The Death and Life of Helicopter Commuting
Fifty years ago, a helicopter company called New York Airways whisked passengers from the rooftop of the iconic Pan Am Building in midtown Manhattan to any city airport in just 10 minutes....
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Imagine commuting 1,000 feet above traffic.50 years ago, during the golden age of helicopter travel, you could.Until a tragic accident in 1977 brought that era to a close.But with new technology on the horizon, a new age of airborne commuting could be justaround the corner.Ever since the first skyscrapers shot upward, visions of New York City's future showcasedconvenient access to the skies.Those visions were realized in 1953, when a helicopter airline called New York Airwaysestablished a schedule of routes carrying passengers between Manhattan's riverside heliportsand New York City's airports in a fleet of repurposed Boeing and Sikorsky military helicopters.For as little as $5, you could hop on one of their 20-seat shuttles and be at your departu...
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Imagine commuting 1,000 feet above traffic.50 years ago, during the golden age of helicopter travel, you could.Until a tragic accident in 1977 brought that era to a close.But with new technology on the horizon, a new age of airborne commuting could be justaround the corner.Ever since the first skyscrapers shot upward, visions of New York City's future showcasedconvenient access to the skies.Those visions were realized in 1953, when a helicopter airline called New York Airwaysestablished a schedule of routes carrying passengers between Manhattan's riverside heliportsand New York City's airports in a fleet of repurposed Boeing and Sikorsky military helicopters.For as little as $5, you could hop on one of their 20-seat shuttles and be at your departu...
