Departure
93%
vs 95% ▼ 2
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Linden Airport (KLDJ) is a small general-aviation reliever field a mile southeast of downtown Linden in Union County, New Jersey, sitting close to the New York City metropolitan area. Built for the US Navy during the Second World War to test-fly Wildcat fighters assembled across the street, it now serves private, corporate and helicopter traffic operating in the shadow of Newark Liberty International. With a single lit runway and no control tower, it offers straightforward VFR access to one of the busiest airspace regions in the United States.
Linden Airport is a small, uncontrolled general-aviation field located a mile southeast of downtown Linden, New Jersey, immediately alongside U.S. Route 1&9 and close to the New Jersey Turnpike. It is designated a Federally Designated Reliever Airport for the New York City area, taking single and multi-engine aircraft, business jets, turboprops and helicopters that would otherwise add to congestion at nearby Newark Liberty International. For the simulator pilot it makes an interesting short-hop destination in the crowded New York metroplex, with a wartime history tied to naval fighter production and a present-day role hosting news and sightseeing helicopters that operate over Manhattan.
Linden sits within the dense New York/New Jersey airspace complex, only a few miles from Newark Liberty International Airport, and pilots inbound or outbound should expect to be worked by New York Approach on 135.35 MHz or New York Departure on 119.2 MHz; Newark Clearance Delivery is available on 128.35 MHz. The field lies in Union County, about one nautical mile southeast of the city of Linden, with the airport situated directly on a major highway corridor and roughly three miles from Newark International.
Linden has a single physical runway, 09/27, of hard surface construction and lit for night operations. Runway 09 is 3,670 feet long and Runway 27 is 3,595 feet long, both hard-surfaced and equipped with runway lighting; the field has no ILS.
Linden Airport is uncontrolled and has no operating control tower; traffic is handled on UNICOM/CTAF at 123.0 MHz. Pilot-controlled lighting (PCL) can be activated on this same frequency to bring up the medium-intensity runway lighting on Runway 09/27 during hours of darkness. VASI guidance is provided for both Runway 09 and Runway 27. A GPS instrument approach has been commissioned at the airport, though there is no ILS. For onward routing into the surrounding controlled airspace, pilots can expect contact with New York Approach on 135.35 MHz, New York Departure on 119.2 MHz, and Newark Clearance Delivery on 128.35 MHz.
As an uncontrolled field, arriving traffic should announce intentions on the CTAF of 123.0 MHz and be prepared to activate the pilot-controlled lighting system on the same frequency if operating at dusk or after dark. The airport has a wind indicator and segmented circle to assist with determining the active runway and traffic pattern direction.
The airport lies beside U.S. Route 1&9, roughly one nautical mile southeast of downtown Linden, and about two miles from New Jersey Turnpike Exit 13, both useful visual cues when inbound. Its proximity to the Newark Liberty International Airport complex, only about three miles away, and its position on the main New York City side of the Turnpike corridor make it a readily identifiable field for pilots transiting the metropolitan area.
Construction of Linden Airport began almost immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1942, undertaken for the US Navy by the Argonaut Realty Company on behalf of General Motors' Eastern Aircraft Division. The airport served as the test and commissioning facility for the Navy's Wildcat fighter, which was manufactured at the General Motors plant across the street and transported to the airfield by tunnel for test flying and delivery. After the Second World War, along with hundreds of other surplus military airfields, it was deeded to local control on condition that the host community keep it operational in case of future military need; Linden was transferred to the City of Linden in 1947 to serve as a general aviation airport. The original airfield, with its intersecting runways and large hangar, remained largely unchanged until 1998, when the city divided the underused northern half of the property to create a shopping centre, demolishing the older hangars and facilities there. New hangar, fuel, and ramp facilities were built on the southern half of the airport, with operations officially transferring there on 4 July 1999.
Since the move to its current layout, Linden Airport has undergone continuous upgrades, including reconstruction of the main runway, replacement of runway and taxiway lighting, installation of an automated weather observation system, addition of a bypass taxiway, commissioning of a GPS instrument approach, and renewal of perimeter security fencing and tie-down areas. The airport is open to the public and supports single and multi-engine aircraft, private jets, turboprops and helicopters with Jet-A and 100LL fuel, along with hangar, maintenance and parking facilities. Its proximity to New York City and comparatively light traffic have made it a favoured base for television news helicopters and sightseeing operators flying over Manhattan, and in 2010 it hosted the New York City round of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship.
