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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Given the sheer volume of enemy drones, helicopters have joined the counter-drone fight. </li><li>In Ukraine and Israel, helicopters of all kinds are hunting down drones.</li></ul>It's not just <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-fighter-jets-israel-air-war-gaza-2024-1">fighter jets</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-israel-defense-systems-weapons-in-action-2024-4">ground-based air defenses</a> that are in the mounting drone battles. The sheer volume of drones — seen in Ukraine and Israel's fight against Iran and its militant allies — is pulling in helicopters to destroy them before it's too late.Attack helicopters armed with rotary cannons were designed to attack ground targets like armored vehicles. Instead, they and even utility helicopters are being <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nato-helicopters-kill-enemy-drones-red-sea-combat-2024-4">trained</a> on incoming drones, a practice many warfare experts say is temporary at best. "The use of attack helicopters for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-military-isnt-ready-drones-potential-biggest-threat-next-battlefield-2024-5">countering drones</a> is a Band-Aid solution to loitering munitions (i.e. 'kamikaze drones') but will be outdated once drones are used in swarms, and with autonomy, which are capabilities that both the Iranians and Russians are working on," said Nicholas Heras, a security expert with the New Lines Institute think tank in Washington, DC.Both wars are seeing helicopters take on drones. Over Israel's northern skies, an Israeli AH-64 Apache attack helicopter recently <a target="_blank" href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/footage-shows-hezbollah-drone-from-lebanon-being-shot-down-by-iaf-helicopter-south-of-haifa/">shot down</a> a Hezbollah drone with its cannon as the country's air defenses find it difficult to intercept all of the drones. On October 13, another Hezbollah drone struck an army base in central Israel, <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-lebanon-hezbollah-news-10-13-2024-a8cd5df3e2bb4ab08405a78251244bb2">killing four soldiers</a>.Similarly, Ukrainian Mi-24V Hind gunships are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.twz.com/news-features/russia-firing-record-number-of-shahed-136s-at-ukraine">hunting Russia's Iranian-designed Shahed drones with </a>their 12.7mm rotary cannons and aircrew on Mi-8 Hip utility helicopters are even downing drones with machine guns."In general, any and every means of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-wants-drone-interceptors-to-blind-russia-on-the-battlefield-2024-4">drone interception</a> is ultimately in play in one form or another — that is why Ukraine is using a simple training aircraft as well," Samuel Bendett, an expert in unmanned and robotic systems at the Center for Naval Analyses, told Business Insider.The aircraft he was referring to include<a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/07/08/ukraine-is-mobilizing-more-propeller-planes-to-shoot-down-russian-drones-world-war-i-style/"> propeller planes</a>, which Ukrainian airmen are using to try and bring down drones with handheld rifles and even shotguns."Given their versatility, helicopters can be used to conduct air defense tasks in case of need, although this is not their primary role," Federico Borsari, a defense expert at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told BI. "Israeli Apaches have been used several times in the past to intercept hostile drones coming from Lebanon and Syria, so this is not surprising."Some helicopters can carry air-to-air missiles that extend their engagement ranges far beyond cannons or machine guns, which require encounters so close range they risk the aircraft and its crew.In Ukraine, a huge country compared to Israel, helicopters are a means to shield its airspace against large drone salvos."Given the Russian <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-wild-hornets-sting-shahed-drones-war-russia-iran-2024-10">Shaheds'</a> slow and low flight pattern, rotary aircraft can easily chase and destroy them," Borsari said. "In general, however, the use of helicopters in this role remains suboptimal, also because of the risks to aircraft and crew in similar operations."Cannons and machine guns are far less expensive than air-to-air missiles, but they are no substitute for the accuracy and range of missiles."In general, helicopters are much cheaper to fly and operate compared to fighter jets, and of course, onboard heavy machine guns cost much less than air-to-air missiles," Borsari said. "However, it very much depends on the type of threat (high-speed vs slow-flying drone) and the operational context, as fighter jets can reach the target area much faster, for example."More generally, the CEPA analyst says helicopters are a "last-resort" that comes with both costs and risks, while the brunt of these missions should fall to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-unjammable-wired-drones-arent-end-all-game-changer-2024-8">jamming</a> systems, air defenses and the military lasers in development.Helicopters are likely to continue to play a role in drone defenses, albeit as a back-up, and it's possible they could be armed with weapons to make them more effective.In early November, a Royal Navy Wildcat multirole helicopter <a target="_blank" href="https://www.navaltoday.com/2024/11/05/royal-navy-downs-drone-with-martlet-missile-in-first-air-to-air-trial-of-its-kind-photo/">successfully shot down</a> a Banshee test drone using an air-to-air missile. Modifications of this kind could make helicopters more effective drone hunters in the future, supplementing other ground- and air-based systems."Certainly, the integration of specific standoff [counter-unmanned aerial system] systems such as interceptor drones, cheap precision-guided munitions, and potentially <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-navy-needs-more-counter-drone-tech-to-stop-a-growing-middle-east-threat-2024-2">high-energy lasers</a>, could pave the way for a more prominent role of rotary aircraft for C-UAS purposes," Borsari said.Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist and columnist who writes about Middle East developments, military affairs, politics, and history. His articles have appeared in a variety of publications focused on the region.

