Flying here is (surprisingly) legal
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- Опубликовано: 10 июл 2022
- The Hudson River Special Flight Rules Area is an incredible thing: unrestricted airspace right next to Manhattan. We flew it. ■ Thanks to John De Groot, and to Century Air (who mostly provide pilot training, so I'm grateful that they took the time to arrange this!): centuryair.com/ - this is not sponsored, I paid for my flight and their time.
The flight and radio procedures in this video have been significantly shortened for time, and operations over the city were pre-approved with local air traffic control. This is not intended as a substitute for proper instruction or for reference.
Edited by Isla McTear
Audio mix by Dan Pugsley cassinisound.com
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It was a 50/50 shot between this title and "Flying here feels like it should be illegal, but it's not." The double negative seemed worse somehow.
rip the former title
tip
Rip
tip
yo
"It's not necessarily hard, it's just not forgiving" is a quote I really like. I feel like that's true for a lot of things in life.
@@redcuillin i mean most aviation jobs arent hard to qualify for but are very boring or repetitive when you are qualified
As my scuba instructor said "Diving isn't dangerous as long as you don't forget that it's dangerous"
It's a paraphrase of something written by a pilot in the 1930s, IIRC. However, the "not intrinsically difficult, but terribly unforgiving" part was originally said of seafaring. I've forgotten by whom.
@@thomasbell7033 I'm a aviation mechanic and the same could be said. It's not difficult but if you make a mistake if is very unforgiving (you crash a plane and get in big trouble)
It’s super easy…. until it isn’t.
Something about the concept of 'Flying near Manhattan freely' feels a bit weird after a certain event in Manhattan a couple decades back.
I wonder if there are restrictions for what types/sizes of aircraft are allowed to do this
True but also remember there was the Miracle on the Hudson and that's a good thing to remember. I never said forget but we do have to slowly keep going forward.
There is so much air traffic in New York these days. Helicopters are everywhere. Sea planes literally land and take off along the east river every single day. And of course there's our 3 major international airports.
But even still...this is awesome.
@@oceanlnr9414 No. But it’s a VFR corridor so it’s mostly general aviation including training pilots for the private test (VFR) and helicopters. A commercial flight is going to be flying IFR, on a flight plan, controlled by ATC and not flying in the Hudson River VFR corridor.
@@frankfurter7260 but like theoretically if you were a private individual who owned and were certified to fly a 737, (or let’s get really crazy and say a 747) could you fly it on this corridor
I found it amusing knowing that while you were circling the Empire State Building filming, people on the observation deck were undoubtedly filming you!
That means they have live material of Tom Scott himself! Something to brag about in front of your grandchildren, that's for sure.
@@lonestarr1490 Maybe they could submit it to Tom
He should have asked a follower to be there filming him!
When I went on a boat under the Golden Gate bridge, I had a friend on the bridge photographing me. And I photographed him!
Tom Scott took down King Kong confirmed.
I like the cheeky grin Tom had when he said “you can’t fly over the city. Unless”
I won't ruin 69 likes
@@skysight1553 unless.. it's already 95
@@skysight1553 Why? The fun returns at 690, 696, 6k9, 6969, 69k ...
unless it's 2001
Same energy as "you'd have to charter a plane. (cut) So I chartered a plane!"
That fly around of the Empire State Building looked amazing in camera, couldn't imagine what the scale would have felt like in real life.
Zeppelin were destined to be doomed, but the original plan was to have the Empire State building as a port for docking Zeppelins and loading and unloading passengers, that would have been cool to do.
kanna suicide
@@TheBaldr The updrafts from the skyscraper and winds at that altitude would have made it perilous and dangerous to actually do that.
@@TheBaldr There is nothing wrong with modern Zeppelin's
As a New Yorker I can tell you that it looks absolutely massive from the ground
I didn’t realize how low Tom was until he said they were about half way up the Freedom Tower. Then I realized they’re cruising at 1,100 feet and that towers spire tops out at a very symbolic 1,776 feet. Crazy stuff.
*WTC1
5:12 "Unless they are qualified, competent, and have cleared it with air traffic control in advance" the smirk at the end is great
I lived in NY for almost 20 years. Getting low flying helicopters is extremely common above the rivers and even parts of Manhattan, but I don’t think I’ve ever noticed cesnas running circles above the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building. Super cool video, thanks!
