Latest News

Heavy departure traffic volume heading southbound durning the winter months typically triggers increased departure gate restrictions.  In order to minimize the associated impacts, operators are advised to consider alternative routes to these southerly destinations.

For example, operators planning to depart KTEB for Florida destinations typically file over WHITE intersection. However, this gate also accommodates traffic departing KLGA, KEWR, KJFK, KHPN, KCDW and KMMU, triggering in-trail restrictions exceeding 10 minutes.  Consequently, if 10 Florida-bound aircraft with clearances over WHITE call for taxi, the restriction will generate delays exceeding 90 mins.  The FAA recommends that operators consider filing over LANNA or PARKE if they are landing west of Orlando, and DIXIE if they are deep-water capable landing east of Orlando. Doing so will help meter Teterboro traffic more efficiently, and potentially alleviate departure delays.  

If a departure gate becomes saturated due to volume, ATC may issue a ground stop for all aircraft cleared via that gate. In this circumstance, KTEB Tower will begin to coordinate “Offloads”, examining destinations and attempting to reroute aircraft over these alternative departure fixes: LANNA, PARKE and DIXIE. Aircraft already filed over these fixes help the Tower to stay ahead of the game, benefiting not only KTEB but also reducing overall traffic congestion heading south throughout the NAS. Filing these alternative fixes in advance reduces the time, effort and frequency congestion associated with coordinating reroutes, thereby maximizing efficiency.

The ILS or LOC Rwy 6 has been replaced with the ILS Z or LOC Z RWY 6. Please note the new elements/requirements and differences from the old IAP, to include:

• PBN box specifies GPS required
• All fixes replaced with waypoints
• New waypoints/procedural requirements: MALCN (SBJ transition), LEESY (at or above 1700’), TEBLE (Missed Approach), UBUCK (Missed Approach)

The following charts (new and old) are for reference and not for navigation:

The FAA’s newly published Safety Alert for Pilots (SAFO) 23005 is directed at those who use controller-pilot datalink communications (CPDLC) to ensure that all parts of a clearance are appropriately loaded into the flight management system before departing. It also helps to ensure that the proper clearance is followed.

The document reminds operators that certain clearances require the flight crew to manually input standard instrument departures (SIDs) into the FMS each time a revised UM79 partial reroute message is received (cleared to XXX waypoint via other waypoints en route). In some instances, pilots have misinterpreted UM79to mean they were cleared to fly directly to the waypoint. A direct clearance would be a UM74 message.

According to the alert, 20 recorded aircraft deviations at New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport (KTEB) in 2022 have drawn attention to potential CPDLC and UM79 issues. In these incidents, aircraft departed TEB and flew directly into the arrival corridor of Newark Airport (KEWR). Controllers had to “quickly identify and coordinate” with New York and Newark controllers to issue a turn to avoid traffic. “The FAA determined that the probable cause of these events was due to the SID clearance not being manually reloaded in the FMS after receiving a UM79,” the FAA said.

In September 2021, Honeywell reached out to TUG to discuss the possibility of developing a procedure that would provide lateral and vertical guidance using RF legs to aircraft cleared for the ILS Z 6 Circle Rwy 1. Thus began an extensive collaboration through all stages of development involving TUG’s subject matter expertise and coordination with Honeywell, FAA, PANYNJ, NBAA and training providers that’s culminated in Honeywell’s publication of the RNAV H Rwy 1 for its RNP-AR Customers. Aviation International News’ (AIN) Matt Thurber has written an excellent article describing this procedure: KTEB Hosts Honeywell’s First Guided Visual Approach.

We wish to extend our sincere gratitude to Honeywell’s Senior Manager, Flight Technical Services Jim Johnson for his leadership, and all of the aforementioned stakeholders, including those of Teterboro’s users who participated in the evaluation flights, for their assistance in making this procedure a reality.

TUG will continue to work with avionics OEMs, training providers, FAA, PANYNJ, NBAA, the user community and indeed all stakeholders to continue the process of developing additional procedures, including IAPs, that increase the safety of flight operations at Teterboro Airport.