Drone-hunting helicopters are bolstering Israel and Ukraine's stretched air defenses  

Sherry Howard was eating at an Italian restaurant in Ohio last year when her 28-year-old daughter called asking for some food from the restaurant. Howard was stunned — not at the request but at the fact that her daughter knew where she was.It turned out she was being tracked — and had been for two years. Ever since Howard went on a solo trip to the Caribbean and her children activated Find My People on her phone, without her knowledge, they had been able to keep tabs on her location."It was laughable, but I was shocked," Howard, 53, told me. "To be honest, I didn't know how I felt about it."It's a reversal from when Howard's children were young — before the age of smartphones — and she was the one keeping close tabs on them. "If 15 minutes went by and they weren't at home, then that's when the panic mode set in," she said. "Then I'm peeking out the window looking for them or I'm calling their friends."She added: "They knew, 'Mom's going to freak out if I come home a little late.'" Her kids were rarely late.Still, she was taken aback by being tracked unknowingly, so she <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@ilove2giggle2/video/7274580138480651562">took to TikTok</a> to jokingly express her grievances. "This message is for all the grown kids out there," she said in the video. "Stop stalking your parents!" Her post racked up millions of views — and comments claiming to be from adult children who <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@the_jcrobinson/video/7274772471444753706">keep tabs on their parents' whereabouts</a> poured in.While parents have used <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teens-tracking-app-locations-not-stalking-good-parenting-2024-2">location-tracking apps to keep an eye on their kids</a> since the tech was invented, millennials and Gen Zers are now turning the all-seeing eye onto their parents. Among some families, tracking one another with apps like Apple's Find My and Life360 has become the norm. They see it as a fun way to stay connected and keep aging relatives safe. But when relationships turn awry or people start tracking others in secret, location sharing can easily turn into an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dont-track-teen-phone-freedom-parent-worry-2024-3">invasion of privacy</a> that family members come to resent.These days, monitoring goes both ways. The kids who grew up with extra watchful parents are now carefully eyeing their parents' every move. The trackers have become the tracked.Most of the people I spoke with felt that tracking their family members afforded <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/track-kids-locations-smartphone-pros-cons-2024-2">some relief</a> about their safety. A 2022 <a target="_blank" href="https://theharrispoll.com/briefs/location-sharing-features/">poll</a> by The Harris Poll and The New York Times found that one in six respondents reported always having location sharing turned on, and 37% of those who said they used location-sharing apps (like Find My) said doing so made them feel safer. Just last year, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/life360-family-safety-app-sells-user-location-data-report-2021-12">Life360</a>, one of the most prominent tracking apps, reported 50 million monthly active users, with downloads in the US doubling since 2021 as it gained popularity among Gen Zers. And increasingly, safety concerns are extending up a generation — kids are now concerned about their parents rather than just the other way around.Growing up in West Virginia, Kacy Shafer had "pretty protective" parents, she said. She was an only child and her dad served in the military, so it was mostly her mother who laid down the rules."I wasn't allowed to just go have playdates wherever I wanted — she had to call the parents, make sure they would be there," Shafer, who is 29, said. While <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gabb-smartphone-review-teens-kids-social-media-2024-8">phones lacked tracking technology</a> when Shafer was younger, her parents set hard limits on which hours she could use her first cellphone and whom she could contact. Now as an adult, Shafer tracks her mom's phone. "It's kind of funny how the tables have turned," she said. As her 61-year-old mom has gotten older, checking where she is at least once a day offers some "peace of mind," Shafer says. Her mother doesn't mind the tracking. In fact, they check in on each other and joke about it a lot. "Sometimes, I just check to see where she's at, and I'm like: 'Hey, are you at the store? Can you grab me this?'" Shafer said.Stephiney Foley, 37, also had strict parents. Her family immigrated to New York from Shanghai when she was 8. She described her mom and dad's parenting style as "very typical of overbearing parents, especially immigrant parents." Tracking technology wasn't around when Foley was a teen, but her parents still kept a close eye. "My mom is constantly on my back looking over my shoulders doing things, even when I was in high school," Foley told me.Like Shafer, Foley now tracks her parents, who are in their 60s and 70s. It's typically a safety precaution when they travel. One time her mother got lost driving her RV in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and Foley was able to help her navigate out of the park."The roles are kind of reversed now in a way that I am kind of the parent," she said. Tracking allows Foley, who lives in Seattle, to feel more connected to her Florida-based parents and feel empowered to help in emergencies.Kelley Roebuck, a 46-year-old living in Illinois, installed a tracking app on her son's phone when he was in junior high school to know his whereabouts after he lost his phone twice. At first, it was just a way to keep track of his phone, but it's since morphed into a more central part of their lives. Her son, now 20, tracks her back."One day, I didn't come straight home and he called me, 'Mom, what are you doing at Cousin Erica's house?'" Roebuck told me. She described her son, who is also her only child, as "very protective of his friends and family." When she used to go out of town often, he would check in when he didn't see her at the hotel or her friend's house.Roebuck and her son now track each other "evenly." When he is out late, she wants to make sure he's in a safe place. Even her son's best friend, whom Roebuck considers her "bonus son," wanted to share locations with her, so he was added to their Life360 plan in high school.Years later, her son's friend called Roebuck when she was out late to check in on her. When she asked how he knew where she was, he reminded her he had the tracker."I was like, 'Oh, I forget y'all still had it," Roebuck said.Not all adult children had <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-happy-parents-tracking-location-apps-life360-2023-10">neutral views on being tracked by their parents</a> when they were younger. Gabrielle Lask, a 25-year-old only child, has been tracked by her mother since she got an iPhone at age 13. Though she said her mom was acting out of love and concern, she also described being tracked as "incredibly annoying and, at times, a total invasion of privacy.""I was a very good kid, very trustworthy," Lask told me. "She just has really bad anxiety."Lask described her mom as very overprotective; she would often text her about her whereabouts and what she was doing even though she was also tracking her location.Now that she is older and living independently, Lask has started to push back. "You're not using this as a safety mechanism anymore," she recalled telling her mom a few years ago when she was really upset. "You're using it as an invasion of privacy." Lask temporarily blocked her mom from seeing her location, which she said made her mom "freak out.""I basically said, 'I will put you back, but this cannot continue,'" Lask said. "'You have to use it as what it's meant to be used for.'"The excessive concern didn't get passed down to Lask. She doesn't track her mom's location — and she doesn't have much interest in knowing it. "She doesn't go out much, and if she does, trust and believe, she is texting and calling me nonstop," she said. "I don't worry about her because she worries about me."Dr. Kanchi Wijesekera, a clinical psychologist in California, said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/helicopter-parent-son-went-college-2024-5">helicopter parenting</a> through methods like intensive tracking makes kids feel "suffocating and that parents do not trust them." She said it could ultimately add strain to the relationship as kids grow older and start setting boundaries. If kids — and parents — don't feel listened to, it can drive a wedge between them. Sometimes, though, those conversations can be transformative in a positive way. When Julianne Goldfinger was 15, her mom ordered paper copies of her texts from their cell provider. Her mom had been worried about how little she knew about Goldfinger's life now that she silently texted her friends — but it still felt like an invasion of privacy."I was old enough when she did that to kind of push back at her and say, 'You really broke my trust here,'" Goldfinger, now 35, told me. "That was a turning point — my mom realizing that I was growing up and needed some space."Goldfinger and her parents now track each other's locations when they respectively travel, which doesn't bother her since she's been able to have open conversations with her mom."I've really come to find my mom to be more of my friend," Goldfinger said.Increasingly, parents and their adult kids are staying in closer contact <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2024/07/modern-parenting-grown-children/678942/">than generations past</a>. One <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/01/25/parents-young-adult-children-and-the-transition-to-adulthood/">Pew Research study</a> published in January found that over 70% of respondents with children ages 18 to 34 reported speaking with their kids at least a few times a week on the phone. And more parents are <a target="_blank" href="https://nypost.com/2024/09/04/us-news/next-level-helicopter-parents-track-their-adult-children-interfere-in-roommate-conflicts/">tracking their kids in college</a> to help quell their anxiety about the separation.It's a big shift from the weekly or monthly check-in phone calls that ruled parent-child relationships in the past. But many families like the extra interaction. For more people, location sharing is simply a way to stay connected.After Howard got over the initial shock of being tracked without her consent, she started to understand the appeal of the tech and began following her children's locations, too."My one daughter, she went out of town just a couple of weeks ago, and I'm watching her come down I-75, and I'm thinking in my mind, 'She's driving awfully fast,'" Howard said. She added that the mutual tracking gives her peace of mind that her kids aren't in danger.Wijesekera said that attitudes around tracking are shaped by trust and communication. "If they have a really close bond, it's easier to see those behaviors from a well-intentioned place versus a sign of their lack of trust and wanting to hover and force their decisions on us." Kids who grew up being accountable for their whereabouts don't necessarily look back on the memory negatively, so long as they feel their parents trusted them.That's certainly true for Joy Loverde. The 72-year-old shares and tracks locations with both her 49-year-old daughter and her two adult grandchildren. "We jumped on it early on," Loverde, who lives in Illinois, told me. "It was just a matter of wanting to remain even closer."Loverde raised her only daughter on her own, and they've stayed very close — now Loverde, her daughter, and her daughter's daughter all track one another. They do it partly to check in, and partly just to know more about one another's lives. "We laugh — we think it's really funny," Loverde said. "We're poking in and out all the time."For families like theirs, it's simply a new kind of love language.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/julia-pugachevsky">Julia Pugachevsky</a> is a senior health reporter at Business Insider.

