Essex County Airport
Encyclopedia
Essex County Airport is a public airport
located two miles (3 km) north of the central business district
of Caldwell
, a borough
of northwestern Essex County
in the U.S. state
of New Jersey
. It is owned by the Essex County Improvement Authority and is a popular general aviation
airport for aircraft traveling to New York City
and northern New Jersey.
, a town seven miles (11 km) away. The tract of land that Essex Airport Corporation intended for the airport was the Fairfield Dairy Company land that had also been used during WWI as a temporary airfield for the Naval Rifle Range which had been located along the Passaic River
in Pine Brook. Some of the early references to airport have the designation “Marvin Airport”, named after Walter Marvin.
The airport gained national attention when John F. Kennedy, Jr.
, who based his private aircraft there, crashed
hours after departing the airport en route for Martha's Vineyard Airport
with his wife and sister-in-law on July 16, 1999.
The airport now serves turbo prop and jet operations on a daily basis. It also has become one of New Jersey's most utilize general aviation airports serving the north New Jersey and New York City areas.
It has been owned and operated by the Essex County Improvement Authority since September 5, 1975. The ECIA is governed by a seven-member Board of Commissioners appointed by the County Executive, Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. with the consent and approval of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
The airport is located entirely in the Township of Fairfield in Essex County, New Jersey. CDW is a general aviation facility whose campus is situated on approximately 278 acres (1.1 km²) of land. It is located 20 miles (32.2 km) west of New York City and 10 miles (16.1 km) west of Teterboro Airport. CDW is easily accessible from Highways 23, 46, 80, 280 and 287. Public transportation to the airport is also available from the Port Authority Building in NYC on 42nd Street via the Lakeland Bus Company.
There are currently a total of 261 outdoor, hard surface tie-downs and nine T-hangar buildings. These nine buildings provide a total of 98 individual T-Hangar units at CDW. Of the 98 units, 45 are large and 53 are standard size. The standard sized T-hangar can fit most single engine aircraft and some light twins such as a Piper Aztecs, Beechcraft Barons, Cessna 310’s and similar aircraft. The large T-hangar units can comfortably fit Cessna 400 series aircraft, Conquests, Piper Cheyenne I and II’s and up to TBM 850s and similar aircraft.
CDW has four conventional hangars which total approximately 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) of hanger space. These hangars are used by fixed-based operators and other aviation related tenants for aircraft maintenance, storage, sales, leasing, and charter. Avantair Elite Services and Air Bound Aviation are the two FBO’s which provide transient parking and fuel services along with plush, comfortable pilot lounges with many amenities.
, 2% air taxi
and <1% military. At that time there were 281 aircraft based at this airport: 79% single-engine, 19% multi-engine and 2% helicopter
.
paved runways: 4/22 measuring 4,553 x 80 ft (1,388 x 24 m) and 10/28 measuring 3,721 x 75 ft (1,134 x 23 m).
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located two miles (3 km) north of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Caldwell
Caldwell, New Jersey
Caldwell is a borough located in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, about outside of New York. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,822....
, a borough
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
of northwestern Essex County
Essex County, New Jersey
Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the United States 2010 Census, the population was 783,969, ranking it third in the state after Bergen County and Middlesex County; Essex County's population has declined from 786,147 as of the bureau's...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. It is owned by the Essex County Improvement Authority and is a popular general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
airport for aircraft traveling to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and northern New Jersey.
History
In April 1929 Essex Airport Corporation was formed by Walter Marvin and six other individuals. The intention of the company was to open an airport to serve Montclair, New JerseyMontclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
, a town seven miles (11 km) away. The tract of land that Essex Airport Corporation intended for the airport was the Fairfield Dairy Company land that had also been used during WWI as a temporary airfield for the Naval Rifle Range which had been located along the Passaic River
Passaic River
The Passaic River is a mature surface river, approximately 80 mi long, in northern New Jersey in the United States. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey,...
in Pine Brook. Some of the early references to airport have the designation “Marvin Airport”, named after Walter Marvin.
The airport gained national attention when John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. , often referred to as John F. Kennedy, Jr., JFK Jr., John Jr. or John-John, was an American socialite, magazine publisher, lawyer, and pilot. The elder son of U.S. President John F...
