Looking for Hudson VFR corridor info.

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gfunc

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Gareth
Hi Folks,

I part motivated by another forum post and nagging friends I'm looking at flying the Hudson VFR corridor in the next few weeks. I aim to fly from north to south, do a quick 180 over the Verrazano bridge and return north. I guess I'll need a pit stop at Westchester before returning north to Albany.

I've done a fair amount of trawling the internets and found some really excellent guides. Basically I'm wondering if there exist an official guide to the VFR corridor? I've been told there is a a supplement in the AFD, but I've not found it.

It looks like it'll be a very special and fun flight (prayers to the weather gods!) and seems relatively straightforward, but I want to make sure I have everything covered to avoid being intercepted by an F-16 and jamming up the airspace at JFK, EWR and LGA.

Cheers,

Gareth.
 
gfunc said:
Hi Folks,

I part motivated by another forum post and nagging friends I'm looking at flying the Hudson VFR corridor in the next few weeks. I aim to fly from north to south, do a quick 180 over the Verrazano bridge and return north. I guess I'll need a pit stop at Westchester before returning north to Albany.

I've done a fair amount of trawling the internets and found some really excellent guides. Basically I'm wondering if there exist an official guide to the VFR corridor? I've been told there is a a supplement in the AFD, but I've not found it.

It looks like it'll be a very special and fun flight (prayers to the weather gods!) and seems relatively straightforward, but I want to make sure I have everything covered to avoid being intercepted by an F-16 and jamming up the airspace at JFK, EWR and LGA.

Cheers,

Gareth.
Click to expand...

Gareth,

You're probably thinking of the Helicopter route chart for NYC, which shows much greater detail.

This site has great info, if you've not seen it before:
http://www.germaise.com/interests/aviation_flyinghudson1.htm
 
The NY TAC is all you need. It has the Heli chart, too.

I flew that corridor three years ago. Lots and lots of traffic, make sure to self announce, and stay at the right altitudes (I was below the class B ), and you should be fine. It's not complicated....
 
Send me a PM for my phone number and I'd be glad to brief you through the whole thing, and provide my set of tips and tricks. I strongly recommend getting a Bravo clearance at 1,500 for various reasons (traffic separation responsibilities primarily). I just got back from flying the CJ3, and have lots of other work to catch up on, otherwise I'd type it all up.
 
The NY TAC is all you need. It has the Heli chart, too....
Click to expand...
... for the "middle" section of the route. The heli chart extends farther South and North than the snippet shown on the TAC. You can certainly get by without it, but for $6, I think it's worth getting the heli chart.
-harry
 
You don't even need the TAC chart or Heli chart or a Bravo clearance (though it makes altitudes easier to see with the TAC), just announce on 123.05, stay at 1000' and stay over the river.

New Jersey side south bound and Manhattan side north bound.

Use well known land marks every so often for position reports.

GWB, Lincoln Tunnel (if you know what the vent towers look like) Holland tunnel, Intrepid (it's baaack), "The Lady" (guess what that is?). Governors Island, Empire State building, etc. Obvious landmarks.

Example: "River traffic, Centurion xxxxx at Lincoln tunnel southbound for the Verrazzano 1000' "

When you get to the Verrazzano just say where you are and that you will make a 180 to proceed north.

A lot of the traffic is choppers, and often below you, often well below you, but keep your head on a swivel and you'll be fine.

Don't be surprised to hear the choppers using the frequency for other stuff (such as what fuel they might need, or how many pax they are picking up on the next sight seeing flight).

At times you might need to deal with a blimp or banner tow going real slow. Not an issue.

Have a good time. Just follow the above and keep your eyes open.
 
Hard to add to all that, but:

A Class B clearance may help, but if you are counting on it and they don't give it to you... let's just say that most flights in the exclusion are made without bothering the Class B controllers. I've flown it maybe 6 times, sometimes with lots of traffic, sometimes with the whole thing to myself, and never had to bother with ATC.

Plenty of room, and easy-peasy if you can maintain altitude and watch/listen/announce.
The choppers are no big deal, usually- they tend to stay quite low- what you are looking for mostly are aircraft not using the frequency, or U-turning in odd places, or flying higher or lower... or all three.

Turns around the statue are usually counter-clockwise if I remember right, but not always. Keep your eyes peeled, despite the spectacle of Manhattan laid out before you.

Only other thing I'd advise is to look both ways twice before making a 180 anywhere... the top and bottom ends of the exclusion tend to funnel traffic, and it's easy to get surprised, even with folks using the CTAF. Expect to possibly see big commuters just inside the corridor, headed south on the NJ side on their way into KEWR... they use the CTAF properly, but are moving fast.
 
Great advice in this thread, but I thought I would just clarify:
rottydaddy said:
... let's just say that most flights in the exclusion are made without bothering the Class B controllers.
Click to expand...
ALL flights in the exclusion (that's the official name of the Corridor) are by definition excluded from (outside) Bravo space. You should not be talking to the Bravo controllers. Why? Because you should be on the CTAF. The exclusion can get busy and you need to hear what others are doing.
Turns around the statue are usually counter-clockwise if I remember right, but not always.
Click to expand...
Steep turns at 500 feet or lower (to get to The Lady's eye level) are not my thing. I've never done that. Larger diameter turns will put you into the Bravo on the Newark side. It's tight airspace, designed for helos. Regardless, many do the steep turn thing. I don't know why high wingers do it...
Keep your eyes peeled, despite the spectacle of Manhattan laid out before you.
Click to expand...
Tremendously important advice! It can be very busy airspace! If you are in the exclusion, only you can prevent a collision. CTAF is voluntary and I have had to deal with planes making no radio calls at all....