Millennials and Gen Zers are now helicopter parenting their parents 

A self-sustaining private island in Canada that can only be reached by boat or helicopter is for sale

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-mars-helicopter-pilot-what-job-is-like-advice-2023-1">NASA</a> says its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mars-helicopter-spins-blades-first-flight-nasa-team-nervous-2021-4">Mars helicopter, Ingenuity</a>, broke beyond repair during a mysterious communication lapse.</li><li>Imagery suggests that at least one of the helicopter's blades was damaged during its final flight.</li></ul><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/watch-live-nasa-fly-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-first-time-2021-4">NASA's Ingenuity helicopter</a>, the little drone that's been flying around on the surface of Mars for three years, has finally ended its mission.During its 72nd flight, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/listen-to-nasa-ingenuity-helicopter-flying-over-mars-2021-5">the helicopter</a> mysteriously lost communication with NASA. When NASA reestablished communication the following day, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-ingenuity-helicopter-mars-flight-photos-videos-2021-4">agency received images</a> from the drone that indicated one of the rotor blades on the aircraft was damaged.NASA said during a press conference on Thursday that at least one of the blades likely collided with the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-ingenuity-helicopter-landed-in-a-new-spot-on-mars-2021-6">Martian surface</a>.<div type="image" title="mars ingenuity helicopter nasa" height="1463" width="2600" msid="107158002" hostid="261" sizebytes="314846"></div>Because communication was lost during <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-next-flight-2021-5">Ingenuity's descent</a>, the log of what happened isn't available. In other words, we'll never know for certain what happened, Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity project manager, said during the press conference.However, the Ingenuity team said it plans to continue studying the imagery data to learn as much as it can.<div type="image" title="Mars ingenuity helicopter nasa perseverance rover" height="960" width="1280" msid="107158003" hostid="261" sizebytes="187430"></div>When Ingenuity reached Mars in February 2021, tucked inside the belly of the Perseverance rover, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-ingenuity-helicopter-survives-first-night-alone-on-mars-2021-4">NASA engineers weren't even sure it would survive its first night</a>, much less make it off the ground.Two months later <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-perseverance-rover-nasa-helicopter-ingenuity-first-mars-flight-2021-4">Ingenuity's first flight</a>, captured by Perseverance in the video below, made history. This 4-pound tissue-box-sized drone proved, for the first time, that aerial exploration was possible on another planet."We can now say that human beings have flown a rotorcraft on another planet," MiMi Aung, Ingenuity project manager, told the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photo-from-nasa-igenuity-drone-historic-flight-shows-own-shadow-2021-4">helicopter team at NASA mission control</a> as they received the first data from that flight. "We've been talking so long about our Wright brothers moment on Mars, and here it is."NASA engineers were thrilled that Ingenuity worked and optimistic that the rotorcraft might make it through its five scheduled flights, probably crashing on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-mars-helicopter-ingenuity-15-flights-2021-11">its fifth and most difficult flight</a>, they said.Instead, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-mars-ingenuity-helicopter-broke-records-fourth-flight-2021-4">the helicopter survived</a> to complete more than 70 flights over nearly three years."It was supposed to be for 30 days," Tzanetos said during the press conference. "So emotionally, for the last 2.5 years we've been prepared for a sprint and then we had to transition to a marathon," he said, later adding that it was always in the back of their minds that "Today could be the last day."<div type="image" title="ingenuity mars helicopter first flight photo black white shadow" height="781" width="1041" msid="107158004" hostid="261" sizebytes="13530"></div>Ingenuity constantly defied expectations, proving itself to be one of NASA's most impressive engineering feats yet. It <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-survived-mid-flight-error-2021-5">survived mid-flight errors</a> and took on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-to-start-scouting-2021-4">new missions</a>, including surveying land ahead of Perseverance.NASA Administrator Bill Nelson called the helicopter's demise "bittersweet."

