Best GA Airport Option for Brooklyn

Fearless Tower

Fearless Tower

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Fearless Tower
Making a short notice day trip up to Brooklyn and interested in other's thoughts/experiences on best GA airport option.

Need to get to a guitar shop in Brooklyn.

Right now, planning on flying into FRG and either renting a car or Uber. LGA is not an option for GA. JFK FBO has the WORST reviews. I always vowed that I won't go to TEB unless someone is paying me.

Haven't been to Linden before. Looks like it might save 10-15 minutes of transit time, but no tower and FBO services sound lacking.

Any thoughts? Is FRG best option?
 
I fly out of Caldwell (KCDW), but in your circumstance I'd recommend Linden.
As long as you either go IFR or stay out of the Bravo airspace, you should be fine.
 
Who cares if there's no tower, but ye gods! is fuel expensive at Linden.
 
What guitar shop justifies flying a Twin Beech to get there? I think I’m ready to make some New Year’s resolutions now…
 
iamtheari said:
What guitar shop justifies flying a Twin Beech to get there? I think I’m ready to make some New Year’s resolutions now…
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Retrofret. Shopping for a vintage Martin.

And to be honest, that’s only 60% of the reason. The other 40% is I just wanted an excuse to fly. I’m under budget this year on avgas.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Retrofret. Shopping for a vintage Martin.

And to be honest, that’s only 60% of the reason. The other 40% is I just wanted an excuse to fly. I’m under budget this year on avgas.
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eman's logbook could use some dual B18 entries.....
 
Fearless Tower said:
Making a short notice day trip up to Brooklyn and interested in other's thoughts/experiences on best GA airport option.

Need to get to a guitar shop in Brooklyn.

Right now, planning on flying into FRG and either renting a car or Uber. LGA is not an option for GA. JFK FBO has the WORST reviews. I always vowed that I won't go to TEB unless someone is paying me.

Haven't been to Linden before. Looks like it might save 10-15 minutes of transit time, but no tower and FBO services sound lacking.

Any thoughts? Is FRG best option?
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If you want distance to Brooklyn, JFK is best, also have to consider the fees. Depending on the time of day it can take more than an hour to get to Brooklyn from FRG, Linden could be a better option, but getting to Brooklyn can take a while as well.
 
I can't comment on ground transportation from Linden to Brooklyn, but Linden is fine to fly into. FBO was friendly when I flew there, and fees were something like $20-25 if I remember right. Didn't get fuel. Believe the pattern altitude is lower than standard because it's under all the controlled airspace, but not positive.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Making a short notice day trip up to Brooklyn and interested in other's thoughts/experiences on best GA airport option.

Need to get to a guitar shop in Brooklyn.

Right now, planning on flying into FRG and either renting a car or Uber. LGA is not an option for GA. JFK FBO has the WORST reviews. I always vowed that I won't go to TEB unless someone is paying me.

Haven't been to Linden before. Looks like it might save 10-15 minutes of transit time, but no tower and FBO services sound lacking.

Any thoughts? Is FRG best option?
Click to expand...
Why is a tower a deciding factor?
 
Fearless Tower said:
Retrofret. Shopping for a vintage Martin.

And to be honest, that’s only 60% of the reason. The other 40% is I just wanted an excuse to fly. I’m under budget this year on avgas.
Click to expand...
Why does this got me thinking about ‘The Weight?’ Martins are made in Nazareth
and a trip to the factory inspired the song.

 
KHPN is close to a train/subway. Depending on what direction you are coming from this would be pretty easy.
 
Ground transport from Westchester should be a lot easier then. From NJ you have to cross the river and that's a delay. Landing fees there may be high? I'm not sure what high means, though, most of my local pilot friends are pretty frugal.
 
HPN and FRG are likely your best options. Million Air at HPN is excellent and if you take on fuel (20 gallons?) they’ll wave the ramp fees. Any of the FBOs should be able to drop you off at the metro north train station for transportation to grand central where you can transfer to the subway into Brooklyn. For FRG the fbo can drop you off at the LIRR station.
 
Last time I needed to go to Brooklyn (high school school reunion), I used ISP. Pretty easy in and out.
 
I will throw my vote in for FRG. When i travel home via GA, FRG is the airport of choice. If you choose public transportation, then LIRR is the best option. Off-peak trains every hour with with a transfer at Jamaica for trains to Brooklyn.( East New York , Nostrand Ave., or Atlantic Terminal)

While JFK is much closer; the fees have scared me away. ISP is also an option, but its further out on Long Island and a longer LIRR ride.

White Plains (HPN) has Metro-North options into Manhattan(Grand Central Terminal) then subway options into brooklyn.

NJ airports are also option, but dont ha e any experience there.

Of course all mentioned airport have car rentals available.
 
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Your best choices for Brooklyn are either HPN or FRG. Both will be about the same to Brooklyn give or take 15 minutes. FRG will probably be a few minutes closer assuming traffic doesn't kill you. I go to NYC several times a year and am quite familiar. Linden is tough to get to NYC from since there are no Ubers or Rental cars.
 
