VFR to KJFK?

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mtuomi

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I know it is expensive (how expensive?), and completely pointless, but its a bit of a bucket list thing for me.

Has anyone got recent experience getting in/out to KJFK in VFR? How bad was it? Did you have to leave your other kidney to afford it?
 
it's NY, think you even have to pay tolls in the traffic pattern.
 
Depends on the time of day. Anything approaching prime time will be over a hundred dollars landing fee ($140 last time I checked). It can be as low as $25. The other problem is that I believe they nixed the public ramp, so you're now stuck being gouged by the FBO for whatever ramp fee they want. Call the FBO and ask for the menu of fees.
 
You'll need to be on your A-game, have a high limit on your credit card, and be ready to wait for a hole in the stream. And don't show up between 3pm and 8pm local.

And IFR is a whole 'nother story -- see Part 93 for details.
SPECIAL AIR TFC RULES-PART 93 HIGH DENSITY ARPT. PROR RESERVATION REQUIRED. SEE AERONAUTICAL INFORMATION MANUAL.
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Ive flown into to JFK three times in Cessna's.

Do's:

1) Call in advance to coordinate your arrival. They will tell you when is the best time to show up

2) Study the taxi diagram BEFORE you go. JFK is a spiderweb of taxiways and you should be familiar with the location of the GA terminal BEFORE you get there.

3) Purchase AVGAS elsewhere! last time I was there it was upwards of 8 dollars per gallon and that was over 4 years ago!

Donts:

1) Show up during their peak hours of operation (before 10AM and after 3PM)

2) Be caught on the radio sounding like you are unsure of yourself. they will kick you out of there faster than you can say "roger"

During OFF PEAK times the landing fee was $25, at peak times I was told that the landing fee is $100 per thousand pounds. Also I believe that parking was $50 per 8 hours.

Have fun!
 
Good luck,let us know how it goes.
 
mtuomi said:
I know it is expensive (how expensive?), and completely pointless, but its a bit of a bucket list thing for me.

Has anyone got recent experience getting in/out to KJFK in VFR? How bad was it? Did you have to leave your other kidney to afford it?
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I'd like to do that too. That is the way I would do it. call and schedule a time even if it is 2am....imagine the scenery.
 
I'm thinking of doing it in the evening. Land just before the sun sets, take off in the dark and fly back to KFRG. Should be pretty amazing!

I will keep you posted!
 
avoid using the term "Allāhu Akbar"

Seriously! A guy got shot in Israeli for shouting it at the wailing wall. He probably thought it would be funny. Who knows he is not around to tell us why.
 
Landing at JFK is something I'd like to do also. Although I'd rather land at EWR or LGA first, just because I used to install and repair the runway/taxiway lighting and signs at those airports. So I would really enjoy flying in and recording my landing.

There's something about 11/29 at EWR that I've always wanted to takeoff and land on that runway.

Any VFR light aircraft pilots here with experience flying into EWR ?
 
Been there twice IFR and once VFR. The VFR arrival was _ugly_ because I eventually worked out that they thought I was a helicopter. You don't wanna know what the 5 minutes leading up to that realization looked like...

I didn't call ahead other than to check pricing. Landing fee is based on weight, then there's the "pain in the ass" tax if you show up during peak hours.

Try to mimic a jet profile as closely as possible if your plane allows :) Otherwise, just keep your speed up the best you can and I'm sure they'll fit you in.

The parking fee charged by the FBO is based on an 8 hour clock as Ben said.
 
I flew into JFK when my friends beater 14 year old Ford Escort got stolen in the employee parking lot . . . . he calls me up at 10pm after a trip home from EGE and literally begs me to come get him - no cars at any of the majors at JFK and the locals won't let him take a car to the wilds of CT - and the limo companies said they could get him at 4am.

So I did. He cut a deal with JFK ops to let me taxi to the construction zone of terminal 9, gave me a code to give Ground and make sure they landed me on 31R. They would anyway. Got to the airport at 1030p - pulled the Viking out of the Hangar - and was on final at 1125.

Landed long on 31R - pulled left off at Whiskey - and immediately got yelled at by Tower - I yelled back at him I was going to the construction area at Terminal 9, Code XXXX and he calmed down and told me to contact ground. I did. Gave ground the code - saw a flashing white light - taxied over there - saw my friend - he had a handheld and gave him the handsign for 123.45 and told him to walk to the rear of the airplane and get in.

Call ground for a VFR Class B departure to the NE with FF, got a clearance over the top of LGA @ 3000 then Direct Bridgeport. After take off tower instructed me to make an immediate right turn direct LGA so I reefed it over, pulled up the gear and flaps and indicating 150 in a heartbeat -

The challenge to a Class B airport is the complex taxiways . . . not the flying.
 
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I took a Cherokee in there once

MachFly said:
I finally got around to landing at Kennedy.