I think they used quite a few of them when that monkey climbed it. But I guess that was before you lived there.
It's a classic.
You can also fly above Central Park, as there is a charted route to do so.
From what I saw there, it looked like ESB was something that was cleared with air traffic control, while the statue of liberty was part of rhe self-reporting area.
I wish more tourists took the planes instead, the helicopters are so goddamn annoying lmao. There is no wall that can keep our helicopter noise, and they hang there for hours.
@@ragnkja Yep, I've never really minded the planes. I think it also has to do with the fact that their sound changes cause of their movement because of the doppler effect, whereas the helicopters sound is just a monotonous pounding. It's like the audio version of Chinese water torture.
Tom, just like you can legally fly up and down the Hudson and around the Statue of Liberty, you can also rent a kayak from the marina just behind the big clock you saw, and paddle out to and around Statue of Liberty. Whole different perspective, just as cool of an adventure.
And no annoying everyone else with the racket.
@@abmindprof planes aren't that annoying bro
It's not. Unless you live in an area where at least 3 student pilots do laps above you every day.
the wake from all the ferries and boats makes it very sketchy to go out there on a small boat. i know because i have been hit by huge waves there a few times fishing.
That would be a fun time lapse. Maybe finish with a supervised Eskimo roll (righting a rolled over kayak while in it) that might be a two video day.
I made this flight myself, while I was working on my commercial. The views were incredible, you could practically see people working at their desks in the buildings. I'm happy to be flying larger aircraft and getting paid for it instead of the other way around but I do sometimes miss ripping around the friendly skies in the old Warrior with my friends. Highly recommend it to any recreational pilots out there!
Because u stick it on autopilot and sleep and drink coffee
@@stormsurge6765 you're dead-on with the coffee and while I also love my power naps, there's no autopilot on our plane, it's only a 25-ish seater and having one would mean more operating costs and lower payload capacity
@@defconpilot3793 There's nothing (except duty hours and money!) to stop you still flying the little 'uns.
But at that altitude when flying over the city, what do you do if you lose your engine? Isn't it certain death? I mean 1,000 feet???
I flew this this route on July 10 and was extremely surprised to find out he uploaded about it a day later. 😂
For those who are wondering why the pilot periodically makes a radio transmission at regular intervals, even though "no one is going to respond to them", it's not because no one is going to respond to them. It's to let other pilots know they're there. Things can get busy in the cockpit, and most aircraft flying in the uncontrolled airspace don't have radar and aircraft detection/avoidance systems that the commercial jets rely on. And, as the video shows, it's not that no one is going to respond. If there's an aircraft in the area (as was the helicopter part way to the Hudson Bay), they should respond back to let you know they see you (as did the helicopter).
Yep, if you pause the video around :30 you can see the landmarks that they're supposed to use, as well as the ones I believe they're required to use (marked as Mandatory).
I wonder if that's going to change with the fitment of ADS-B?
@@paulsengupta971 ADS-B is already required within 30nm of a class B, so all planes in this area must have it. But no, VFR self reports can never be replaced with ADS-B as it is never 100% reliable.
I understood all of this from watching the video. He explained it.
@@thehandleiwantedwasntavailable Then this post isn't for you. I did preface it with "For those who are wondering..."
As someone who has lived around and in the NYC Metro area my entire life, I was always curious about how there were so many helis and low-flying planes up and down the Hudson on a regular basis. This explains a lot.
I'm curious who got this SFRA rule enacted. Someone had influence with the FAA. Was it 1960s tour operators who wanted to offer low cost low altitude sight seeing flights along the Hudson?
@@WarrenPostma I wonder if it is just because of how big the Bravo airspace is there. Rather than have a ton of GA aircraft going all over the Bravo, funnel them into one route. Just a guess though
@@WarrenPostma Its also a leftover. Planes would take off from LaGuardia or Idlewild, now JFK, and sweep up the Hudson. Before instruments flying was all visual, and the Hudson was a great big landmark. Further up the Hudson they'd take turns at other landmarks depending where they were going.
@@WarrenPostma This SFRA was enacted within three months of nine people losing their lives in a midair collision between a plane and helicopter, in 2009.
It would have been great for Tom to acknowledge the history that led to the present day.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Gotta love these little oddities in legalities that lets things like this happen
Also gotta hate them since the oddities are almost always most beneficial to the wealthy.
