Helicopters for commuters?

[breg3]

First off, let me say hello to everyone and thanks for all the great posts I have read here in the past few months as a lurker. I still hem and haw about taking the plunge into flight school myself, but I do enjoy reading about it.

 

So onto my question...

 

Do any of you see any practical use for helicopters as a tool for commuters in the future as our cities continue to expand and commutes get longer and more congested? Or are the costs of operation and the regulations too prohibative?

 

I ask because my grandfather was a pilot for New York Airways way back. I know that company folded because of some safety issues, but nothing has taken its place until very recently. (http://www.flyush.com/) But both of these services are more airport related. I was thinking of a service where 30-40 passengers per flight could ride in from a heliport in the suburbs on a chinook-esque type copter. Not knowing an awful lot about the different types of helicopters, I didn't know if such a bird existed that could carry as many.

 

Anyway, thanks for reading this; hello; and I look forward to any responses.

[Guest pokey]

Wasnt the end of NewYorkHelicopterAirways a result of a 107 'falling off' the PanAm building? rooftop landings have never been allowed in the city after that trump tried the 234 Atlantic City route back in the late 80's early 90's--he never got it off the ground, but did have 3 ships all painted up reall nice black w/ his red name on the side, i think that was when he went broke. I dont know this for fact, but i heard back then, to operate a 234 (ch47), the operating cost was 17 thousand per hour ! EACH ! & he had 3 of them,,,

[John90290]

Wasnt the end of NewYorkHelicopterAirways a result of a 107 'falling off' the PanAm building? rooftop landings have never been allowed in the city after that trump tried the 234 Atlantic City route back in the late 80's early 90's--he never got it off the ground, but did have 3 ships all painted up reall nice black w/ his red name on the side, i think that was when he went broke. I dont know this for fact, but i heard back then, to operate a 234 (ch47), the operating cost was 17 thousand per hour ! EACH ! & he had 3 of them,,,

 

 

"The rooftop helipad was closed in 1977 after a spinning rotor broke

loose on a New York Airways helicopter and killed five people,

including a woman on the street below. Helicopter service to Kennedy

from the East Side and downtown heliports continued until Pan Am ran

into financial trouble in the mid-1980's."

 

NTSB Identification: DCA77AA006

14 CFR Part 121 Scheduled operation of NEW YORK AIRWAYS INC

Event occurred Monday, May 16, 1977 in NEW YORK, NY

Aircraft: SIKORSKY S-61L, registration: N619PA

 

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FILE DATE LOCATION AIRCRAFT DATA INJURIES FLIGHT PILOT DATA F S M/N PURPOSE----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1-0025 77/5/16 NEW YORK,NY SIKORSKY S-61L CR- 0 0 3 SCHED DOM PASSG SRV AIRLINE TRANSPORT, AGE TIME - 1735 N619PA PX- 4 1 17 46, 11721 TOTAL HOURS, DAMAGE-SUBSTANTIAL OT- 0 0 0 2200 IN TYPE, INSTRUMENT RATED. NAME OF AIRPORT - PAN AM HELIPORT OPERATOR - NEW YORK AIRWAYS,INC. DEPARTURE POINT INTENDED DESTINATION NEW YORK,NY LOCAL

TYPE OF ACCIDENT PHASE OF OPERATION GEAR COLLAPSED

STATIC: IDLING ROTORS ROLL OVER STATIC: IDLING ROTORS

 

PROBABLE CAUSE(S)

AIRFRAME - LANDING GEAR: MAIN GEAR-SHOCK ABSORBING ASSY,STRUTS,ATTACHMENTS,ETC.

 

MISCELLANEOUS ACTS,CONDITIONS - FATIGUE FRACTURE

 

REMARKS- ALL FATALITIES CAUSED BY OPERATING ROTOR BLADES.