NASA's Mars helicopter broke during a mysterious communication blackout. Now it will never fly again.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Jen Komaromi describes her parenting style as "free range" because she allows her kids more freedom.</li><li>The 51-year-old was happy for her son, then 15, to fly solo to France and change planes in Paris.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jen Komaromi, 51, who owns a bakery and a gift store in the Bay Area. It has been edited for length and clarity.My son, Jack, was invited to stay with his friend's family for a month in rural France, but the timing meant he couldn't travel with them.At first, I felt hesitant about sending my 15-year-old alone on two flights — he had a layover in Paris — but <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mistakes-made-on-long-flight-abroad-paris-france-traveling-2022-8">when I called Air France</a>, they almost laughed off my concerns. It was almost as if they thought I was crazy.It was perfectly legal for him to travel unaccompanied. He didn't even need a notarized letter. The customer service agent was so laid-back about it that I thought, "Why not?"My husband, Kevin, 50, and I waved him off at the airport in San Francisco in the summer of 2021. Eleven hours later, Jack texted to say he'd landed at Charles de Gaulle and was waiting at the gate to transfer to Lyon.It went smoothly. He returned safe and sound — <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/british-family-raise-independent-children-japan-2024-2">proud of his independence </a>and our trust in him.<h2 id="efa5c9b7-1957-4fb1-b90b-6c124be7f406">I didn't want to be fearful in raising my kids</h2>We've long held the belief that Jack, now 18, and his sister, Evie, 14, should enjoy as much freedom as possible, as long as it's within reason.We live in a safe neighborhood. However, I've become increasingly aware of how much fear dictates people's parenting choices. I made a conscious decision not to be fearful in raising my children. The idea of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mom-blames-helicopter-parents-who-tried-find-her-a-job-2024-7">being a helicopter parent</a> who monitors their every step is somewhat hilarious to me.When Jack was in first grade, he started walking solo from school to the library, which was pretty much next door but involved crossing a road.<div type="image" title="A family of four take a selfie against a mountainous backfrop." height="1200" width="1600" msid="114433647" hostid="261" sizebytes="145884"></div>You have to do things in stages. One of the biggest misconceptions about <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dad-lets-eight-year-old-grocery-shop-alone-foster-independence-2024-9">free-range parenting</a> — the method we happily follow — is that you throw your kids to the wind.For us, it was a gradual process of baby steps. In the beginning, I accompanied him to the library. Then, I'd stay behind and chat with his teacher before catching up with him.After he'd built up enough confidence, he went there alone and stayed to do his homework before walking to meet us at the shops where we worked.Evie followed suit in terms of independence. The only thing that held her back — which, I believe, is more common in the case of girls — is not having many friends with like-minded parents. She wanted to engage in activities and adventures with other children, but if their parents won't let them, it isn't as fun on your own.<h2 id="15a6b700-23dd-42cd-8279-18062f773944">My kids know to ask people for help if needed</h2>But she and Jack found their tribe. When Jack was 13, he did an all-day bike ride with a friend to a peak overlooking <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/golden-gate-bridge-noise-san-francisco-aerodynamic-improvements-wind-howling-2020-6">the Golden Gate Bridge</a>. It was about a 60-mile round trip. Last month, Evie and her friend took their bikes on a ferry and cycled 45 miles around the bay.I know they'll ask for help if they need it. They've been raised to be confident in talking with strangers.Parenting is about being your child's first teacher. You teach them how to navigate the world, but then you have to step back and let them do it for themselves.Do you have an interesting story to share with Business Insider about your parenting style? Please send details to <a target="_blank" href="mailto:jridley@insider.com">jridley@businessinsider.com</a>.