NY ARTCC (ZNY) has experienced an uptick in GA Flight Plans not only failing to file the preferred routes but also cutting across organized route structure. To avoid encountering any operational constraints, please click on the following link to review an important FAA guidance document:

Preferential Routing From the Caribbean (OCA West)

The FAA recently approved two new VFR waypoints that will assist pilots in visually executing the circling portion of the KTEB ILS 6 Circle Rwy 1. These waypoints are intended to be drawn from FMS databases to enhance pilot situational awareness.

Honeywell agreed to a TUG request to publish these VFR waypoints in all generic Business and General Aviation NavDBs that include KTEB, and will do so beginning with cycle 2303. Although the effective date for this cycle is March 23, the fact that NavDBs contain two cycles of data means that customers will see these VFR waypoints as soon as they load the next update, which will be posted on March 15.

TUG will continue to encourage other FMS OEMs to include these VFR waypoints in their NavDBs at their earliest opportunity.

The waypoints are:

VPEZA (404827.35N/0740449.37W), located .5 nm SW of MetLife Stadium

VPDAU (404912.97N/0740342.22W), located .5 nm east of the Race Track

The bearing/distance from TORBY to VPEZA are: 097.39° / 2.38 NM;

The bearing/distance from VPEZA to VPDAU are 060.19° / 1.14 NM; and 

The bearing from VPDAU to RWY 1 is 015.21° / 1.23 NM

Please see the attached graphics to help familiarize yourself with these waypoints.

A recent increase in RUUDY 6 pilot deviations, as well as a Rwy 19 missed approach pilot deviation, prompted the FAA to issue the following two Letters to Airmen. The Teterboro Users Group published and disseminated RUUDY 6 guidance material on May 5, 2018, and are re-posting the information below. Since the RUUDY 6 is the primary SID issued to flight crews departing KTEB Rwy 24, please carefully review the text and graphics specified on the Jeppesen and/or U.S. Government charts, and brief the lateral and vertical modes, ASEL selection, automation management and crew coordination requirements necessary to comply with all published lateral and vertical provisions of the procedure.

Our own Captain Jim Dramis has written an excellent article regarding his technique recommendations for how to fly the RUUDY 6 SID. You can download the article via our Operations > Airspace & Procedures tab: https://teterborousersgroup.org/operations/airspace/

We’ve come to understand that there exists a restriction in the practical application of CPDLC DCL within the U.S. NAS. This restriction is specific to the FAA Data Comm system, and therefore impacts all users and all FMS regardless of OEM.

When issued a CPDLC DCL other than “Cleared As Filed”, the clearance will include a loadable route (“Push to Load”), which the crew must Insert and Activate. This loaded route will NOT contain the assigned SID. If the Runway and SID had been previously loaded into the FMS, this action may retain the Runway and associated performance information but will drop the SID and its associated waypoint list segments and constraints. Consequently, the crew will need to reinsert and activate the SID for which they’ve been cleared.

The FAA and its industry partners are exploring options that may allow the DCL system to incorporate the SID into the loadable clearance. In the meantime, crews are encouraged to comply with SOPs and remain vigilant in verifying that the FMS is properly programmed with the cleared flight segments, as well as altitude and speed constraints, and that the appropriate level of automation (flight guidance, autoflight, autothrottles) and crew coordination is briefed and implemented.

TUG strongly encourages operators to make reservations with FBOs in an effort to prevent gridlock, which has occurred several times in recent days. Some operators have failed to make reservations at all. Others who’ve been informed by FBOs of ramp constraints have represented that they’re “just a drop and go,” only to leave the aircraft and return the following day. The result has been gridlock on ramps and taxiways that have precipitated ground delay programs elsewhere in the NAS.

Please make every effort to share your arrival information in advance with the FBO of your choosing so as to enable better allocation of limited ramp space and avoid unnecessary delays for all of KTEB’s operators.