Metro

‘Chopping’ out the noise

Meet the pilot police.

Aviation authorities have quietly started cracking down on hell-raising helicopters breaking new city flight restrictions for sightseeing aircraft, The Post has learned.

The Downtown Manhattan Heliport, the chopper hub owned by the city Economic Development Corp., began scanning radar systems last month to kill the buzz from pilots incessantly circling over residential areas in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Saker Aviation, the heliport’s operator, appointed a safety officer last month to help nab those who flout regulations dictating where and for how long helicopters can fly — a major victory in the heated war to hush-up the choppers.

“This is a big deal,” said state Sen. Daniel Squadron (D-Brooklyn Heights), who has been on the chopper case after residents flooded his office with pleas for help.

“Residents can’t continue to suffer from the scourge of helicopters,” he added.

Last April, a court banned tourist helicopters from taking off from the West 30th Street heliport after park advocates argued that the launching pad couldn’t exist in the green space.

All tourist flights shifted to Pier 6 in the South Street Seaport area, with departures jumped by 10 percent from the year before.

Sightseeing helicopters started hovering over lower Manhattan and Brooklyn on the way to the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge and other city sights, causing residents to tear out their hair. There were 1,800 tourist helicopters landings last January, though the volume goes up considerably during the summer, according to EDC.

If we had our way, all nonessential tourist helicopters would be eliminated,” said Judy Stanton, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association.

There were 444 complaints logged by the city’s 311 hotline about helicopter noise this fiscal year, more than a quarter of them coming from downtown Brooklyn, city records show.

The buzzing has also stripped some of the serenity from the city’s new $350 million Brooklyn Bridge Park.

“This is literally across the river. Any sound is amplified significantly and can be heard from around the Brooklyn Promenade and the park,” said Joan Zimmerman, president of the Fulton Ferry Landing Association.

Last year, EDC slapped new regulations on tourist helicopter operators. Officials banned short four- to eight-minute tours, which caused the most headaches from the loud departures and landings. Trips over Brooklyn were also prohibited.

After lobbying from Squadron’s office, EDC required that the heliport actually enforce the new regs. Saker is monitoring a radar system of air traffic to nab helicopters breaking the flight-path rules.

Saker’s safety officer will also randomly check flight plans submitted by pilots to catch those straying outside of the kosher travel zones, and bust pilots doing illegal short trips by examining takeoff and landing documents.

“We’re hopeful that this new system will result in even less helicopter noise,” an EDC spokeswoman said.

Tickets start at $100 and will escalate on a monthly basis, soaring to $1,000 in May. Saker will administer the fines and funnel them into a fund for aviation scholarships, according to the EDC.

Pilots have already been hit by “a couple” of tickets last month, but EDC would not provide specifics on the infractions.

Hhaddon@nypost.com