I've made a conscious decision not to be a helicopter parent. My oldest child was walking alone to the library by the time he was in 1st grade.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Real estate developer Rob Lauer hopes to build a commercial spaceport in Nevada.</li><li>Investors will pledge $10 million toward the project if it's approved.</li></ul>Nevada could be the new frontier for <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/luxury-space-tourism-test-capsule-balloon-2024-2">space tourism</a>.At least, that's what real estate developer Rob Lauer envisions with his plans to build a spaceport near Las Vegas. Lauer, a former US Army military police officer, is the CEO of <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://lasvegasspaceport.org/">Las Vegas Spaceport</a>."Ten years from now, tours will be coming here to the Las Vegas Spaceport and boarding a space plane for their journey," he said in a YouTube video for investors. "Perhaps to a hotel in space. Perhaps to the moon. Or even, perhaps, to Mars."Las Vegas Spaceport would be intended for commercial and private space tourism.The company's 240-acre development site is a 15-minute helicopter ride from the Las Vegas Strip, which centers the city's thriving tourism industry.The city recently embraced <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f1-las-vegas-grand-prix-race-cost-fans-economic-boost-2023-11">Formula 1</a>, which generated $1.5 billion for the local economy in 2023, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/tourism/tourists-spent-big-money-in-las-vegas-during-f1-was-it-more-than-super-bowl-58-3031216/">The Las Vegas Review-Journal</a>. A report from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.billboard.com/business/touring/sphere-earnings-revenue-expansion-1235680231/">Billboard</a> said <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-who-created-las-vegas-sphere-venetian-concert-arena-photos-inside">the Sphere</a> in Las Vegas earned $170 million in third-quarter revenue.<div type="image" title="The Las Vegas Strip and Bellagio Water Fountain Show in Las Vegas, Nevada." height="3684" width="5488" msid="111903765" hostid="261" sizebytes="1206022"></div>The FAA's website lists 20 spaceport and launch and reentry sites in the United States, including <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-boca-chica-texas-starbase-bird-habitat-2024-7">SpaceX's Boca Chica facility</a>, but none in Nevada. The list includes FAA-licensed, non-FAA-licensed, and US federal sites.Introducing a spaceport could entice more tourists to spend time in the area, which, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, saw 40 million visitors in 2023.But the endeavor can be quite costly. The first seat on <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blue-origin-auction-spacecraft-jeff-bezos-winner-seat-astronaut-2021-6">New Shephard,</a> a spacecraft from Jeff Bezos' Blue Origins, auctioned for $28 million in 2021.<h2 id="d9d6d303-df23-40f5-addc-ce77accc54de">The spaceport would offer educational programs for potential flyers and a STEM program</h2><div type="image" title="Rendering of STEM Academy for Las Vegas Spaceport." height="2053" width="3264" msid="111903768" hostid="261" sizebytes="116224"></div>Space tourism is more popular than ever.<a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-inspiration4-first-space-tourists-return-to-earth-2021-9">SpaceX</a>, Elon Musk's astronautics company, successfully launched its first all-tourist flight to orbit in 2021. Richard Branson's <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/virgin-galactic-02-space-flight-launch-live-updates-2023-8">Virgin Galactic</a> completed its first space tourism mission in 2023.And <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blue-origin-new-shepard-delay-explainer-2024-5">Blue Origin</a> launched six tourists to the edge of space in May. <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/watch-live-jeff-bezos-blue-origin-space-launch-2021-7">The aerospace company</a> previously sent four commercial astronauts to space in 2021.Although space tourism is gaining traction, especially with billionaires, it's still out of reach for the everyday traveler.Las Vegas Spaceport wants to make traveling to the stars more accessible. The spaceport would offer civilian space flight acclimation training and a post-high school STEM academy where students can access flight simulators.The company also plans to construct a hotel, passenger terminal, rooftop observation deck, and restaurant at the spaceport.As smaller companies like Las Vegas Spaceport look to enter the industry, some travelers are already excited to take flight.A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that 35% of respondents would be interested in orbiting Earth in a spacecraft.The survey also said 55% of respondents believed people would "routinely travel" as space tourists in the next 50 years.<h2 id="0be733f9-6d40-40f6-bf28-1ffc1a293eb0">But first, Lauer wants to develop an airport</h2>Before erecting rocket pads and passenger hubs, the company is focused on phase one: securing official approval for The Las Vegas Executive Airport.Las Vegas Spaceport scored a win in May when the Clark County Commission "unanimously" approved construction permits for an airstrip, according to the <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="http://phase">Las Vegas Review-Journal</a>.Clark County officials told Business Insider that Las Vegas Spaceport applied for airstrip approval near Nye County."Although the application initially included reference to 'spacecraft' and 'spaceport,' those references were removed from the conditions at the time of approval of the application because the application was only for an airstrip," the statement said. "The County's granting of the application was conditioned upon approval of the FAA for the airstrip."The FAA told BI it received a proposal for an airport from Las Vegas Spaceport."After a thorough review, the FAA determined that the proposed Las Vegas Executive Airport would not affect the safety or efficiency of the surrounding airspace," the statement read.The FAA added that although the review found the airport wouldn't disrupt airspace, it "does not constitute an approval of the single-runway airport."Still, Lauer considered the FAA's review a necessary step toward reaching his ambitions, saying it is a "significant milestone in the journey toward realizing the Las Vegas Spaceport" in a statement to BI."This landmark decision paves the way for the next phase of this ambitious project, which is set to revolutionize space travel and tourism in Southern Nevada," he said.The statement added that the project had secured $10 million in pledges from investors, contingent on the FAA and Clark County approval.The company could start construction on the airport in three months.

A developer is planning a commercial spaceport near Las Vegas that includes a pilot school and STEM academy

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-back-to-back-shark-attacks-leave-3-swimmers-injured-2024-6">shark injured</a> four people near South Padre Island, Texas on the Fourth of July.</li><li>Two people were bitten, and at least one person was taken to the hospital.</li></ul>Fourth of July celebrations turned bloody when a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shark-attacks-united-states-most-by-state-2023-6">shark injured</a> several people near South Padre Island, Texas.The interactions included at least <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/where-shark-attacks-happen-most-world-us-australia-florida-2023-9">two bites</a>, according to ABC affiliate<a target="_blank" href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/south-padre-island-shark-attack/story?id=111677292"> KRGV</a>. The outlet reported that a single shark was involved in all four incidents. It's not clear what kind of shark it was.One man with a "severe" leg bite was treated and taken to the hospital. The shark also bit a second person and grazed a third. A fourth person was hurt trying to deter the shark, Texas game warden captain Chris Dowdy told KRGV.Paramedics treated <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shark-attacks-united-states-most-by-state-2023-6">one injured</a> woman on the beach, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYIZpZns-_A">according to KVEO</a>.South Padre Island police received a call about one of the bites at around 11 a.m. local time. The other incidents happened over the course of two hours, according to Dowdy. The shark was roughly 6 feet long, and witnesses said it appeared to be the one involved in all the interactions.Local police used a helicopter and drones to monitor the shark. After the incidents, it swam for open water, according to Dowdy.<h2 id="0fa23c35-fad8-48e4-b592-6bfab1352af8">The chances of being bitten by a shark are extremely low</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shark-attacks-what-are-odds-of-getting-bitten-2018-7">Shark attacks are rare</a> in general. In 2021, an 11-year-old was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/09/17/girl-11-hospitalized-from-suspected-shark-bite-while-swimming-on-south-padre-island-beach-report-says/">suspected</a> of receiving a shark bite on South Padre Island. But before today, Cameron County, where the island is located, only had seven confirmed unprovoked shark attacks, according to the Florida Museum's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/maps/world/">International Shark Attack File</a>."Shark bites are a function of the number of sharks, but also the number of humans in the water," Yannis Papastamatiou, an associate professor of biological sciences at Florida International University, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-stay-safe-when-swimming-near-shark-2023-7">told Business Insider</a> last year.Beach attendance has steadily risen across the US each year since the mid-1990s, according to the Florida Museum.Experts say to help stay safe from sharks, swimmers should stay away from schools of fish where sharks feed, stay close to shore, and stay in groups so it's more likely someone will spot a fin.Murky water also makes it harder for sharks to distinguish between people and their food. Swimming around dusk can be more dangerous because that's typically when sharks eat.

