CBS 2 and CW 11 Share Chopper

Richard Huff reports in the Daily News this morning that CBS 2 and CW 11 will share a helicopter. The partnership, which starts tomorrow, will reportedly save each station half a million dollars. Last spring, FOX 5 began sharing its chopper with NBC 4, leading to NBC 4's reporter/photographer Jim Smith returning to CBS 2.

Chopper 2 Returns To The Skies

This morning, Chopper 2 was back in the air reporting on the great getaway for this Thanksgiving holiday. This is the first time it has been overhead New York City since the September 11th attacks. Chopper 2 was also covering the roads and highways this evening on CBS 2 News. The Daily News reports that CBS 2, along with WABC-TV, have received waivers from the FAA. This lets Chopper 2 and "NewsCopter7" fly in areas that WNBC's "Chopper4", WNYW's "Sky Fox", and WPIX's "Air 11" cannot. The reason that Channels 4, 5, and 11 haven't obtained this waiver is because of their pilots' license levels.

Chopper 2 Tour

Kevin and David tell me that CBSNEWYORK.com has added a slideshow of Chopper 2! It includes pictures of Jim Smith and Joe Biermann, and Chopper 2 covering some big news stories. To see this virtual tour, including video of a Chopper 2 landing, click here.