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The Famous, Infamous Teterboro

They write songs about it. Pilots complain about it. If you’re going to the Big Apple, you will find yourself there, sooner or later.

[Credit: Jeppesen]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The author recounts a lifelong relationship with Teterboro Airport (KTEB), spanning over 55 years from his early days as a private pilot in the 1960s to his current ownership of a private jet.
  • His experiences at Teterboro evolved from challenging personal flights, including a memorable one where he got lost but met his future wife, to frequent professional operations as a Part 135 airline pilot.
  • Throughout his diverse aviation career, Teterboro has remained a significant and often challenging constant, deeply integrating into his personal and professional flying journey.
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Teterboro. It’s an airport in New Jersey—known as KTEB. It is only 12 miles by car or bus from Manhattan. They write songs about it. Pilots complain about it.The neighbors abhor it. Many corporate drivers loathe it. Many private pilots fear it. If you’re going to the Big Apple, you will find yourself there, sooner or later.

My own Teterboro experiences go back a ways—a long ways. With a newly minted private pilot certificate, I first rented a Cessna 172 at what is now Atlantic Aviation in the fall of 1967, just 55 years ago. In those days, there was no Class B airspace over LaGuardia, Newark, and Kennedy airports (KLGA, KEWR, and KJFK, respectively). I was living in a dorm room in Manhattan. To get to Teterboro in order to rent an airplane involved a subway ride to the port authority bus terminal and a bus ride to the airport or, I should say, to the corner of the airport. The FBO was a good half-mile walk from the bus stop.

Dick Karl

Dick Karl is a cancer surgeon who appreciates the beauty and science involved in both surgery and flying. Dick’s monthly Gear Up celebrates the human side of flying. He writes about his enthusiasm for both the machines and the people who fly and maintain them.

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