Single shark injures 4 different people on the same day

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canadian-super-pigs-wild-hogs-could-spread-us-2023-11">Feral pigs</a> cause billions of dollars in damage to properties and agriculture across the US.</li><li>The US has struggled to control the feral pig population, which is between 6 and 9 million.</li></ul>Across the US, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wild-boars-feral-hogs-menacing-cities-photos-2019-8">hogs are damaging</a> lawns, sprinkler systems, golf courses, and crops. The agricultural destruction alone is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest/topic/feral-swine-bomb">estimated</a> at $2.5 billion a year.Case in point, earlier this year, a video doorbell recorded footage of a pack of wild pigs rooting around a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/feral-hogs-tear-up-property-descend-on-city-in-corona-california-2021-11">suburban lawn</a> in San Antonio, Texas. It was the second time in a few weeks that hogs had ripped up grass in the neighborhood, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2024/01/01/video-wild-hogs-inflict-damage-on-far-west-side-neighborhood/">KSAT</a>, a local news station.In addition to doing lots of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wild-pigs-in-america-facts-damages-helicopters-si-report-2020-1">property damage</a>, the pigs also carry disease, breed quickly, are difficult to trap, and can be aggressive toward humans, feral pig expert Jack Mayer told Business Insider.The US has been trying to keep the feral pig population — estimated to be between 6 and 9 million — in check for over a decade. A handful of states have seen success, but others, like Texas, Florida, and Georgia, are struggling.For Mayer, a research scientist with the Savannah River National Laboratory, it's an uphill, ongoing battle. "They're very secretive," he said. And "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wild-boar-rescued-two-piglets-from-a-trap-2021-9">they're smart</a>, so they're tough to control."<h2 id="12cbda38-3d8e-4f95-86c8-d5feb4cdd8af">Feral pigs will eat almost anything</h2><div type="image" title="A man in a black jacket spreads pig feed near a fence in the woods" height="1500" width="2250" msid="111492705" hostid="261" sizebytes="743050"></div>Pigs didn't arrive in North America until the 1500s, so they're not a native species. By the mid-1600s, they were already a nuisance, destroying property and menacing children, <a target="_blank" href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/creatures-of-empire-9780195304466">according to</a> one New England colonist in 1658.In the centuries since, not much has slowed the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canadian-super-pigs-likely-to-invade-us-dakotas-montana-minnesota-2024-5">wild pig population</a> from expanding. A single sow can have as many as 10 piglets, <a target="_blank" href="https://dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/wildlife/feralswine.html">sometimes</a> twice a year. The feral hogs' genes are often a mix of wild boar and domestic pig.Even formerly domestic pigs can quickly adapt to life in the wild. "For whatever reason, domestic pigs go wilder quicker than any other species of domestic livestock that we have," Mayer said.Out in the wild, these omnivorous animals don't rely on humans to feed them. And <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/feral-hog-over-400-pounds-san-antonio-golf-course-captured-2019-9">they're not picky</a>. Mayer has seen feral hogs forage at landfills and feed on diapers, rubber bands, and plastic. In 2019, Louisiana researchers <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nola.com/news/environment/whats-inside-a-feral-hogs-stomach-you-name-it/article_7970e24e-2443-11ea-a1cb-8fd30c0206c3.html">found</a> dozens of native species, from acorns to salamanders to turtles, in their stomachs.While they're often a bit leaner than their domesticated relatives, the feral pigs can still get to be 250 pounds, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/operational-wildlife-activities/feral-swine/identification">according to the USDA</a>. This means as they move about in urban and suburban areas, they can cause traffic accidents, Mayer said.Deadly interactions between <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/woman-killed-by-feral-hogs-outside-home-in-texas-2019-11">humans and pigs</a> are very rare in the US. Worldwide, though, Mayer found that feral hogs killed 172 people between 2000 and 2019.Most of the attacks are defensive, he said, and happen when, "for whatever reason, they feel threatened." The hogs have sharp teeth and tusks and can run fast.<div type="image" title="A man in shorts, a tank top, and hat walks by a muddy area in the middle of grass" height="1500" width="2250" msid="111492704" hostid="261" sizebytes="1126300"></div>They're also vectors for dozens of diseases and parasites found in their feces, fluids, and <a target="_blank" href="https://feralhogs.tamu.edu/parasite-borne-diseases/">undercooked</a> meat. One of Mayer's biggest worries is that they could spread African swine fever to domestic animals. Humans can't catch the disease, but it's deadly for pigs.Asian countries have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.844209/full">slaughtered</a> millions of pigs to try and stop the outbreak of the virus. European countries are taking similar measures.If the virus arrives in North America, "it's going to spread, and it's going to be ugly," Mayer said.<h2 id="c3c744f6-f29a-49b0-ac16-6e733fb9c674">A losing battle to control the wild pig population</h2>Because hogs reproduce so quickly, some states <a target="_blank" href="https://dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/wildlife/feralswine.html">estimate</a> that they would need to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-cassidy-says-people-need-ar-15s-kill-feral-pigs-2022-5">reduce the population</a> size by 60% to 70% each year to keep the numbers from growing.Currently, many states trap and euthanize pigs. In 2011, Texas passed the "pork-chopper bill," which allows <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-hunts-wild-boars-feral-hogs-bow-arrow-2020-1">feral hog hunting</a> from helicopters. But <a target="_blank" href="https://woub.org/2024/06/16/ohio-house-passes-bill-allowing-landowners-to-shoot-feral-pigs-without-license-2/">Ohio</a> and Kentucky are currently working on banning pig hunting. Some experts believe it can actually make the problem worse, since hunted pigs tend to become more secretive and harder to trap.Texas and Oklahoma recently announced they'll begin using a substance with warfarin, similar to rat poison, to help control their feral hog populations.<div type="image" title="Two feral pigs in the Florida Everglades" height="1500" width="2250" msid="111492706" hostid="261" sizebytes="288110"></div>"This is going to be potentially another tool in the toolbox," Mayer said, "but the people in the US never have really warmed up to the use of poisons for any kind of wildlife." It's a move many have opposed in the past because of its potential effects on wildlife that eat poisoned animals, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/texas-feral-hog-problem-swine-country/">Texas Monthly</a> reported in 2023.Mayer said another factor that makes controlling wild hogs difficult is that the entire country is a mosaic of different methods. And not everyone wants them gone, he said."You've got some people that love them, some people that hate them," he said, "and because of that, I don't think we're ever going to get rid of them."

