TUG Achievements

TUG 2021: The Year in Review

2021 saw the resurgence of air travel across all of aviation as the pandemic began to end. During the year, TUG was actively engaged in numerous initiatives and continued virtual meetings. Please click on the following link to read our annual “Year in Review.”

TUG 2021: The Year in Review: click here.

TUG 2020: The Year in Review

2020 was a wild ride, filled with challenges that none of us could have anticipated. Nevertheless, we coalesced as a community, identified opportunities, and recruited new methods to share safety and operational information, improve efficiency, and foster productive working relationships. Please click on the following link to read our annual “Year in Review.”

TUG 2020: The Year in Review: click here.

TUG 2019: The Year in Review

The Teterboro Users Group has remained proactive throughout 2019 in serving the interests of the airport and business aviation communities. Our meetings continue to be a nexus of Operations, Regulatory, Advocacy and Industry professionals. And our meeting programs, designed to serve an educational purpose in the furtherance of operational safety and efficiency, have featured a “Who’s Who” of industry movers and shakers:

  • NBAA: President Ed Bolen, Vice President Government Affairs Christa Lucas, Director – Air Traffic ServicesHeidi Williams, Manager – Air Traffic Services Dean Snell, Director, Airports and Ground Infrastructure Alex Gertsen, NE Regional Rep Brittany Davies.
  • PANYNJ: Teterboro Airport Manager Maria Sheridan and her predecessor Renee Spann, Teterboro Manager Airport Operations and Security Scott Marsh, Delay Reduction Program Manager Ralph Tamburro
  • FAA: District Manager of Operations Eric Saldana, NY TRACON N90 Airspace and Procedures Specialists Ed Sosa, Neal Burke and Craig Esslinger, NY ARTCC Traffic Management Support Specialist Bob Ocon, KTEB ATCT Manager Gary Palm and Staff Specialist Larry Brady
  • Collins Aerospace Flight Operations Trainer (Avionics) Christian Renneissen: Domestic Enroute CPDLC
  • Captain/Consultant/Retired Controller and TUG Board Member Pete Elmore: Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT)
  • Code7700.com publisher, noted aviation author, former USAF pilot, and active business aviation Captain James Albright: how aviators (pilots, mechanics, flight attendants, dispatchers, anyone who deals with airplanes) can effectively deal with change
  • General Aviation Issues Analysis Team (GA-IAT) Tri-Chairmen Eric Chang (MITRE), Chad Brewer (FAA) and Jens Hennig (GAMA): TCAS study designed to identify airborne hot spots and recommend mitigation strategies in an effort to enhance safety
  • IBAC, Operations Manager, IS-BAO Programme, Katherine Hilst: 2019 protocol improvements, the “6 Steps to Registration” initiative, IBAC’s advocacy work with ICAO including international operations, updates for auditor standardization and information about the “progressive stage 3” option
  • Business Aviation Safety Consortium (BASC) founder Rick Malczynski: collaborative, progressive and operationally focused approach to SMS and continuous improvement
  • PlotNG software developer and pilot Don Argintar: fully compliant, zero-manual entry, electronic oceanic plotting software
  • Jersey Ridge Soaring owners Brenda and Kevin Martin: interaction of gliders and IFR traffic in the MUGZY area

In addition to our regularly scheduled meetings, TUG collaborated extensively with the General Aviation Issues Analysis Team in the furtherance of MITRE’s study to identify Teterboro’s Airborne Hot Spots and develop mitigation strategies, meeting first on July 31 at MITRE’s headquarters in McLean, VA, and subsequently co-hosting two WebEx meetings for the business aviation community on Aug 26 and Sept 3.

We’ve continued to coordinate with and support the mission of OpsGroup to educate the business aviation community, particularly with respect to the unique considerations associated with bizav operations at Teterboro Airport. Most recently, we contributed to Mike Kraft’s OpsGroup article “Escape From New York: How To Get In & Out of Teterboro”, and have twice briefed the OpsGroup community via Member Chats.

We’ve advocated in favor of a Class D transition along the ILS 19 final approach course to facilitate communication and traffic awareness in this congested airspace, and generated and disseminated original content in the form of charted briefing materials with recommended VFR routings.

We’ve further extended our outreach to the Blairstown soaring community to develop awareness and mitigation strategies with respect to the interaction of gliders and business aviation traffic on the LVZ4 STAR in the vicinity of MUGZY intersection.

We’ve supported the development of RNAV(GPS) approaches to Rwys 19 and 24, currently scheduled for publication early in 2020.

Most of all, we’ve continued to cultivate productive working relationships with airport, regulatory and industry decision makers to facilitate operational, procedural and infrastructure enhancement for the benefit of our collective stakeholders.

None of this would possible without your steadfast support and participation in our programs and activities. We’re honored to serve as the voice of Teterboro’s business aviation community, and look forward to continued progress in 2020.

We wish you, your families, colleagues and organizations a happy holiday season, and a safe and prosperous New Year!