This is not a legal oddity
stockholm syndrome "you mean i can just do what i want??"
General aviation in the US is surprisingly open outside of restricted areas. Probably in part due to there not being that many small aircraft in operation
@@chompythebeast Waterways are a favorite thing in aviation. They are easy to see and navigate from the air, and allow noisy aircraft to fly into populated areas while minimizing the disturbance to people on the ground
In Seattle, there's a seaplane base at the South end of Lake Union damn near the center of the city. The float planes arrive and depart via the North end of the lake by flying along the Lake Washington ship canal to and from Puget Sound.
Seriously, half the beauty of these videos is watching Tom's reactions. Just his general excitement, and enjoyment is contagious. He genuinely is intrigued by everything he does, or where he visits.
As a general aviation pilot, this video made me really happy! He explained it really well. Props to the pilot, seems like a good knowledge guy. It really goes to show just how much freedom general aviation "small plane" pilots have in the United States. There's so much we can do within reason that a lot of people don't really understand that it can almost be like driving a car in the air in terms of freedom to navigate. On top of that we get to bring our passengers and show them these amazing views without having to go through an entire legal process... flying is awesome here.
When I was in college and shortly thereafter, I would regularly fly the Hudson River corridor.
I especially loved flying that area at night. What was especially nifty was the way the heat of the city would create convection and interact with humidity in the air. I remember seeing a thin layer of fog, 'draped' over the buildings and lit from below, as if someone had spread a thin silk over the entire city.
-Jon
Wait you're the pilot in the video?
@@Siloam_ no the pilot in the video is jon de groot
How can you fly there at night when it's a VFR route as explained in this video?
@@L1ft0ff night training is part of the requirements for private pilots in the US
@@tung123451 Oh ok 👍
i could just imagine if there was oncoming traffic and he just shouts into the mic "HEY, WATCH WHERE YOUS GOIN, IM FLYIN HEA"
If someone breaches the "rules" of VFR flying, the conversation generally gets a lot fruitier than that! You haven't heard swearing until you've heard a pilot cuss out an idiot who just nearly killed both of you...
Watch yo jet bro, ayo WATCH YO JE-
certified New York moment
I managed to bag a seat on a flight being done by some aeronautics students while in school, they flew down to NYC from Massachusetts and then came back up through the Hudson corridor. We were flying over top as we spotted a few helicopters below, and on the radio you could hear one of the news copters yelling at a sightseeing copter for getting too close.
I will never stop laughing at jokes about that line.
Thank you, Tom, for bringing back some fond memories. My Dad was a private pilot, and I got my ticket when I turned 17. Shortly after that--would have been 1977 or so--we flew the family Cessna 182 up the Hudson River Corridor. Dad had never done it before, but he planned everything carefully. We took off from Linden Airport in New Jersey, just south of Newark, and flew north past Manhattan. The Twin Towers were still new, and they certainly towered over our four-seat, single-engine Cessna. Dad and I had a grand time, while my mother and sister in the back were quietly praying that nothing would go wrong. Of course, everybody was always looking for other air traffic. I remember it as being a lot busier than on your flight, with planes going past below us as well as above us. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I'm so happy to see that it's still possible. Thanks again!
Was never more jealous of Tom until this video.
He usually shows new and quirky places, but to show a common favorite from an absolutely amazing angle just takes your breath away.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 has this route as a mission too! With graphics settings turned to the max the route is quite facinating :) I bet what Tom experienced here was on another level, truly breathtaking!
When I was a kid we were lucky enough to do this - my godfather had a hobby of flying small planes, and when we visited he got a friend to take us up and do an aerial tour of the city. It was amazing. We also passed the twin towers and have a photo of the plane's-eye view of them - quite surreal. (And my mum insists on hanging that photo right in our entrance hallway, which sometimes gets some very awkward/odd looks!)
flying right past the twin towers must have been a real blast :D
Haven't done it in NYC but my uncle was (...is? He's still around but I don't know if he's kept licenses up to date) a small aircraft pilot and has lots of stories. Some of them may even be true!
You gotta make a picture of the Twin Towers and put it onto the Internet!
My dad has a picture of him and the twin towers in the background.
@@pixelmaster98 i see what you did there.
