Flying the New York VFR corridor

On my most recent Atlantic ferry flight to Europe we flew through the New York VFR corridor along the Hudson river. We had taken off in Raleigh, NC and made our first fuel stop at Monmouth Exec (BLM) in New Jersey. From there on to Bangor it’s either fly over or around the NY Class B airspace, or cruise along the Hudson river in the VFR corridor as we did.

It was a beautiful day and we had great views of Manhattan. The owner of the plane snapped a few pictures from the left seat while I was flying from the right side.

Statue of Liberty

Here we were passing by the construction at “Ground Zero”, still a sobering sight.

Ground Zero, New York

Flying close to the top of the VFR corridor at 1,100 feet above the river we were well below the tops of some of the taller New York skyscrapers.

Flying up the NY VFR corridor

Should we fly over or under the bridge? Just kidding 😉

Flying over the George Washington Bridge on the NY VFR corridor

There are a number of requirements and procedures for flying the NY VFR corridors, none as important as flying slow and keeping your eyes open outside the airplane at all times. If you plan to enter the class B airspace at any time, you must obtain a clearance prior to entering class B.

If you’re not familiar with the area and airspace, get an area checkout with a local CFI.