| The New
York City TRACON Tour . . .
The New
York City TRACON tour is designed specifically for the
general aviation pilot who wishes to become VFR and IFR
proficient in the major leagues of the national airspace
system.
The
training itinerary begins at 8am in Buffalo, NY.
Following a thorough weather and pre-flight briefing, we
depart for LaGuardia Airport (LGA) via the NOBBI FIVE
standard arrival route.
Our
stop-over includes a quick tour of the famed Marine Air
Terminal. It was here in the 1930s that Pan American
Airways gave birth to international air travel with its
giant flying clippers.
Following lunch, we'll depart to the John F. Kennedy
International Airport (JFK). Depending upon the
runways in use at LGA, we'll likely climb out on the
LaGuardia One Departure, Whitestone or Flushing Climb to the
convergence of two VOR radials over Long Island Sound, then
to the eastern tip of Long Island, then direct JFK.
We'll
arrive on the final approach course to JFK just as the rush
hour of international arrivals descend from all over the
world. Depending upon the runways in use at JFK, our
taxi over to the JFK GA terminal will either be quick or it
will be long and convoluted. Arriving and
departing JFK before 3pm will keep our landing and parking
fee at a modest $25!
Now
the real fun begins . . .
No
self-respecting flight into the NYC TRACON would be complete
without a 40 minute flight up and down the Hudson River VFR
corridor at less than 1,100' AGL. No skyline view of
Manhattan is more spectacular than this breath-taking
experience.

We'll "punch
out" of the JFK Class B airspace at or below 500' AGL, then
follow the south shore of Long Island westward from Queens
to Brooklyn, past Coney Island, then up and over the center
span of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that links Brooklyn
with Staten Island directly over the mouth of the New York
harbor.
We'll pass
between the Statue of Liberty on the left and the Brooklyn
Navy Yard on the right, then over Governor's Island to the
tip of Manhattan, again at less than 1,100' AGL. We
pass by the Financial District, then along side the gaping
hole where the World Trade Center Twin Towers once stood.
Immediately below will be docks where giant ocean liners
once departed on their transatlantic voyages.
We'll
pass by mid-town Manhattan, the Empire State Building, the
Chrysler Building, Times Square, then northward past Central
Park and eventually to the George Washington Bridge, which
was once the longest bridge span in the world.
We'll
then reverse course and fly back down the Hudson River to
the Statue of Liberty. After several minutes of
holding over the "Lady," we'll receive our VFR clearance
into Newark's Liberty International Airport.
We'll
pick up a load of fuel, then depart for the quick trip over
to the Teterboro Airport, home to more arriving and
departing corporate jets (and celebrities) than any other
airport in the world.
From
Teterboro, its back to Buffalo and a recounting of all we
experienced during the previous six or seven hours.
What
DID we experience?
The NYC
TRACON handles nearly 5,000 arrivals and departures every 24
hours from all over the world. Arguably, the most
congested airspace on the globe, you will become comfortable
communicating in the highly orchestrated, rapid-fire,
take-no-prisoners world of fast-talking New York Class B air
traffic controllers.
Your
proficiency as a multi-tasking pilot will improve
dramatically as you learn to keep pace with heavy airliners
and sleek business jets, all of whom are anxious to maintain
some semblance of schedule reliability. In the
process, instrument pilots will master the fine art of
nailing the local/glideslope needles at full-throttle right
to short final.
You will
return to your home airport knowing that you can fly safely
with the best of best in the largest airports and busiest
airspace in the world!
Cost:
$799 (in your airplane); Add $89/hr (dry) if the trip
is done in one of our training aircraft (2005 C-172 G1000
equipped).
Call or
email today for more information about Bob Miller Flight
Training, Inc.
Bob Miller, CFII, ATP
Buffalo-Lancaster
Regional Airport (KBQR)
rjma@rjma.com
716-864-8100 |