I remember flying a Cessna 172 over Niagara Falls back in the late 1980s. It was the same kind of system, except that it had reserved altitudes for different types of aircraft. Helicopters had the bottom rung (0 to 1500 feet or so, as I recall) light fixed wing were the next rung, and large high performance aircraft had the top rung (ie: passenger jets). The problem was always the idiot sightseeing flight pilots in the helicopters would constantly pop up into the fixed wing circuit, causing us to frantically dodge them. When I heard later that two choppers had collided and crashed, it wasn’t a surprise at all. Interesting video
What an experience. Thanks for taking us along, Tom. Always a pleasure.
The no air traffic control is just so counterintuitive to how I imagine any current flying works, love that they’re just talking and negotiating with each other.
According to Wiki there are close to 20.000 airports in the US without a control tower or ATC (non-towered airport).
its actually rather common. most of the US isnt really controlled, sure for commercial jets they all talk to the various centers for vectors. Also something john here leaves out is you dont technically have to talk in most uncontrolled airspace. This example might be monitored but the general rule of thumb is that talking uncontrolled is a courtesy for other pilots in the area, not something you need to do. if you want to fly from a to b without saying a word its plenty possible, just not advisable and you will get a fair few people cussing you out on the radio for stating intentions, but legally they cant do anything about it
It’s been done for many many years with extremely established rules to abide by. No one would try it without being trained on the procedures to fly the corridor and done it a time or two sitting right seat. After 9/11 of course there was talk of getting rid of it but it was just so integral to our freedom of flying that we cherish in the US.
Im a private pilot in the US and I have talked to ATC only a couple of times. Most of the airspace in the US has 0 radio requirements.
@@jondavey5407 Other countries like freedom too
I am no aviation person, but I got Microsoft flight simulator about a year ago and when I went over NYC the ATC kind of goes crazy in game too. If you're over the city you '' have '' to be in constant communication. But there was a place above the Hudson where they just left you alone. That's really interesting, not only that it exists in real life, but that the developers of the game thought about that too. What a time to be alive.
Pilots actually use simulators for a lot of real training, especially instrument training. The virtual ATC networks use all of the same rules & procedures as real life so that it’s accurate to real life.
The developers actually used real pilot reference maps (combined with OpenStreetMaps data) to generate most of the in-game map data, so I would expect the game to treat this area similarly to a small private runway without ATC.
In fact, this automated map generation has caused some comical and bizarre map results, such as a 300-story skyscraper in a random neighborhood where someone had edited OpenStreetMaps to mark their house as 300 stories tall as a joke, or how you can take off from my brother's driveway because the airport data in the area is a few years outdated, and his house is where a private airport used to be.
Well the game literally operates off the real rules and maps.
@@zahmbiend6575 Don't forget the huge chasm somewhere in brazil with a landing stripe at the bottom of it. Don't know if that still exists though.
@@zahmbiend6575 "someone had edited OpenStreetMaps to mark their house as 300 stories tall as a joke" I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the "Open" part implies that people can just do that, but I'd have expected some kind of vandalism protection like Wikipedia.
Flying 1100' above the Hudson is quite something. Landing on it is a whole other challenge, not often attempted, though!
I've seen landing on the Hudson very, very close and in person before. It was a crash landing though...
@@Richard_Bumblebee that was the joke. but in person, damn.
The Sully incident joke aside, there is a good-sized float plane I see every day several times over Manhattan. He must be landing somewhere, maybe another commercial sight-seeing outfit.
@@chriskelvin248 You are seeing air taxis operated by Fly the Whale and Blade. They land at East 23rd Street Seaplane Base.
I wouldn't say that - I've landed seaplanes on the Hudson River around 300 times.
I think John had the perfect description for aviation that applies to many other skilled trades as well. "It may not be hard but it isn't forgiving." Knowing what you are doing in advance is definitely the key to skilled tasks.
I envy you in the sense that at one point you will be able to look back at your life and can really say you've had amazing experiences. Most people will only live a couple of those at best.
In 40 years it's going to be an amazing montage.
That was a problem for future Tom, but now that he's future Tom it's actually worked out.
It's kind of like we're having the best parts of them with him, from the comfort of our homes. We don't have to do any of the legwork or pay for things. For most of these videos I do prefer that tradeoff.
I just hope he wears a different shirt when he is done with RUclips.
@@robotniqueee He's going to switch to the suit full-time.
