GA Life near Manhattan

I'll be moving to Manhattan from Los Angeles (does it get any more extreme?)
next month.

Any advice or relevant anecdotes out there to help me gather some leads
about continuing my flying hobby from there? I've been renting (in L.A.) -
usually from the FBO where I did my training.
I'm IFR rated with about 300hrs., and am pretty OK with the (busy) L.A.
airspace and ATC. I haven't looked at a NY sectional yet.

I've just started to look at airports near to where I will be (using Airnav,
FS2004 and other web tools), and I found "Linden" (LDJ) and "Essex" (CDW).
In fact, there appears to be a flying club that has a presence at both of
those.

I guess my main concern is easy transportation to/from these (or any other)
airports I might use, as I will be giving up my car (I hear it's a luxury
*not* to have a car living in Manhattan), and to learn about possible
desitations (nice places to go for a day or a weekend).

Any leads, tips or general discussion of GA from people living in/around
Manhattan would be great!

"Marty Ross" wrote in message
...
I'll be moving to Manhattan from Los Angeles (does it get any more
extreme?)
next month.

Well... welcome to the Smoggy Northeast ... I suppose.

Linden is easily accessible from the train. There's a train you take at Penn
Station on 33rd street and you get off at linden station.

It's about 15-20 minutes walk in a really industrial area from the station
to the airport, so if you take a cab that's gonna work better. it's only 2
minutes with a cab and it shouldn't be too bad. You can walk it ... it's
relatively safe ... just not pleasant sight-seeing.

Plenty of cabs at the station waiting around so if you get the number of a
cabbie you can have him/her wait for you when you are done and need to go
back home.

The flying club you are referring to is the Paramus Flight Club:

http://www.flyingclub.org/

It's very nice, VERY well maintained planes. I took a ride in their 182 with
one of the members and it's a pleasure to fly. I believe it's 70 wet on tach
+ 4k to get in and 100$ a month. You might wanna check the prices though
cause I haven't looked into that in a while. Plenty of people from NY use
this club and pretty much do what I just told you: train from penn station
to linden, cab from station to airport.

They have a 150 hours minimum to get in and you should be ok. You need to be
checked in (checkride) before you can fly. Not a problem, since plenty of
members are CFIs.

If you are really curious here's a few pics of the 182 they have at linden:
http://www.thepilotlounge.com/script...554&hl=skylane

and my recount of the flight:
http://www.thepilotlounge.com/script...?showtopic=561

Good luck with your move! Those are NEVER fun!

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community - http://www.thepilotlounge.com

Marty Ross wrote:

Any leads, tips or general discussion of GA from people living in/around
Manhattan would be great!

Marty:

I did all all my real flight training at CDW. I've checked out, and rented,
at FBOs at Lincoln Park and Teterboro as well. I'm a member of the club to
which you've referred at both Caldwell and Linden (The Paramus Flying Club,
at http://flyingclub.org/).

Up until almost a year ago, the club was based at Teterboro. The decision
was made to base aircraft at both Linden and Caldwell precisely because
Linden was more convenient for NYCers w/o cars (while Caldwell is more
convenient to most members in NJ).

It is possible to get to CDW w/o a car, but it apparently involves some
effort.

However, as I'm one of those NJ-ers with a car, I cannot speak from personal
experience. Why not join us for one of our monthly meetings, and ask
there? Alternatively, I can put you in touch with some of the car-less NYC
members via email (which may be more immediate, but not as much fun).

Depending upon where you are in NYC, you should also consider HPN. There's
a club (Westchester Flying Club, at http://wtc-hpn.org/ there that
appears to be quite nice, and it may be more convenient for you than Linden
or Caldwell via mass transit.

I know that there's at least one other club at Linden, but I don't know the
details (or even recall the name right now..."Richmond", perhaps?).

Since you posted to homebuilt...if your interests are in that direction,
there's an EAA chapter (501, at http://eaa501.org/)at Lincoln Park that
has a number of people building their own aircraft. Caldwell also has a
chapter(73, at http://eaa73.org/), but I don't know much about it (even
though I do know Larry).

For a more general view of aviation in the area, you can also join us for
dinner at a MAPA (Mid-Atlantic Pilot's Association, at
http://midatlanticpilots.com/).

Welcome to the area!

- Andrew

I'm looking forward to this thread.

Many years ago when I left college to work in Manhatten it quickly became
apparent that I was not ready to immerse myself in Manhatten life and
forego aviation. My financial situation forced a choice. After living in
the city for almost a year, I moved to Essex Co NJ and bought a car.

During the week I commuted in, during the weekends I commuted out. CDW was
my airplane home, Blairstown my glider home.

The problem I had with Manhatten is that a car is a luxury (having one or
not having one) but a car is required to fly. Financially, renting actually
seems to work better than owning. I'm sure that hasn't changed.

