on a L-shaped pier that would be used to transfer cargo from railroad car floats to trucks. The terminal was estimated to cost $1,250,000 and an additional $150,000 to $250,000 would be required in order to strengthen its roof to accommodate helicopter take-offs and landings.
Both New York Airways and the PA advised O'Connor that the plan for a rooftop heliport was not feasible. In August 1955, a letter from PA executive director Austin J. Tobin to O'Connor accused the city of needlessly delaying construction of a heliport and asked for immediate permission for the PA to construct a 100-by-400-foot (30 by 122 m) helicopter landing pad on the site at ground level, which was estimated to cost $50,000 and could be completed in 30 days. It was to be a temporary facility that could be used for about three to five years before enough data and experience were collected to design and build a permanent heliport, which was estimated to cost $5,000,000. The PA had made a similar proposal 18 months before as a result of the advancement of plans developed with Cavanagh, but never received approval and O'Connor had instead proposed a different plan for the site with the heliport on the roof of the freight terminal. The PA indicated that the rooftop heliport was infeasible from operational and economic standpoints, would cost $600,000 for the helicopter landing pad alone, and that the proposed freight-forwarding terminal could be instead constructed to the north of the proposed heliport site. O'Connor replied to Tobin's letter the next day and denied permission for the PA to build the proposed temporary heliport, citing safety concerns related to its close proximity to the West Side Elevated Highway.
In September 1954, the PA shared letters from Igor Sikorsky and Colonel William B. Bunker that both backed its proposed heliport design. Three months later, O'Connor shared a report by the consulting engineering firm of Frederic R. Harris Inc. that raised concerns over the safety of motorists driving adjacent to the proposed heliport—both on the elevated highway and on the roadway beneath it. In January 1956, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) sent its own specialists to New York City to study the two plans and ended up endorsing the PA's proposal for an at-grade heliport and rejecting the city's proposal for a rooftop heliport. After the CAA issued its findings, Mayor Wagner created a special committee to further study the two plans and issue a report to the Board of Estimate. The committee also endorsed the PA's plan for the proposed temporary heliport, finding that the development of helicopters had not yet advanced to a stage where it was practicable to make plans for a permanent helicopter facility, and also indicated that the heliport should include a landing pad extending into the river.
Plans for the heliport and a five-year lease of the city-owned site to the PA were approved by the Board of Estimate on June 28, 1956. Construction began on July 2, 1956. The facility was built on a 70-by-400-foot (21 by 122 m) section of bulkhead and included two helicopter landing pads, each 80 by 80 feet (24 by 24 m) in size, which extended 40 feet (12 m) into the water and were supported on steel piles driven into bedrock. A parking area for helicopters, two helicopter tie-down areas, and a passenger terminal were provided onshore. The PA agreed to restrict helicopters from operating over the West Side Highway during take-offs and landings and a screening fence was installed along the east side of the heliport adjacent to the highway.
The heliport opened on September 26, 1956 with New York Airways operating Sikorsky S-55s outfitted with pontoons carrying mail and cargo to La Guardia and Newark airports. It was Manhattan's first commercial heliport. The first flights carrying passengers were delayed for a couple of weeks to allow helicopter pilots to better familiarize themselves with wind and operating conditions at the waterfront landing pad. On December 5, 1956, New York Airways began operating scheduled passenger flights between the West 30th Street Heliport and La Guardia and Newark airports using five-passenger Sikorsky S-55s. Service to and from New York International Airport was available via connecting helicopter flights at La Guardia Airport. Direct helicopter service to and from New York International Airport was added in August 1957, which coincided with the introduction of twelve-passenger Sikorsky S-58s equipped with floats. The S-58s were soon pulled from service at the waterfront heliport when their floats were found to cause excessive vibration and replaced back with S-55s. New York Airways began operating float-equipped, fifteen-passenger Vertol 44-Bs at the West 30th Street Heliport in June 1958.
When the heliport first opened, it was projected to accommodate 1,000,000 passengers a year by 1965 and 5,000,000 passengers a year by 1970. However, the actual passenger demand at the facility was much lower than projected, with only 11,990 annual passengers being handled by 1959, which was the first full year of operation of the larger capacity Vertol 44-Bs. The low passenger volumes were thought to be a result of competition by other forms of ground transportation (taxis and limousines) and scheduling issues related to unreliable equipment. It was believed that a new heliport in Manhattan's Financial District would attract more passenger demand, which led to the PA's development of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, which opened on December 8, 1960. New York Airways had requested permission from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to temporarily transfer its operations from the West 30th Street Heliport to the Downtown Manhattan Heliport the day the new heliport opened because its fleet was not large enough to serve both heliports. Cutbacks in federal subsidies later forced New York Airways to end its service to Midtown Manhattan; the airline received approval from the CAB in December 1961 to suspend all operations at the West 30th Street Heliport, which at the time it was only using for mail and cargo services.
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West 30th Street Heliport
The West 30th Street Heliport also known as the Westside Heliport (IATA: JRA, ICAO: KJRA, FAA LID: JRA) is a heliport on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Originally constructed by the Port of New York Authority (PA) in 1956, the facility has been operated by Air Pegasus since 1981. The heliport currently operates under a lease agreement with the Hudson River Park Trust.
In November 1953, New York City Marine and Aviation Department commissioner Edward F. Cavanagh Jr. proposed the development of a helicopter landing area serving Midtown Manhattan along the Hudson River waterfront to New York Airways and the Port of New York Authority (PA). The heliport was to be situated on barges tied up to piers at a point between 33rd and 37th streets. Although the specific location of the heliport was not identified, a landing pad in this area would provide convenient access for the delivery of mail carried by helicopters to and from the General Post Office (located on Eighth Avenue between 31st and 33rd streets) and would also allow for helicopter landings and take-offs to occur over open water. At that time, New York Airways was operating helicopters transporting mail and passengers between the airports serving the area. The proposed heliport would require PA approval because of a 1947 pact between the city and the PA related to the development of new airport facilities.