I'm a private pilot in the U.S., and sometimes it's easy to forget the incredible freedoms we have here as pilots, even in places where you wouldn't think so (like this VFR corridor next to NY city).
Glenn, what are the options here if you have an engine failure (in a single)?
@@AnthonyFrancisJones Pray for a second Miracle on the Hudson
@@AnthonyFrancisJones Slightly more than in an aircraft fire.
@@AnthonyFrancisJones There are many options for a small Cessna 172. Landing on a road on Jersey side is an option.
I don't live anywhere near NYC, but this video rekindled the dream I had when I was a kid of learning to fly
I’ve done this. Very fun. As a professional pilot, I also see the “controlled” airspace side of things too. In fact, just landed in NY an hour ago!
Never thought I'd be able to see an aerial view of my apartment in a Tom Scott video...
Did you wave?
If you have an appartement in Manhatten, i guees you have the money to spare to see an aerial view of your appartement yourself :D
Same
@@Gurumeierhans not after paying rent
@@Gurumeierhans They have to live there, they don't own a penthouse suite or anything, a lot of NY apartments are absolutely ass.
Not too long ago I took a trip to NY and did the observatory at the top of the World Trade Center. Seeing the helicopters and planes flying lower than I was standing was surreal, very cool to learn about the legal loopholes that made that moment for me possible
Those aren't loopholes. Those are regulations that were quite deliberately written and put into effect. See 14 CFR § 93 Subpart W for the nitty-gritty details of the Hudson River and East River Exclusions.
Like nothing bad ever happened on 09/11/2001
Not too long ago? I was there too, but that was over 20 YEARS AGO! :D
@@arkajitmaity5277 that makes no sense. It's like arguments for gun control. Just like criminals would still have guns even if they were made illegal, terrorists would still be able to fly into restricted airspace and crash into a building. It's not like they're gonna be around to copy down a number from ATC regarding a possible pilot deviation after crashing into a building. That and the risk to a skyscraper from a little Cessna or helicopter is really, really low. I forget when and where it was, but someone tried crashing a Cessna 172 into an office building one time and the only fatality was the pilot. The folks inside got a good scare and I think some broken glass caused minor injuries, but it didn't do much more than break the window. Keep in mind that we're talking about aircraft that weigh a good bit less than a typical car. You could do more damage with an SUV than a little Cessna Skyhawk. And larger planes like turboprops and light jets fly too fast to meet the requirements for transiting the SFRA.
Flew the Hudson corridor many times. Back when the WTC was still there you would fly past it and it would just loom over your flight level. it was like flying in a canyon. So long as you follow the routes, stay at the altitude and make regular radio position calls, youll do fine. Learned to fly with Century Flight academy- Great school!
this reminds me of very narrow trails/logging roads where you should announce over radio how many km/mi up or down the road you are. so that everyone with a radio knows where everyone else with a radio is.
Tom is living his best life and taking us along for the ride. It's amazing.
"This is really something special! Well, I guess it's not, actually"
I think it's still special! Maybe not "only a few can do this" special, but still special! Glad you shared it
Given the opportunity and financial costs, it kinda is special.
@@ObadiahtheSlim probably why it’s allowed. If everyone could do it, there would be more rules
@@ObadiahtheSlim It's not that expensive though. An hour's flight from a nearby airport with instructor will be somewhere in the region of $200.
Shout out to John, appreciate you doing this
Grew up in Jersey City, when I heard "by the clock" I was thinking "OMG does he mean the Colgate clock?" and I was immediately very satisfied
The view from a light airplane is always special. I've never flown in New York but the last time I was in Toronto I orbited the CN Tower in a 172. We needed clearance from Billy Bishop (CYTZ) Tower. So be it; we were landing there anyway. The big safety part was "where do we land if we have an engine failure?"
I'm interested in tall buildings and have done both Empire State and CN Tower. The Edgewalk is higher than the Cessna in this video. There are times when you can look down on landing aircraft. I found looking up just around 100 feet and seeing an aircraft the same distance ahead of me strange and enjoyable.
@@dcarbs2979 do you recommend the edge walk?
I don’t know why, but, for me, this is the best Tom Scott upload. Simple in idea and execution, but just perfect.
