Comments about Essex County Airport

Thankfully, Avant Air moved out of their leaded office space at Mac Dan to give appropriate fuel competition! Mac Dan's confidential fuel discounts are rediculous. Some people/companies/flight schools/flying clubs nearly receive 20% discounts on Avgas & Jet A, the data sheets area behind the front desk in the main lobby of Mac Dan.

-That kind of discount can add up to thousands of dollars quite fast!

-Anyone wonder why their fuel trucks are always empty or why a service call for fuel takes up to thirty minutes?

I had exactly the same experience at Republic in spring 2004, right down to sitting on the runway (as instructed by tower) and holding everyone else up. Same lesson -- if you can take a VFR departure out of a NY-area airport, do. It's the controller's error putting you on the runway before your clearance is ready, but why invite trouble in the first place?

I must have tied up traffic for 30 minutes of more waiting at the entrance for my IFR clearance. I'd taxied out after being told to, but there were 4 or 5 planes waiting behind me and by the time I suddenly realized that I could depart VFR and pick up a clearance later, the clearance had actually come. I felt like a complete dick.

CDW is indeed tough to spot especially when MMU is only 5 miles away and practically visible from space. The AFD also gives you a super long list of rules and noise abatement procedures that often scare new pilots away. Just ignore them. The airport is surrounded by industrial parks and a golf course. And who cares about golfers right? Runway 9/27 recently renamed 10/28. Lighting at night could be stronger...and don't feel bad when a controller who sounds like a man turns out to be the scariest woman alive...other than that...GREAT AIRPORT.

This airport has two FBOs:

Mac Dan 130.55 MHz

(973) 227-8339, (888) MACDAN8

http://www.macdan.com/

Caldwell Air Service

(973) 808-9047

I've used both -- as I remember them, Caldwell Air Service is less expensive, but a bit run down and with so-so service. Mac Dan is a bit more expensive, but has a nice facility and much better service. If you need help (e.g. limo bookings, etc.), Mac Dan's probably your best bet; if you just want to park, Caldwell Air Service may be fine.

For some reason, I always find this airport hard to see from low altitude when I'm a couple of miles away. There are buildings around it and a low hill on one side. When I first visited here I was a fairly new pilot, and I wonder if my not seeing it now is just a throwback to that first visit.

This is a nice airport for visiting northern New Jersey (a bit too far for Manhattan) -- I've stopped here a few times to visit a customer almost within walking distance. Unfortunately, the airport is most famous as the one John F. Kennedy Jr. departed from in his Saratogo on his last flight.