For some reason I expected it to be very difficult and for ATC to give me some super complicated procedure that I've never heard of before. It wasn't a hard flight, just like any other bravo airport, nothing special.
I planned the flight for 0230 (local) so I wouldn't have to pay all the super expensive fees. Then I also took one of the employees of the FBO with me so when I arrived they'd wave all the fees. The only fees that I still had to pay were the $25 landing fee and the $70 port authority fee, I can't remember what the normal day time fees are but they are significantly higher.
For the flight itself I didn't really want to go IFR but if I was to have any chance of being allowed to land I needed them to expect me. So I filed an IFR flight plan and in the remarks section I wrote that I will be flying VFR. When I asked for flight following I just told them that I have an IFR flight plan on file for this route and made their job easier.
The approach into the airport was not complicated at all, they just gave me a few vectors, put me on final and cleared me to land. They even let me land on the runway they were using for departs because it was significantly closer to the FBO I was going to.
Taxiing around the airport was a bit problematic because there were a whole bunch of taxiways, and long instructions. But I did fine without even asking for progressive.
On the way back I did exactly the same thing. After take off as soon as I passed 500ft they cleared me direct.
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mtuomi said:
I'm thinking of doing it in the evening. Land just before the sun sets, take off in the dark and fly back to KFRG. Should be pretty amazing!

I will keep you posted!
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I wouldn't do that. It's the busiest time and will cost you like $500.

Call Sheltair, find out the fees for different times. The number is 347-566-6620.
Then give the tower a call and find out any special procedures. Ask Sheltair for the tower's number, I can't find it in my phone book.

I recommend you review the taxiway diagram and know exactly where your going on the field. Don't ask for a touch & go or a taxi back, they won't give you. You will be required to taxi to Sheltair (the only FBO on the field). At Sheltair you don't have to shut down or get out of the plane, give them a call on the radio and say "hi." Then call clearance for a clearance to get out of there.
 
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I would really love to fly in for the Runway Run, it's a 5k they do on one of the runways to support the Rotary Club.

Is the airport less busy on Sunday mornings than a weekday morning???

http://www.jfkrunwayrun.org/main/
 
"Deltaeightysixjfkgroundtakewhiskeybravonovemberalphanovemberalphatotheramp"
 
I'd like to do this on a straight in on 22L or 22R as my house is between both finals about 4nm from the airport
 
momalley said:
I'd like to do this on a straight in on 22L or 22R as my house is between both finals about 4nm from the airport
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Yeah we see them right after you, in Valley Stream:).
When I drive to work on the Belt Parkway, I see them flying the "Parkway Visual" to 13L/R, following the Lead-in lights along the right-hand arc.

God I'd love to fly that approach.
 
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I just think it would be an interesting challenge.
I will make a few phone calls tomorrow.
 
Setting yourself up for a let down IMO.

But...if'n you just gotta do it then set it up for a day where you can follow the curved leadin lights to the PARKWAY Visual 13 L/R.
 
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Groundpounder said:
You're going there just to log it? I figured there was a real reason for going there. Never mind
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Exactly. Just going there for fun and the challenge of it.

They recommended to call after this Fridays TFR is gone, seemed like during certain times of the day, VFR GA is most welcome.
 
MachFly said:
What's wrong with that?
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mtuomi said:
Exactly. Just going there for fun and the challenge of it.

They recommended to call after this Fridays TFR is gone, seemed like during certain times of the day, VFR GA is most welcome.
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I can't fathom going to JFK just for the heck of it. That place is a nightmare, and having a light ga airplane in the mix with heavy airliners creates a headache for everyone.
 
I suggest going in sometime after 1am and leaving before 4am. That's when you'll have the most success getting in there.
 
Groundpounder said:
I can't fathom going to JFK just for the heck of it. That place is a nightmare, and having a light ga airplane in the mix with heavy airliners creates a headache for everyone.
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I've been there and to a number of other bravos, as long as you can follow instructions and understand the procedures it's not going to be a problem.
 
If a few hundred commercial planes can get in and out a day, why can't a GA plane do that too?
 
mtuomi said:
If a few hundred commercial planes can get in and out a day, why can't a GA plane do that too?
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The difficulty a lot of people imply is that the system is designed to work primarily for the airliners and their speed. Most GA planes are a bit slower. You will be asked to keep your speed up all the way until the short final (might need to keep it firewalled depending on what your flying), and then do a slip, drop flaps, land, and take the first possible taxiway (unless instructed otherwise).

The other concern is that all those airliners have a full crew that is used to operating at busy airports, most GA pilots operate without a crew and are not used to such high density traffic environments. So review all the procedures, taxiway diagram, and maybe bring a second pilot to copy clearances and stuff while your flying.

But don't worry about it, just prepare for the flight and you'll do fine.
 
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