I love your videos. I did this but much lower in a helicopter as a child with my parents. We flew around the famous Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Chrysler Building, Empire State and Twin Towers, only a couple of years after they went up. It's amazing that even after all these years I can remember seeing each one from the air. My mum was screaming in fear a lot of the time and my sister and I were whooping with delight. Both my parents are gone now but this video brought back some happy memories from my childhood.
I spent a lot of time taking lessons to get a pilot's license at an airport very close to this area. Even though 99.99% of the time you will never be flying along the Hudson (or wanting to deal with the hassle of navigating around the airspaces to get there), our written flight tests had an entire section on it. It's an added complication to learning to fly in one of the most difficult places to get a license (the airspace is very crowded).
When I was flying VFR from TEB to Long Island it was the way to go. Unless you like flying a single engine plane over the LI Sound. 👎 I don’t recall any hassle when I did it; if anything the “hassle” is after leaving the corridor having to fly below JFK airspace. TEB is a very busy airport so it uses a Clearance Delivery so you just requested the most direct departure to the Hudson depending on the active runway. After you take off the tower clears you to turn in the direction you wanted and shortly after they turn you over to NY Departure who eventually tells you to “Squawk 1200” before letting you loose. You don’t have to talk to ATC anymore if you’re shy until your return. 😏And you have a straight shot to the Hudson. I found moving on the ground at TEB more challenging than flying to the Hudson because there was a lot of traffic at TEB and a lot of jets and ground control comes at you fast with the path they want you to take and where to “hold short” and on top of it I was always fretting about where to do my runup. 😁
I remember a story one guy told, he was doing the same route and the day was September 11, 2001. He took some pictures and then was able to return safely to his airfield while a chaos was unveiling around. He published those pictures 10 years later in his LiveJournal blog, but I'm unable to find it now (the story was told in Russian language).
"Aviation isn't hard, it's just not forgiving" is such a great line.
“Aviation, in itself, is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect.” - Captain A. G. Lamplugh
"uhhh fries without salt please"
-Jean Pierre
"Quack"
- Duck
"Freaking, sweet, Lois"
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War
The great thing about an aerial view of the Statue of Liberty is that you can see the broken shackles at her feet that you couldn’t see from the ground.
You get a ton of unique traffic in the SFRA. Today I went out to the river, saw numerous helicopters, some single engine props, some twin engine props, and an Icon A5 seaplane. Sometimes I see a Grand Caravan seaplane coming south from the East River seaplane terminal, circling and then heading north along the Hudson. Today there was also a blimp in the SFRA, but I didn’t see it. Just above it of course was traffic heading into LGA and just west was traffic landing at EWR including a 747 that had been diverted from its intended destination of Atlanta
I've copiloted into Seattle before; it's really wild and spooky to come down between mountains to keep under the restricted airspace.
What restricted airspace? Do you mean the Seattle Class B? That's not restricted airspace, as restricted airspace is defined. You do need an ATC clearance to enter it, though.
There is a prohibited area near Bangor, but it's only about 15 square miles and only goes up to 2500 feet. I'm not sure but I think that's where the nuclear submarines live.
That is exactly where they live, yes.
This looks and feels eerily similar to the flybys I do with stolen planes in GTA San Andreas. This is really something cool, Tom!
Isn't it great how flying a real plane is a zillion times easier than piloting in GTA?
@@robotniqueee also a zillion times more expensive
I think at this point Tom is going to be remembered in history as the guy who did the most amount of crazy adventures in one life. And thanks to today's tech we would very likely have a fully preserved video history of it all.
Sully saying ‘We are going in the Hudson’ still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!!
It may sound weird for such an inconsequential video but I'm actually in happy tears. Manhattan has always been one of my favorite urban spaces of all time, all the way up there with Tokyo, Amsterdam, Paris and San Francisco. All those hours I spent on Google Maps don't COMPARE to this angle here.
It's almost magical. Manhattan is an absolute marvel of engineering, an intricate machine so enormous it escapes understanding.
It's just one of those things that I'm just happy they happened.
Eeeeeww it ugly. Neooww.
Funny how I have a somewhat opposite reaction to places like these, they remind me of the greed of humans and our destructive nature :p
@@genesises I only feel that way when I see it compared to what it looked like before.
Living 15 minutes from the GW bridge has always nulled my emotions for the city, it’s amazing to see and it always has me at awe that people travel across the country, across the world sometimes to see some buildings i’ve looked at my entire life. Every hill you get on you see the skyline so it just, isn’t that amazing to us anymore.
