Silo Ridge and horse farms bring in illegal helicopters

AMENIA — Having received several notices about helicopters flying illegally over the town of Amenia, members of the Town Board considered what could be done to handle the ongoing issue, at a meeting held Thursday, Aug. 6. The meeting can be seen on the town’s YouTube channel.

Councilwoman Vicki Doyle informed the board that they had received another notification about “helicopters flying over, to and from Amenia, which is being done illegally.” 

She asked Building Inspector Michael Segelken to clarify how enforcement works in handling this issue and if there is something the board can do. 

Councilman James Morris asked where the helicopters have been landing. Doyle said the last one sounded like it landed at the new equestrian center, Keane Stud, on Depot Hill Road. 

The helicopters have mainly been landing at the Silo Ridge housing development and golf course on Route 22.

Segelken said he looked into the issue last year when it started happening. The Federal Aviation Administration (FFA) no longer has restrictions, he said, so the helicopters are allowed to land and take off five times a year. He said the FFA considers each landing and takeoff as one landing. 

“I tried all last year; I even took pictures of them landing,” Segelken said. “The federal agency does not seem to be concerned.”

The town code stipulates that helicopters must have an airstrip or landing pad in order to land. Segelken said the helicopters have been ignoring that rule and landing without a lit strip or pad that would indicate where they’re supposed to come down. 

“But the town has its own laws,” Doyle pointed out. Segelken affirmed that the town code requires a landing strip or a landing pad.

Reading aloud a related section of the town code, Councilman Damian Gutierrez confirmed that airfields aren’t a permitted use in any of the zoning districts in the town of Amenia, though he was uncertain as to whether the term “airfield” was defined elsewhere in the code as a pad or strip.

The town cannot provide an airstrip. Therefore, Doyle said, “What they’re doing is illegal from the FFA’s point of view and from our point of view, because they don’t have a proper landing strip — even if they were going to limit themselves to five trips per year.”

When asked by Doyle what the Town Board needs to do to get the helicopters to obey the law, Segelken replied, “Take them to court.”

Amenia Supervisor Victoria Perotti added that there isn’t a designated fine, which makes enforcement by the town difficult. As far as how the town can get the legal process started, Segelken said he can issue an appearance ticket, as courts are starting up again. He added that only judges can issue fines.

When asked this week why the helicopters have been landing in Amenia, Segelken said he was still trying to figure it out himself. However, he said one of the workmen at Keane Stud told him there’s an option on the Uber ride-sharing app, called Uber Copter, that includes rides to or from the downtown Manhattan and JFK heliports that allows people to order helicopter transportation. 

Segelken speculated that some part-time Amenia residents may have been ordering the helicopters on Uber to fly back and forth between Amenia and New York City. 

The website www.uber.com has a notice now saying that, due to COVID-19, the Uber Copter service has temporarily been suspended.