The following month, New York City Mayor-elect Robert F. Wagner Jr. announced that he would appoint Cavanagh as the city's Fire Commissioner and Vincent A. G. O'Connor would be replacing him as the new commissioner of the city's Marine and Aviation Department. O'Connor included a proposed heliport on the Hudson River at 30th Street in his request for capital funds for 1955, but helicopter landing pad was to be included as part of a new freight-forwarding terminal. O'Connor further outlined the city's plans for the heliport at a budget hearing in January 1955, mentioning that it would be built atop a terminal on a L-shaped pier that would be used to transfer cargo from railroad car floats to trucks. The terminal was estimated to cost $1,250,000 and an additional $150,000 to $250,000 would be required in order to strengthen its roof to accommodate helicopter take-offs and landings.
Both New York Airways and the PA advised O'Connor that the plan for a rooftop heliport was not feasible. In August 1955, a letter from PA executive director Austin J. Tobin to O'Connor accused the city of needlessly delaying construction of a heliport and asked for immediate permission for the PA to construct a 100-by-400-foot (30 by 122 m) helicopter landing pad on the site at ground level, which was estimated to cost $50,000 and could be completed in 30 days. It was to be a temporary facility that could be used for about three to five years before enough data and experience were collected to design and build a permanent heliport, which was estimated to cost $5,000,000. The PA had made a similar proposal 18 months before as a result of the advancement of plans developed with Cavanagh, but never received approval and O'Connor had instead proposed a different plan for the site with the heliport on the roof of the freight terminal. The PA indicated that the rooftop heliport was infeasible from operational and economic standpoints, would cost $600,000 for the helicopter landing pad alone, and that the proposed freight-forwarding terminal could be instead constructed to the north of the proposed heliport site. O'Connor replied to Tobin's letter the next day and denied permission for the PA to build the proposed temporary heliport, citing safety concerns related to its close proximity to the West Side Elevated Highway.
In September 1954, the PA shared letters from Igor Sikorsky and Colonel William B. Bunker that both backed its proposed heliport design. Three months later, O'Connor shared a report by the consulting engineering firm of Frederic R. Harris Inc. that raised concerns over the safety of motorists driving adjacent to the proposed heliport—both on the elevated highway and on the roadway beneath it. In January 1956, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) sent its own specialists to New York City to study the two plans and ended up endorsing the PA's proposal for an at-grade heliport and rejecting the city's proposal for a rooftop heliport. After the CAA issued its findings, Mayor Wagner created a special committee to further study the two plans and issue a report to the Board of Estimate. The committee also endorsed the PA's plan for the proposed temporary heliport, finding that the development of helicopters had not yet advanced to a stage where it was practicable to make plans for a permanent helicopter facility, and also indicated that the heliport should include a landing pad extending into the river.
Plans for the heliport and a five-year lease of the city-owned site to the PA were approved by the Board of Estimate on June 28, 1956. Construction began on July 2, 1956. The facility was built on a 70-by-400-foot (21 by 122 m) section of bulkhead and included two helicopter landing pads, each 80 by 80 feet (24 by 24 m) in size, which extended 40 feet (12 m) into the water and were supported on steel piles driven into bedrock. A parking area for helicopters, two helicopter tie-down areas, and a passenger terminal were provided onshore. The PA agreed to restrict helicopters from operating over the West Side Highway during take-offs and landings and a screening fence was installed along the east side of the heliport adjacent to the highway.
The heliport opened on September 26, 1956 with New York Airways operating Sikorsky S-55s outfitted with pontoons carrying mail and cargo to La Guardia and Newark airports. It was Manhattan's first commercial heliport. The first flights carrying passengers were delayed for a couple of weeks to allow helicopter pilots to better familiarize themselves with wind and operating conditions at the waterfront landing pad. On December 5, 1956, New York Airways began operating scheduled passenger flights between the West 30th Street Heliport and La Guardia and Newark airports using five-passenger Sikorsky S-55s. Service to and from New York International Airport was available via connecting helicopter flights at La Guardia Airport. Direct helicopter service to and from New York International Airport was added in August 1957, which coincided with the introduction of twelve-passenger Sikorsky S-58s equipped with floats. The S-58s were soon pulled from service at the waterfront heliport when their floats were found to cause excessive vibration and replaced back with S-55s. New York Airways began operating float-equipped, fifteen-passenger Vertol 44-Bs at the West 30th Street Heliport in June 1958.
When the heliport first opened, it was projected to accommodate 1,000,000 passengers a year by 1965 and 5,000,000 passengers a year by 1970. However, the actual passenger demand at the facility was much lower than projected, with only 11,990 annual passengers being handled by 1959, which was the first full year of operation of the larger capacity Vertol 44-Bs. The low passenger volumes were thought to be a result of competition by other forms of ground transportation (taxis and limousines) and scheduling issues related to unreliable equipment. It was believed that a new heliport in Manhattan's Financial District would attract more passenger demand, which led to the PA's development of the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, which opened on December 8, 1960. New York Airways had requested permission from the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to temporarily transfer its operations from the West 30th Street Heliport to the Downtown Manhattan Heliport the day the new heliport opened because its fleet was not large enough to serve both heliports. Cutbacks in federal subsidies later forced New York Airways to end its service to Midtown Manhattan; the airline received approval from the CAB in December 1961 to suspend all operations at the West 30th Street Heliport, which at the time it was only using for mail and cargo services.
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