You can't surf and ski the same day on the right coast, but you can do
business in midtown at noon and catch a native (stream bred) trout by 3:00 -
or a striper - or rent a plane. Just takes a car.

"Marty Ross" wrote in message
...
I'll be moving to Manhattan from Los Angeles (does it get any more
extreme?)
next month.

Any advice or relevant anecdotes out there to help me gather some leads
about continuing my flying hobby from there? I've been renting (in
L.A.) -
usually from the FBO where I did my training.
I'm IFR rated with about 300hrs., and am pretty OK with the (busy) L.A.
airspace and ATC. I haven't looked at a NY sectional yet.

I've just started to look at airports near to where I will be (using
Airnav,
FS2004 and other web tools), and I found "Linden" (LDJ) and "Essex" (CDW).
In fact, there appears to be a flying club that has a presence at both of
those.

I guess my main concern is easy transportation to/from these (or any
other)
airports I might use, as I will be giving up my car (I hear it's a luxury
*not* to have a car living in Manhattan), and to learn about possible
desitations (nice places to go for a day or a weekend).

Any leads, tips or general discussion of GA from people living in/around
Manhattan would be great!

Andrew Gideon wrote:
Depending upon where you are in NYC, you should also consider HPN. There's
a club (Westchester Flying Club, at http://wtc-hpn.org/

There's an old joke, "I don't care what you say about me, as long as you
spell my name right". The URL is http://www.wfc-hpn.org :-)

there that appears to be quite nice, and it may be more convenient
for you than Linden or Caldwell via mass transit.

Unfortunately, HPN's no easier to get to via public transportation than
CDW is. Get Metro North Railroad to White Plains, then a 10-minute cab
ride. The only time I ever tried that, the cabbie doubled me up with
another pax at the train station going in the same general direction,
then proceeded to get lost trying to find their destination, so it took
a lot longer than that :-(

Most of our Manhattanites without cars tend to rent a car for the trip.
I grew up in Suburban NJ; I can't imagine not having a car. I live on
City Island in The Bronx; it's 25 minutes to HPN by car with no traffic.
Alternatively, I figure I could walk to the Bx29 bus, take that to the 6
train, take that to 125th street, walk a couple of blocks to the Metro
North station, get the train to White Plains, then grab a cab to the
airport, and be there in well under three hours :-)

I suspect which airport is most convenient for you depends on which
transit terminal you're near. Close to Penn Station, go for Linden.
Near the Port Authority Bus terminal, it's Caldwell. Near Grand
Central, you're a White Plains man.

Roy Smith wrote:

Andrew Gideon wrote:
Depending upon where you are in NYC, you should also consider HPN.
There's a club (Westchester Flying Club, at http://wtc-hpn.org/

There's an old joke, "I don't care what you say about me, as long as you
spell my name right". The URL is http://www.wfc-hpn.org :-)

Wups. Brain-o. World-Trade...World-Fi...sorry.

[...]

I suspect which airport is most convenient for you depends on which
transit terminal you're near.

That's what I was thinking.

- Andrew

Marco Rispoli wrote:

If you are really curious here's a few pics of the 182 they have at
linden:

http://www.thepilotlounge.com/script...554&hl=skylane

Just a detail: we've a 182Q (straight-leg) and an R182 (retract). To be
fair, we rotate these between the two airports every five months.

It appears you flew in the 182Q, which is currently at Caldwell.

Shane's your mentor? Good choice!

- Andrew

"Maule Driver"
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

-
-You can't surf and ski the same day on the right coast, but you can do
-business in midtown at noon and catch a native (stream bred) trout by 3:00 -
-or a striper - or rent a plane. Just takes a car.

You can catch a native stream bred stripper in New York? Oh, pardon me.
That's STRIPER. Sorry for the error.

{;-)


Jim


Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

"Andrew Gideon" wrote in message
online.com...
Marco Rispoli wrote:

If you are really curious here's a few pics of the 182 they have at
linden:


http://www.thepilotlounge.com/script...554&hl=skylane

Just a detail: we've a 182Q (straight-leg) and an R182 (retract). To be
fair, we rotate these between the two airports every five months.

It appears you flew in the 182Q, which is currently at Caldwell.

Shane's your mentor? Good choice!

- Andrew

Yes, that's correct. It was the fixed gear 182. Beautiful machine. Quite a
monster.

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community - http://www.thepilotlounge.com

Marco Rispoli wrote:

Yes, that's correct. It was the fixed gear 182. Beautiful machine. Quite a
monster.

No...she's more of a kitten.

She's the final aircraft on which I checked out in the club, and it wasn't
all that long ago. The retract is quicker and more slippery...but 68N
*purrs*. I kid not. It must be the different engine.

- Andrew