Changes at Teterboro: What you might have missed

The skies over New York have been quieter over the past year or so, and it’s not hard to guess why. With lower traffic levels, there have been a number of operational changes at nearby KTEB/Teterboro. Here’s a rundown of what you might have missed recently…

Noise is a bigger issue than ever

It may seem ironic, but Covid hasn’t helped. With less airplanes in the skies, nearby residents have become more aware of Teterboro’s noise, and complaints have been on the rise.

If you’re headed to KTEB, be aware that there are extensive noise abatement procedures. There’s a handy summary of these available online, but here are some of the biggest gotchas to get you started.

If your ride is a jet and you’re new to KTEB, you’ll need permission first. There’s a form to fill out for that.

The most noise sensitive time is between 22:00 and 06:00LT, and it’s when you’re the most likely to get yourself into trouble. There’s a ‘voluntarily restraint’ in place after 23:00 – in other words if your flight isn’t essential, it should wait.

Sprinkled through the surrounding suburbs are noise monitoring devices, and there are strict decibel limits. The most restrictive is Runway 24 at night (only 80dB). Bust em’, and you can be served a violation – too many of those and you can say sayonara to operating there. And they take two years to expire.

Remote noise monitoring sites around Teterboro – be careful, strict decibel limits apply!

The least noise sensitive area is to the south of the airport. So if departing on the back of the clock and the weather is playing ball, try to use Runway 19 for departures and Runway 01 for arrivals.

Speaking of noise, the new RNAV X RWY 19

Back in July, an offset RNAV noise sensitive approach was introduced for Runway 19. It’s a quieter alternative to the straight-in ILS. It’s recommended for night ops at KTEB on request (and you may hear it mentioned on the ATIS). But there’s some important stuff you should know before you go ahead and shoot it.

If conditions are less than ‘tropical’, keep in mind the approach is significantly offset (13 degrees) and minimas are high. The visual descent point is almost three miles from the threshold. There’s also a big unfriendly radio antenna at the business end of the approach. At the VDP on the correct 3 degree path, you’ll be uncomfortably close to it – check out this article for just how close.

What’s the moral of the story? In marginal conditions, the approach can quickly become challenging – consider the ILS if in doubt.

Escape Routes

Tired of waiting at the hold? We don’t blame you!

There are new departure routes to help business jet operators get airborne out of KTEB when the weather is bad, or New York’s majors airports are especially busy. New York TRACON is responsible for co-ordinating those with the tower.

A head’s up though – they are designed with the performance of business jets in mind and may require steeper climb profiles than you’re used to.

You need to fly them from start to finish too. Don’t accept the clearance unless you are sure you can meet the requirements, and asking for track shortening after wheels up is a no-no.

Works

Construction and runway maintenance are ongoing. Single runway closures are common and can happen during the day. The good news is that full closures are pretty rare.

Something to look out for – if Runway 06/24 is closed in southerly conditions, extended delays are common at KTEB due to the flow at nearby KEWR/Newark, just 10nm to the South. You might need to carry some extra gas.

The Teterboro Users Group publish weekly Maintenance Bulletins for Runway and Taxiway closures which you can access here. Of course, if you prefer your info capitalised and abbreviated, you’ll find the information in Notams too.

Covid

We’re all well over it. But there are some procedures to follow, especially if operating an international flight into KTEB.

US Customs and Border Protection are up and running at the airport, but will only accept international arrivals between 07:15 and 23:15 local. Don’t show up after hours. Standard CDC rules apply here including the pre-travel testing requirement for all pax.

For a full break down of these and other health protocols, you can view a full rundown here.

CBP can only process international flights between 07:15 and 23:15 local each day.

Have we missed something?

We’d love to hear from you! You can reach us at blog.team@ops.group.

Also check out our recent Airport Lowdown for KTEB/Teterboro – it’s the biggest threats all in one place, built by pilots who have been there.

Click to download PDF.

Changes at Teterboro: What you might have missed