Dangerous feral hogs that destroy lawns and eat plastic are growing across the US, and states can't kill them fast enough

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ukraine managed to down a Russian Mi-28 helicopter using a drone, Ukrainian media reported.</li><li>Footage appeared to show a drone striking the helicopter's rear propeller in Kursk, Russia.</li></ul>Ukraine's military took out a Russian Mi-28 military helicopter using a cheap remote-controlled aerial drone, according to reports.Sources from Ukraine's SBU intelligence agency told Ukrainian outlets<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://suspilne.media/808225-sbu-vrazila-rosijskij-gelikopter-za-dopomogou-fpv-drona-dzerela/"> Suspline</a> and the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.kyivpost.com/post/37031">Kyiv Post </a>that Ukrainian special forces used a first-person view (FPV) remotely-guided drone to take down the helicopter in Kursk Oblast in Russia.This is where Russia's defense ministry said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-kursk-war-russia-six-miles-kremlin-large-scale-provocation-2024-8#:~:text=Ukraine%20launched%20a%20rare%20assault,in%20response%20to%20the%20incursion.">Ukrainian forces had this week launched</a> a rare cross-border attack.Russia said a state of emergency had been declared in Kursk following Tuesday's cross-border raid. It said the raid<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-kursk-war-russia-six-miles-kremlin-large-scale-provocation-2024-8"> involved 1,000 Ukrainian troops,</a> 11 tanks, and more than 20 armored combat vehicles.Footage published by the outlets showed a drone apparently flying into the propeller at the back of the helicopter and detonating.The Kyiv Post, citing Russian military bloggers, said that Russia had lost two helicopters, including a Ka-52 attack helicopter and the Mi-28 in the attack.Basic FPV drones cost are believed to cost between $500 and $1,000, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://dronexl.co/2024/03/22/autonomous-combat-ukraine-terminator-drones/">Drone XL</a>. A Mi-28 military helicopter is estimated to cost around $18 million, per <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.defensemirror.com/news/35757/New_Russian_Made_Mi_28_Attack_Helicopter_Crashes_in_Western_Uganda#:~:text=The%20ill%2Dfated%20Mi%2D28,such%20rotorcraft%20acquired%20in%202022">Defense Mirror.</a>This isn't the first time Ukraine is believed to have successfully attacked a Russian helicopter using drones.In July, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-low-cost-drone-destroy-russian-helicopter-mi8-donetsk-2024-8">Russian military bloggers</a> said that Ukraine had shot down a Russian Mi-8 military helicopter using drones in Donetsk, east Ukraine.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-july-7-2024">According to reports,</a> Ukraine has also scored recent successes using FPV drones to intercept more expensive Russian reconnaissance drones.The Ukrainian military has innovated the use of cheap drones to surveil the battlefield and fitted them with bombs to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-russia-locked-cat-and-mouse-game-drone-production-official-2024-6#:~:text=Ukraine%20and%20Russia%20are%20in,Ukrainian%20official%20told%20Business%20Insider.">attack Russian armored vehicles and military positions.</a>The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US think tank, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-7-2024">said Wednesday</a> that if Ukraine can build on its recent successes using the "relatively cheap and widely-available" drones, it could conserve its air defense systems.Ukraine has improvized and innovated to offset Russia's huge manpower and equipment advantages during the two-year war against the Russian invasion.Russia has also boosted the number of drones it's using on the battlefield and is getting better at using electronic warfare against Ukraine, but Ukraine is believed to have the edge when it comes to technological innovation, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/ukraines-innovative-drone-industry-helps-counter-putins-war-machine/">analysts at the Atlantic Council said in January.</a>"Russian and Ukrainian forces are engaged in a technological offense-defense race and Ukraine's ability to field technological innovations at scale ahead of Russian adaptations is crucial for Ukraine's ability to offset Russia's current materiel advantages," the ISW said Wednesday.