, who based his private aircraft there, crashed
John F. Kennedy, Jr. airplane crash
On July 16, 1999, John F. Kennedy, Jr. died when the Piper Saratoga light aircraft he was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. His wife, Carolyn Bessette, and sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette, were also killed. His flight departed from Essex...
hours after departing the airport en route for Martha's Vineyard Airport
Martha's Vineyard Airport
Martha's Vineyard Airport is a public airport located in the middle of the island of Martha's Vineyard, three miles south of the central business district of Vineyard Haven, in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States. This airport is owned by Dukes County and lies on the border between the...
with his wife and sister-in-law on July 16, 1999.
The airport now serves turbo prop and jet operations on a daily basis. It also has become one of New Jersey's most utilize general aviation airports serving the north New Jersey and New York City areas.
It has been owned and operated by the Essex County Improvement Authority since September 5, 1975. The ECIA is governed by a seven-member Board of Commissioners appointed by the County Executive, Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. with the consent and approval of the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders.
The airport is located entirely in the Township of Fairfield in Essex County, New Jersey. CDW is a general aviation facility whose campus is situated on approximately 278 acres (1.1 km²) of land. It is located 20 miles (32.2 km) west of New York City and 10 miles (16.1 km) west of Teterboro Airport. CDW is easily accessible from Highways 23, 46, 80, 280 and 287. Public transportation to the airport is also available from the Port Authority Building in NYC on 42nd Street via the Lakeland Bus Company.
There are currently a total of 261 outdoor, hard surface tie-downs and nine T-hangar buildings. These nine buildings provide a total of 98 individual T-Hangar units at CDW. Of the 98 units, 45 are large and 53 are standard size. The standard sized T-hangar can fit most single engine aircraft and some light twins such as a Piper Aztecs, Beechcraft Barons, Cessna 310’s and similar aircraft. The large T-hangar units can comfortably fit Cessna 400 series aircraft, Conquests, Piper Cheyenne I and II’s and up to TBM 850s and similar aircraft.
CDW has four conventional hangars which total approximately 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) of hanger space. These hangars are used by fixed-based operators and other aviation related tenants for aircraft maintenance, storage, sales, leasing, and charter. Avantair Elite Services and Air Bound Aviation are the two FBO’s which provide transient parking and fuel services along with plush, comfortable pilot lounges with many amenities.
Traffic
For the 12-month period ending January 1, 2006, the airport had 245,872 aircraft operations, an average of 673 per day: 98% general aviationGeneral aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, 2% air taxi
Air taxi
An air taxi is an air charter passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis.-Regulation:In the United States, air taxi and air charter operations are governed by Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations , unlike the larger scheduled air carriers which are governed by more...
and <1% military. At that time there were 281 aircraft based at this airport: 79% single-engine, 19% multi-engine and 2% helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
.
Facilities
Essex County Airport covers an area of 275 acres (111.3 ha) which contains two asphaltAsphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
paved runways: 4/22 measuring 4,553 x 80 ft (1,388 x 24 m) and 10/28 measuring 3,721 x 75 ft (1,134 x 23 m).
Businesses and government
- Air Bound Aviation - Fixed Base Operator
- Air Fleet Training Systems - flight school
- AvantairAvantairAvantair is an American aircraft fractional ownership company, headquartered at Clearwater, Florida. Avantair provides fractional ownership within a fleet of twin-turboprop-engined P.180 aircraft. Avantair operates the largest fleet of P.180 aircraft....
- Fixed Base Operator & fractional operator - C&W Aero Services - aircraft maintenance
- Century Flight Academy - flight school
- Paragon Aircraft - aircraft maintenance
- Pro Star Pilatus - aircraft sales
- RGI Aviation - flight school
- United States Coast Guard AuxiliaryUnited States Coast Guard AuxiliaryThe United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard and was established on June 23, 1939 by an act of Congress as the United States Coast Guard Reserve, and was re-designated as the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary on February 19, 1941...
- Air Station Caldwell, Flotilla 10-20
See also
- List of airports in New Jersey
- List of airports in the New York City area
- Transportation in New York CityTransportation in New York CityThe transportation system of New York City is a cooperation of complex systems of infrastructure. New York City, being the largest city in the United States, has a transportation system which includes the largest subway system in the world, measured by track mileage; the world's first mechanically...