@@genesises think more of how we were able to build it in only a couple of years what would've taken people in the past centuries to even have a quarter of that done
Behold the spectacle of Tom Scott carefully avoiding saying ‘World Trade Center’ in an aeroplane, 2022.
Fun fact: there is a SFRA in Los Angeles that cuts directly through LAX that GA traffic can use!
I was up on the observation deck of the Statue of Liberty at the time and pointed out the little white plane to my brother, what a coincidence it was Tom freaking Scott!
some people are blessed with amazing jobs you never knew existed
The dude who shot the death star laser
Dictator
I'm a member of a flying club based in Linden and have done this many times. I prefer slightly higher with a controller, especially since it's usually easy then to transition over Central Park over to the East River.
Have not flown this yet but how do you decide what controller to talk to?
@@Island_Line_Rail_Productions Hopefully that's enough of a hint. The really short course is called ALC-79: New York City Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA).
@@Island_Line_Rail_Productions Either get flight following ahead of time or it's
Verrazano Bridge, Northbound - 127.85 (Newark Tower)
Alpine Tower, Southbound - 126.05 (LaGuardia Tower)
Safe skies!
@@Island_Line_Rail_Productions Obtain clearance prior to Verrazano Bridge or Alpine Tower of course.
@@Island_Line_Rail_Productions from the South talk to Newark, from the North talk to NY approach (LGA side)
Omg, Tom, thank you so much for sharing this amazing footage! Totally loved watching it!👍👍👍
Thanks for taking us along for the ride on this one
I was already inspired to have great adventures in the world, but you've elevated that inspiration.
This looks like such an awesome experience to have!
Tom, that was so cool! I had no idea that was possible. What a great way to see the City.
@Tom Scott: Thank you for including captions on this video! I am hard of hearing, and the audio quality left a lot to be desired (in-flight intercom audio bandwidth is limited, so this is expected). Again, thanks for captioning. It means a lot to those who have hearing struggles.
Loved this one - felt like I vicariously experienced your utter joy at those views, thank you!
Such a simple set of rules, but with such an impact. Amazing.
This makes me so excited! I'm about to start training in about a month or so, so I'll soon be able to do flights just like this. There's a lot to look forward to!
Wow, Tom! What an amazing experience!! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Whenever I see someone flying over Hudson, I recall Sully’s adventurous landing
I work at One World Observatory at the top of One World Trade Center, and I can tell you that little surprises my guests more than seeing aircraft flying below us. It is a very common sight, especially when the weather is nice.
I would LOVE to fly this one day. I've done the Los Angeles Special Flight Rules Area on multiple occasions. You fly right over LAX without talking to air traffic control. It really does FEEL like it should be illegal.
The guy on the radio saying have fun was such a wholesome moment!
Thank you Tom & John for that absolutely interesting insight!
The one thing I take home from this video (not the amazing things about flying in this location, but):
I have been closer to the Statue of Liberty than Tom Scott has been.
Now, please don't ruin my day by saying you went there later that day, Tom.
I did this flight when I was a student pilot and it was great fun.
It's unlikely that breaching the zone will get your license suspended, unless you really flew out over Manhattan like an idiot, but you will get yelled at if you breach altitude, and you could even get fined if you spend too long in the Class B. I know of instructors who have been fined before because their student lost control of their altitude and they ended up in Class B for too long, but I've never heard of someone losing their license for it.
I think he meant that if you are intentionally doing it with either a malicious purpose or you're doing it without permission on purpose then you license is at risk. Obviously if it is an accident or done in order to retain control over your aircraft then they will be more lenient since they wouldn't want to set a precedent where pilots prioritize avoiding the area over their own life.
well, you know that and i know that, but he is making sure that there isn't some idiot going around the entirety of Manhattan airspace like an absolute dunce.
though with 4 major airports and a lot of IFR traffic being in that Bravo airspace without clearance can lead to some serious problems. if you cause a near accident, you will be investigated by the FAA and that probably will lose you your PPL, if you cause a accident/near accident
“Flying over Manhattan with a plane probably won’t cost you your license even though it feels like you should”
Tom Scott is always providing me with some of the coolest and informative videos that I've ever seen! I especially love this video, and I would love to see you here stateside more often!
5:50 Always polite, thankful, positive & humble...its really no wonder why Toms crushing it!