Steve S said:
Linden is tough to get to NYC from since there are no Ubers or Rental cars.
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I learned to fly at Linden (back when there were two runways!). I can’t believe there isn’t Uber availability there. Even if not, there’s still taxis. The Linden train station is a 5-10 minute ride from the airport, then a 35 minute train ride into NY Penn. From there subway options to Brooklyn.
The Class B shelf is +800 there, so the TPA is right at 800. Also, if I remember correctly, RWY9 you have to enter on the upwind leg.
 
Coming up IFR from the south, FRG is probably a better bet. IFR into HPN could put you on a routing heading "up state" before heading inbound.
 
weilke said:
Floyd Bennett field.
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Man I wish that was a viable GA airport. It would put you right in the Flatbush/Kings Plaza/Mill Basin area.. No subway access, but plenty of Bus options..
unfortunately the NYPD uses that place, among other activities.. It would be a nightmare for JFK traffic for sure.
 
When you NY please turn out the lights. . . .
 
Albany Tom said:
Ground transport from Westchester should be a lot easier then. From NJ you have to cross the river and that's a delay. Landing fees there may be high? I'm not sure what high means, though, most of my local pilot friends are pretty frugal.
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I don't think crossing the river is any worse than LIE traffic - at least with river, you can take train, ferry, or path if the roads are really blocked.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Retrofret. Shopping for a vintage Martin.

And to be honest, that’s only 60% of the reason. The other 40% is I just wanted an excuse to fly. I’m under budget this year on avgas.
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From what I know about Martins you should probably be flying into ABE.
 
nj-pilot said:
I don't think crossing the river is any worse than LIE traffic - at least with river, you can take train, ferry, or path if the roads are really blocked.
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I'm sure you're right. My trips to NYC are pretty infrequent these days, and long island less than that. There are so few ways out, and none of them great. I was thinking more of any airports north of the city. At least with those, you can escape north if needed.
 
I had a good experience at KTEB but if going to Brooklyn I would try to get something on that side.
 
RDUPilot said:
Man I wish that was a viable GA airport. It would put you right in the Flatbush/Kings Plaza/Mill Basin area.. No subway access, but plenty of Bus options..
unfortunately the NYPD uses that place, among other activities.. It would be a nightmare for JFK traffic for sure.
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My understanding is that NYC wanted to convert it into a GA airport, the NYS governor wanted to sell it off to his buddies for real estate development and Richard Nixon decided to turn it into a national park. As for its influence on JFK: They ran an entire naval air station and a Coast Guard Station on the place from when JFK opened in 1948 until the closing of Floyd Bennet in 1970. So whatever interference between the two places may have existed, it must have been manageable.
 
Long Island — McArthur Airport — Islip. Easy train ride into NYC.
 
weilke said:
Floyd Bennett field.
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I sure wish that was an option!

I ended up going to FRG and did the Uber thing. Pricey (particularly on the return trip due to fighting rush hour), but ultimately worth it.

Ended up bringing 2 guitars back with me. Not the kind of thing I’d want to have to deal with on public transportation.
 
Fearless Tower said:
My rule for TEB is someone has to be paying me to fly there.
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We have friends in North Jersey and TEB was the most convenient option. I didn't find it cost prohibitive to stay there for a weekend. I don't know how many gallons of their overpriced fuel I had to buy, but it waived the parking fee. The airport itself was something like $15 for the landing fee.
 
FRG is most likely the best choice. All other options except for ISP are of the main land of Long Island and travel to Brooklyn will require bridge/tunnel crossings which can be a nightmare. I am out of Long Beach and FRG is where I operate from (not currently active). If you are interested I would be happy to assist in any way. I can chauffeur you around Brooklyn since I grew up there and I do share interest in guitars. PM me directly if interested.
 
One other option is KBDR -- Bridgeport, CT. Nice airport. Rent a car and take a short drive and catch the auto ferry to Port Jefferson, Long Island. Drive into Brooklyn, reverse commute on the Long Island Expressway post morning rush hour. Puts a little spice into the boring trip to Brooklyn...
 
Dan Gordon said:
One other option is KBDR -- Bridgeport, CT. Nice airport. Rent a car and take a short drive and catch the auto ferry to Port Jefferson, Long Island. Drive into Brooklyn, reverse commute on the Long Island Expressway post morning rush hour. Puts a little spice into the boring trip to Brooklyn...
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Trains, plains and automobiles....

That trip plan lacks a funicular.
 
Dan Gordon said:
One other option is KBDR -- Bridgeport, CT. Nice airport. Rent a car and take a short drive and catch the auto ferry to Port Jefferson, Long Island. Drive into Brooklyn, reverse commute on the Long Island Expressway post morning rush hour. Puts a little spice into the boring trip to Brooklyn...
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That can easily be 2 to 3 hours each way on the ground depending on traffic.
 
FRG is your best bet. Stay away from Linden if you've never flown there. You'll be right underneath the approach/departure of Newark International with zero margin for error. They'll also take you to the cleaners when it comes to fuel.
 
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