No Dogs on Chopper Tours, Senators Plead

It’s well known that the most dangerous place in Washington is the space between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and a microphone.

But on Sunday, Schumer tried to make things nice and safe for Winston, a fuzzy white maltipoo that the New York Democrat and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) recruited to make a point about a helicopter sight-seeing company called FLYNYON.

FLYNYON operates open-door flights that allow thrill-seeking tourists to take photos of the Statue of Liberty and other landmarks unimpeded by metal and glass. The two senators say the Federal Aviation Administration should ban such a dangerous practice.

"We want them to take action now on this loophole that ultimately allows an amateur — not a professional photographer, not someone doing it for a television station — to ultimately hang off the side of a helicopter in an open-seat capacity and create a risk to their lives," Menendez said.

The two senators stood near a helipad between the East River and the FDR Drive.

FLYNYON was implicated in a 2018 helicopter crash that killed five passengers in the East River, when they weren’t able to escape special harnesses for open-door photo shooting.

Schumer said he has not had any luck getting the FAA to heed his call.

It also recently came to his attention that FLYNYON allows dogs to fly on sightseeing tours, apparently for enhancing photo opportunities. He’s also calling on the FAA to ban this practice, too.

"When people go on these helicopters, they have some say, but dogs haven't any say," Schumer said. "This has gone too far."

With supporters from the U.S. Humane Society and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals looking on, Schumer commended Winston's owner, Michelle Krozy, for keeping her pet on terra firma, far from helicopters — and pledged to do everything he and Menendez could to spare other Winstons from the scourge of open-door aviation.

A spokesman for FLYNYON said the company complies with all FAA regulations — and that it should be up to pet owners to determine the flight-worthiness of their pugs, poodles and other lap dogs.