A cheap Ukrainian drone managed to take out an $18 million Russian military helicopter: reports

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A low-flying helicopter sparked a mating frenzy at a crocodile farm in Australia.</li><li>It's currently courtship season for saltwater crocs on the continent. </li></ul>You might expect the whirring blades of a helicopter to spark concern or annoyance from animals in the vicinity. But for the reptilian residents of a crocodile farm, a low-flying chopper seemed to signal mating season. "All of the big males got up and roared and bellowed up at the sky, and then after the helicopters left they mated like mad," John Lever, owner of the Koorana Crocodile Farm in Queensland, Australia, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-01/croc-sex-frenzy-rockhampton-chinook-helicopter-aphrodisiac/102914902" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told ABC</a>.It's not quite clear what about the Chinook helicopter excited the crocs, but experts suspect the animals may have mistaken it for a thunderstorm. That's right, thunderstorms really get crocs riled up.<h2>Crocodilian courtship</h2>October and November are spring months for Australia and are typical <a href="https://environment.des.qld.gov.au/wildlife/animals/living-with/crocodiles/about-crocodiles/estuarine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mating periods</a> for the country's saltwater crocodiles. It's also the rainy season, when <a href="https://www.acs.gov.au/pages/severe-thunderstorms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thunderstorms</a> are common for parts of the continent. "Usually, mating is a seasonal thing because [crocodiles] want to coincide with the best time to lay their eggs in a burrow or nest," herpetologist Mark O'Shea from the University of Wolverhampton told <a href="https://www.livescience.com/animals/alligators-crocodiles/they-mated-like-mad-low-flying-helicopter-sparks-massive-crocodile-orgy-in-australia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Live Science</a>. Mating during the stormy season means that when females lay their eggs weeks later, the weather is usually less severe so their eggs will have a lower risk of drowning in a flood.So the timing seemed right, and the sound and vibrations from the chopper may have mimicked a thunderstorm signaling to the male crocs that it was go time. The motion of the Chinook's blades may have also caused changes in the barometric pressure similar to a storm. Or, another theory, is that the crocodiles may have mistaken the helicopter's roar for the bellows and splashing tails of other males, O'Shea said. Whatever the cause, the next step will be for the female crocodiles to make nests for their eggs. Using soil and rotting vegetation, they create mounds where dozens of eggs incubate. Over the course of about three months, the mothers then <a href="https://www.insider.com/cambodian-farmer-killed-40-crocodiles-2023-5">aggressively protect</a> their eggs. Lever's farm has about 3,000 of the reptiles, which he raises for their meat and leather and as a tourist attraction.

A helicopter sparked a massive crocodile mating sex frenzy when they probably mistook the sound for a giant thunderstorm

See inside the Airbus A400M Atlas military plane made famous by Tom Cruise that can carry helicopters and land on beaches

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Six Marriott hotels in New York City are providing free airport transfers by helicopter.</li><li>They're offering the Blade rides to guests in select suites at some of its most luxurious hotels.</li></ul>Six of Marriott's most <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-luxury-hotel-brands-in-the-world-belmond-four-seasons">luxurious hotels</a> in New York City are offering free <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/i-flew-in-helicopter-for-first-time-ever-heliflite-review-2023-7">helicopter</a> airport transfers to some of their top-paying guests.Marriott <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/luxury-group-flies-onto-the-scene-with-blade-collaboration-elevating-and-redefining-summer-travel-in-new-york-city-302188434.html">said</a> on Tuesday that some guests staying for two nights or more in select suites at the hotels, all of which are part of its Luxury Group, would get complimentary roundtrip helicopter transfers to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-helicopter-like-electric-aircraft-fly-people-hamptons-blade-beta-2023-2">operated by Blade</a>.Marriott said that guests could get from the airport to central Manhattan "in as few as five minutes, dramatically reducing high-traffic commute time."Offering high-class perks is a way for luxury hotels to differentiate themselves in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/luxury-travel-advisors-on-industry-popularity-career-opportunities-2024-6">crowded market</a> and make guests feel like they're getting more for their money.Kathleen Reidenbach, senior vice president of marketing and commercial for IHG hotels and resorts, told <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/luxury-hotels-going-to-war-to-win-over-richest-travellers/">The Telegraph</a> that perks build brand loyalty "and leave lasting impressions."Marriott said the helicopter would land at one of Blade's helipads on East 34th Street or West 30th Street, where the guests would be chauffeured to their hotels. It's also offering the service in reverse for guests returning to the airport.The service, which is being offered between July 1 and September 2, is available at the following:<ul><li>The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad, including the Ritz-Carlton Suite, the Liberty Suite, and the Penthouse Residences.</li><li>The St. Regis New York, including the 5th Avenue Suite, the Grand Suite, the St. Regis Suite, and the Madison Suite.</li><li>JW Marriott Essex House New York, including the Delacorte Presidential Suite, the Meadow Terrace Suite, and the Artisans Terrace Suite.</li><li>W New York — Union Square, including the WOW and EWOW suites.</li><li>The New York EDITION, including the Madison Suite, the Flatiron Suite, the Park Suite, and the Penthouse Suite.</li><li>The Luxury Collection Hotel Manhattan Midtown, including the Sky Suite with 1 King Bed, the Atrium Suite with 1 King Bed, and the Penthouse on 54.</li></ul>Blade, which was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blade-ceo-on-his-6-year-journey-as-startup-founder-2020-12">founded in 2014</a>, offers both shared and private helicopter services in the US, Canada, and Europe.It also operates a medical service and <a target="_blank" href="https://ir.blade.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/94/blade-air-mobility-reports-financial-results-for-the-first">describes itself</a> as "one of the largest transporters of human organs for transplant."Blade offers transfers between JFK or Newark and Manhattan from $195 per seat each way. This includes ground transport between the airport and the helicopter's landing pad.But passengers are only able to bring one commercial airline carry-on and one personal item each, with a total maximum weight of 25 pounds, Blade says — passengers who want to bring more than this will need to pay for a Tote Taxi service.Marriott said that all guests staying at the above hotels, regardless of their suite, would have access to "exclusive rates" for Blade's helicopter airport transfers and car transfers.

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