-Skip
 
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I just flew the Hudson a couple of days ago (N to S, turning at the GW bridge) but most everything's been covered already. The frequency (123.05) is pretty busy, especially since it's also the UNICOM for the heliports on the river, so you'll definitely hear choppers ordering fuel and getting parking assignments. There are lots of helicopters on the river, and you definitely need to be keeping an eye out for traffic.

Some of the reporting points are more distinctive than others, if you don't know what you're looking for (the Holland/Lincoln tunnels especially). They're both identifiable by the ventilation towers, but there are other (more obvious, IMO) nearby things that you can use to figure out where you are. The Lincoln tunnel, for example, has the helix, a 270-degree curving roadway leading into the tunnel; the Holland tunnel has the train station/yard (which is very easy to pick out) just north of it. Of course, it being a CTAF, you'll also hear people report other points (I heard a LOT of helicopters calling "butter"-something, and someone reported at Stevens (college in Hoboken, right on the river (between the two tunnels), which is easy to see if you know what to look for it but it's not marked on any of the charts).

It's definitely a fun flying experience. Watch your altitude, stay out over the river (keeping to the right, like you would on a road) and keep an eye out for traffic. It's recommended that you turn all your lights on for better visibility but of course you can't assume everyone else will be doing the same.

Have fun!
 
Skip Miller said:
Great advice in this thread, but I thought I would just clarify:

ALL flights in the exclusion (that's the official name of the Corridor) are by definition excluded from (outside) Bravo space. You should not be talking to the Bravo controllers. Why? Because you should be on the CTAF. The exclusion can get busy and you need to hear what others are doing.
Click to expand...

Understood- I was referring to entering from the Bravo (which some might want to do depending on where they're coming from), or overflying the exclusion as suggested. I agree that even if you're overflying the exlusion, you should be monitoring that CTAF... mostly because unless ATC clears you to climb, you will pop out of the Bravo at either end, right where everyone else is descending into or climbing out of the exclusion. Those position calls in the more open areas (north and south ends) are very important.

Steep turns at 500 feet or lower (to get to The Lady's eye level) are not my thing. I've never done that. Larger diameter turns will put you into the Bravo on the Newark side. It's tight airspace, designed for helos. Regardless, many do the steep turn thing. I don't know why high wingers do it...
Click to expand...

I guess they do it because it's fun. :D But I've only "orbited" the statue once by myself, not crazy about it because of what you mention. The "Lady" is also where most of the choppers are going or coming from... again, they stay low usually, but you gotta watch it over there.
 
Wow!
Thanks for all the responses guys! It looks like the whole process is pretty straightforward - I'm going to bring a couple of pax and force them to take hundreds of pictures as I'm sure I'll be too busy watching for traffic throughout. Does anyone know if it would be seen to be rude or obnoxious to make a u-turn just south of 'the lady'? I don't want to cause mass panic by turning in the wrong place, but I've seen Staten Island on the ground and I sure don't want to spend my flight dollars on looking at it from the air!

I have to say how refreshing it is to fly in a country where the attitude to GA is pretty much "can do" rather than "bugger off". Back home in the UK there is no way I would dream of flying anywhere near London's suburbs let alone the heart of the city (legally I couldn't anyways). I love flying in this country!

This should be a great trip, if I get myself into gear I should catch the last of the fall foliage on the way down.

Thanks again guys!


Gareth.
 
Awsome video,.. great flight up the river. Neat to see the passenger taking photos and then the other plane slightly ahead of them at the top of the screen.
 
gfunc said:
Does anyone know if it would be seen to be rude or obnoxious to make a u-turn just south of 'the lady'?
Click to expand...
Neither rude nor obnoxius. Remember, you are VFR.

Attached is a snip from the Helicopter Route Chart. Note that there is a "Hudson Checkpoint" right in the middle of the harbor, at the intersection of two Helo routes. So keep your eyes open. Having said that, I've done the U-turn there several times.

-Skip
 

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end december 2008 after a checkflight I coud rent a C172 in caldwell AP. I flew over the hudson corridor asking ATC clearance to enter airspace B at 1500ft. No problems! You have very helpful controllers in the USA!
marvellous contry for VFR-flying!
 
Paolo Pedrazzini said:
end december 2008 after a checkflight I coud rent a C172 in caldwell AP. I flew over the hudson corridor asking ATC clearance to enter airspace B at 1500ft. No problems! You have very helpful controllers in the USA!
marvellous contry for VFR-flying!
Click to expand...

CONGRATULATIONS Paolo! :cheers:
 
I hear there is a like new Airbus to look at in the water.
 
Expect some more pictures in the newspaper tomorrow ... or soon.

From my office window at 140 Broadway I can see a slice of the Hudson river just to the south of where the A320 is tied up. Right now a tug is moving a floating crane upriver towards the site. I can't see the plane from here, but it sure looks like they are getting ready to lift it, probably to lower it onto a barge.

-Skip
 
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