On August 25, 2009, NYAMA was among the experts present to testify before the New York City Council over how to respond to the mid-air collision over the Hudson River earlier in the month. Concerns were raised about the unregulated area around the river below 1,100 feet. A number of proposals for regulation of the space were submitted including requiring pilots to submit plans before their flights and requiring high-tech navigation systems.

"If you're going to eliminate helicopter tours, that's a quality of life issue that City Council must address, not NYAMA. But such a decision would hurt business" said David Damelio NYAMA Secretary and Director of Aviation at Greater Rochester International Airport. "If the FAA comes out and changes its safety regulations, then we welcome that."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did propose new regulations last week in an effort to prevent accidents like last month's crash over the Hudson River. The FAA proposes to raise the ceiling of the Hudson River Exclusion Zone to 1,300 feet for aircrafts to use "see and avoid" protocol. Under this rule, small planes and helicopters are still allowed to share the same airspace. New regulations would also require all planes to use a common radio frequency to identify themselves and location if they fly under 1,300 feet. Current rules say radio communication is voluntary.

The FAA says they will also create a new level of airspace from 1,300 to 2,000 feet to act as an expressway for nonlocal aircrafts flying through the New York City area. Pilots flying through this altitude range would be required to communicate with area air traffic controllers, who would in turn send back advisories on other nearby aircrafts that may cause a flying conflict.

The FAA proposals would go into effect by November 19.