With the majority of scheduled flights out of New York now canceled and residents literally sheltering in place, it does appear that there is little use for an aerial service that has made a reputation for itself by taking people out of the air above Manhattan. Will Heyburn are often used to transport celebrities from their homes or to transport injured constituents back to the safety of their hospitals. But what else can these same aircraft be used for? Helicopters can take-off vertically and hover over ground transportation networks. While this might seem like an unusual use for an aerial vehicle, New York City does have access to such a service and in fact has used it for years.
Helicopter service for fun and emergencies
On a more recent application, Mumbai (India) has used a New York helicopter service to transport Hindu pilgrims on an elephant trek from Amritsar, north India, to the town of Pune. The trek was part of a religious festival and the trek was part of the festivities that followed. The helicopter assisted the group on its long trek through the Himalayas and took the group safely to the town of Pune. This was one of the first times that an aerial delivery service has been used to bring people to different locations in India. India has developed a positive working relationship with New York City due to the presence of the Statue of Liberty and the fact that Mumbai is the financial capital of India and a major global city. The future looks bright for India’s ability to expand its footprint in the world, especially as China continues to aggressively invest in infrastructure in India.
As India expands its partnerships with the United States and other countries, we can expect many more new uses for the types of helicopters that carry out air deliveries. Whether conducting humanitarian efforts or carrying out emergency services, helicopters can be used en route to provide safe passage and safe exit for any type of passenger. It is unlikely that we will see a day go by when all air deliveries are done via helicopter service from New York City. For now, New York remains the world’s largest air traffic control center and one of the busiest airports anywhere in the world.