Kia Kaha Tom, another banger mate ❤from Aotearoa/New Zealand
In 1991 I stood on the observation deck of the World Trade Centre and watched in amazement as a light aircraft flew past at a lower altitude than where I was standing!
I genuinely said ‘wow’ about 8 times. Thanks Tom and John!!
I have been watching for quite a few years now and I just want to drop a line and say I love what you’re doing. Keep up the fantastic work!
Was a pleasure meeting you at Century, Tom! Glad your flight went well! 😄
I'm really surprised that this is an option, especially post-2001.
With the mountains of regulations in place regarding airspace, letting any pilot fly here is very counterintuitive to me
They stopped it for a while but then they started it up again. I did it just after they opened up again post 2001.
Remember - it wasn’t qualified pilots who did 9/11: why punish pilots for the actions of a handful of criminals?
@@F-Man Oh I agree with you ! I'm just surprised is all
Most blatant false flag of all time.
Freedom is counterintuitive?
Hey! Welcome to America, Tom! Hope you had a lovely visit this side of the pond! Also, around 2:35 ish, y'all were flying almost directly over where Captain Sullenberger safely landed his plane full of passengers in the Hudson following a bird strike.
Thank you, John.
Vicariously adventuring through Tom's experiences is one of my favorite things.
It’s a good day when Tom Scott uploads!
Amen 🙏
So... every Monday, every other Saturday, and all Thursdays this month?
@Jao Bai Dun If a tree uploads in the forest and there is nobody to watch it, does its view count increase?
Wow, just wow .... Closest I've been to flying that close to cities is coming into Belfast and London City Airports .. But flying along the Hudson!!!! I'm jealous!! Great video ;)
This might be my single favorite video you've done, wow!
My old neighborhood. I am so glad you got to see it from that point of view. Thank you for sharing with us.
Stunning views and equally stunning piloting! I'd say I'm jealous but I'm terrified of heights (to be accurate, it's more the "falling from them & going splat" thing I'm scared of!).
I know that feeling. ^^
The majority of pilots are scared of heights! I did a survey once on one of my pilot forums. The percentage of the general population scared of heights is apparently around 12 or 13%...among surveyed pilots it was around 70%!
@@ragnkja All pilots, yes. :-)
A surprising number of pilots are afraid of heights and I count myself among them.
I have no problem with flying airplanes and gliders. I even strapped on a parachute and jumped out of a perfectly good airplane once, "once" being the operative word. I can go out onto a 20th floor balcony and lean over the railing and take in the view of the street below. But climb up two steps on a ladder? Nope!
Can we just appreciate for a moment how Amazing his videos are
If u r an actual person, be careful, u sound an awful lot like a bot
begone, bot
@@louiewood7689 ahaha true
@@selectionn bots are usually verified
I got to fly that back in the 90s. Great flight, and it was fantastic. One of my favorite photos was taken as we banked around the Statue. Super precious to me. And welcome to America! Hope you stick around for a while!
Another great video, something I was aware of already as an enthusiast but that’s one of the great things about Tom’s videos - they’re for everyone and still entertain & inform.
I've been seeing American media featuring New York City my whole life and, honestly, this was the coolest version I've ever seen of it!
Tom, was going to invite you to do much the same thing. Looks like I got beaten to it! It's great to see you diving into the US National Airspace System. It's....incredible. You'd be stunned to know you can legally fly from coast to coast without talking to a soul, or filing a single flight plan. You can circle over JFK, La Guardia or Newark at 7100ft without talking to a soul either if you really want to, as well as Boston Logan airport. The airspace works very differently than most people realize...not just over the Hudson.
As someone with social anxiety this is oddly comforting to know 😊
Tom Scott was in my home state of New Jersey! Yay! Incredible views, thanks for sharing
Thank you Tom and the pilot for this video! Amazing!
Good to see you in my home city! I could see my block from this vid!
Back in 1995 my advisor in grad school took me on a flight like this starting from the New Jersey side. I think the rules then had as at 900', but that was a long time ago. The route we took we had to turn around inside the width of the Hudson river... and we didn't get to go take a looksee at the Empire State building. That was the last time I had seen the World Trade Center in person, and it was over our heads... A really cool flight.
And this is exactly why I watch your videos, pure awesomeness thankyou 😊😊
This was really cool! Thanks for sharing Tom!!