Longtime opponents of helicopters in New York City are hoping Mayor Zohran Mamdani will end their decades-old battle against noise by keeping a campaign promise to restrict flights from city-owned heliports.
In a new twist, some are appealing to Mamdani’s political identity as a democratic socialist willing to clash with billionaires. While many of the flights buzzing around Manhattan and Brooklyn cater to tourists, critics of the choppers cast them as vehicles for the elite.
“The mayor has demonstrated he is willing to stand up to the rich and powerful when it’s necessary,” said Councilmember Lincoln Restler, who represents portions of Brooklyn where choppers routinely zip along the waterfront. “We shouldn’t have policies that are benefiting the top 1% at the expense of everybody else.”…