downtown heliports. The FAA unveiled a heliport master plan to assist cities in establishing IFR landing facilities. Four cities — New York, New Orleans, Indianapolis and Los Angeles — received funding. But when the airline market collapsed and predictions regarding civil tilt-rotors proved premature, the momentum to establish city-center heliports was deflated. In addition, resistance to scheduled helicopter operations became organized. For example, two adversarial groups emerged in Los Angeles: Chopper Stoppers and CRASH (Citizens Revolt Against Shuttle Helicopters). HAI responded with a "Fly Neighborly" program to abate objectionable noise through improved flying techniques. But the struggle for available urban landing space continued.

New York did preserve space for helicopters, though it has fewer than the five heliports it had in the 1980s. Indeed, it became the focal pointfor the evolving corporate market, in which basic single-engine helicopters were being traded for nicely appointed twins. Agusta led in the dual-engine trend with its IFR-approved A109, but quickly saw competition in the Sikorsky S-76, Aerospatiale AS365N Dauphin 2 and Bell 222.

The flamboyant Gerald Tobias, president of Sikorsky, perhaps best marketed corporate helicopter use in the early 1980s by setting up point-to-point races with fixed-wing jets. While fixed-wing transport had to factor in cab service to and from the airports, the S-76 could take off at the start point and land at the destination, guaranteeing its win.

Hybrid corporate/airline helicopter operations also flew out of New York to Atlantic City, bearing casino-bound gamblers. Resorts International — whose general manager, Matthew Zuccaro, is now president of HAI — flew three