TUG Awarded NJAA Excellence in Business Aviation Award

On October 9, the New Jersey Aviation Association honored TUG with the Excellence in Business Aviation Award at their annual luncheon to be held at the TPC Jasna Polana in Princeton, NJ. In announcing the award, NJAA Chairman Webster B. Todd, Jr wrote, in part:

“The Board of Directors of the New Jersey Aviation Association is pleased to advise you that the Teterboro Users Group was unanimously nominated to receive the 2018 Excellence in Business Aviation Award. TUG’s efforts in enhancing the safety, efficiency and infrastructure at Teterboro Airport are exemplary.

TUG represents all facets of experienced aviation experts including Fixed Base Operators, airport users, tenants as well as local and national industry associations. The monthly meetings that are open to all encourage communication and keep everyone abreast of what is happening at Teterboro as well as the industry.”

We’re grateful to be recognized with this prestigious award, and committed as always to representing the interests of our constituents in achieving our mutual objectives.

TUG Honored with Award during the Teterboro Airport Community Benefit Fund Awards Luncheon

On June 6, Dassault Falcon Jet once again hosted the Teterboro Airport Community Benefit Fund Awards Luncheon. During the luncheon, TUG Board member Gary Charlton accepted an award for our contributions to the safety and efficiency of flight operations at Teterboro, and for our long-standing support of the Teterboro Airport Community Benefit Fund. The fund was established in 1986, and has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship awards to deserving students. Sponsors who donate to the fund include a number of companies based at Teterboro Airport, as well as donations from off-airport companies, suppliers and private individuals. One of the goals of the fund, according to John Panarello, Co-Chairman of the scholarship committee, is to help inform young people about the numerous career opportunities in aviation, which extend well beyond those most people are familiar with, such as air traffic management and piloting. Teterboro Airport community awards numerous scholarships to local high school graduates aspiring to pursue higher learning in aviation, engineering, and related fields of study. To be eligible, scholarship applicants must be in the top 25% of their class and intend to pursue a two or four year college program in aviation/aerospace or one of a number of related fields, such as math, science and engineering. We’re proud to have received this award, and will continue to support this worthy cause.  

2017 – The Year in Review, and 2018 – the Year to Come

2017 has been a busy and event-filled year in business aviation and for Teterboro Airport. Your TUG Leadership has continued to engage in comprehensive education and outreach via our meetings, website postings and email blasts to subscribers addressing the spectrum of regulatory, infrastructure and operational issues faced by Teterboro’s users and operators. We’re tremendously grateful for the support and participation of our members, and for the productive working relationships that we’ve developed and maintained with the following key operatives and their teams: PANYNJ Airport Manager Renee Spann, Manager Airport Operations and Security Scott Marsh, NY Metroplex Delay Reduction Program Manager Ralph Tamburro, AvPorts Manager Airport Operations John Kastens, Manager Noise Abatement and Environmental Compliance Gabe Andino and Assistant Manager Tim Middleton; FAA Teterboro Tower Manager Gary Palm, Staff Specialist Larry Brady, and Operations Manager Ted Zimmerman, NY TRACON Traffic Manager Mike Porciello and Support Manager Steve McClain, Airspace and Procedures Specialist Christine West, NY ARTCC Traffic Management Officer Jim Schultz, NY Area Program Integration Office Executive Officer Kathy Moclair-Shea, Director Air Traffic Operation Eastern Service Area North Laura Stensland, NBAA President Ed Bolen, Manager Air Traffic Services Dean Snell, Northeast Regional Representative Brittany Davies, etc.

In 2018, we intend to advance the interests of our constituents via continued collaboration with the parties listed above. With your support and participation, we’ll work to improve existing operational procedures and develop new procedures to enhance safety and efficiency. We’ll strongly advocate against ATC Privatization, and we’ll continue to campaign for equitable access to National Airspace System resources.

We wish you, your teams and your families a happy and healthy 2018, and look forward to seeing you at an upcoming meeting, the next of which will take place on January 17, featuring Leading Edge Deicing Specialists President Walter Randa, PANYNJ Director of Aviation Huntley Lawrence, and NY Metroplex Delay Reduction Program Manager Ralph Tamburro. We’ll also present newly retired NBAA Northeast Regional Representative Dean Saucier with a token of our esteem and appreciation for his many contributions toward enhancing our collective interests.

In the meantime, the following is a list of 2017 milestones:

  • Thanks to your grass roots participation, and with the support of NBAA and a host of other business and general aviation organizations, we successfully staved off efforts to privatize the ATC system (H.R. 2997) and impose burdensome user fees on operators.
  • Dassault Falcon Jet Demonstration Pilot Carlos Correa joined TUG’s Board of Directors, providing years of experience in Part 121, 135 and 91 flight operations as well as skills earned through an MBA.
  • TUG facilitated FAA rollout of the RUUDY 6 SID, having participated in the design of the procedure. We discussed at our meetings and disseminated information about the correct way to interpret and execute the procedure.
  • TUG educated users regarding the operational issues associated with Bedminster and NY Area Presidential TFRs.
  • TUG received the Fred L. Wehran Award for Aviation Achievement by the Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum of New Jersey at their annual Induction Dinner.
  • NBAA Director of Air Traffic Services and Infrastructure Bob Lamond retired after 18 years of distinguished service to the business aviation community. He’s been ably succeeded by Heidi Williams.
  • NBAA Northeast Regional Representative Dean Saucier retired after 17 years of effective and dedicated service to the business aviation community. He’s been ably succeeded by Brittany Davies.
  • Our 6 regularly scheduled meetings, one a joint meeting with the Morristown Aviation Association, featured the following speakers, organizations and topics:
    • Dassault Falcon Jet Director of Technical Programs Woody Saland on Fly By Wire technology, design and benefits;
    • Air Care International Sales Manager Jake Paini on the Company’s suite of products and services;
    • McBreen and Kopko Aviation Attorney Shelly Ewalt on the 2ndCircuit Court of Appeals ruling in favor of the Friends of East Hampton Airport;
    • NY ARTCCAir Traffic Manage Jim Schultz on the introduction of a new route structure within our ATLANTIC Sector;
    • Transportation Security Administration (TSA)Supervisory Inspector Jeff Candino on the latest developments affecting business aviation security, to include KTEB as a gateway airport for TSA screening during PBI POTUS TFRs;
    • USDA Wildlife Services, Wildlife Biologist Terri Riotto on Teterboro wildlife management  strategies and what pilots can do to help;
    • NBAA President Ed Bolen on the threat of ATC privatization;
    • Safety Operating Systems Chief Executive Officer and internationally renowned aviation safety expertCaptain John Cox on risks and containment strategies for lithium-ion battery fires;
    • Highwater Innovations Co-Founder Michael Gilchrist conducted a live demonstration of lithium-ion battery thermal runaway and their PlaneGardfire containment case;
    • EVAS Worldwide Vice President of Marketing and Sales Lisa Sasse on the advantages of their Emergency Vision Assurance System (EVAS);
    • TUG President Dave Belastock on best practices for Teterboro Circling Approaches
    • Honeywell GoDirect Flight Support ServicesSenior Technical Sales Manager James Buckner on his organization’s flight planning enhancements, applications, and future products and services: crowd source radar, fuel efficiencies, flight tracking, geo-fencing and ACARS over IP;
    • NY ARTCCTraffic Management Specialist Bob Oconand Manager Program Analyst for Traffic Management John Coppola on departure routings out of Teterboro and what to file;
    • PANYNJPart 150 Program Manager Tim Middleton withHMMH TEB Part 150 Study Team membersMary Ellen Eagan and Bob Mentzer provided an overview of the Part 150 process, findings to date (Noise Exposure Map), and a discussion on Noise Abatement;
    • NBAAManager Air Traffic Services Dean Snell, and ATS Project Manager Jim McClay discussed NBAA Air Traffic Services and outlined the various FAA ATC Traffic Management Tools available to the general public, to include the National Airspace System Status webpage, Current Reroutes and ATC Command Center Advisories;
    • FAAOperations Support Group – North Team Manager Joey Medders, and Operations Support Specialist David S. Johnson introduced some notional procedure designs and exchanged ideas to help alleviate community noise concerns regarding the Rwy 19 Final Apporach area over the Hackensack hospital.
    • FAANY TRACON Traffic Management Officer Mike Porcello, and Airspace and Procedures Specialist Christine West addressed air traffic ramifications and recommendations associated with the Bedminster, KMMU and KTEB VIP TFRs, and also provide an update regarding the implementation of the RUUDY 6 RNAV SID.
    • Mitre Corporationtri-chair for the ASIAS General Aviation Issues Analysis Team (GA-IAT) Jeff Mittelman addressed Teterboro/Newark TCAS RA Hot Spots through analysis of data from the FAA’s Aviation Safety Information Analysis (ASIAS) program. These studies utilized an ASIAS program tool that is able to use surveillance data to emulate a TCAS RA for all aircraft.

TUG Receives Fred L Wehran Award for Aviation Achievement!

On November 1 Carol Greene, daughter of Fred Wehran, presented the Fred L. Wehran Award for Aviation Achievement to TUG President Dave Belastock during the annual Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum of New Jersey Induction Dinner at the Fiesta Ballroom in Woodbridge, NJ. Accepting on behalf of the entire Teterboro Users Group, Dave delivered the following remarks:

“On behalf of the dedicated professionals who preceded me in this endeavor, and those who continue to volunteer their time, energy and expertise in the furtherance of our mission, I gratefully and humbly accept this award. For those of us who earn our living at Teterboro Airport, Fred L. Wehran is more than the name of the street down which many of us drive to and from work; his name represents a shared legacy and continuing obligation. And so we’re particularly honored to receive this award from Fred’s daughter, Carol Green.

The Teterboro Users Group is a non-profit business league dedicated to enhancing the safety and efficiency of flight operations at Teterboro Airport. We were born of necessity in 1991, when Teterboro’s second tier status in access to National Airspace resources generated delays reaching as long as 7 hours. Concerned that their businesses and very livelihoods were at stake, operators began to organize in search of a solution. Led by First Aviation founder Joe Ritorto, at the behest of his wife and co-founder Florence, and comprised of Johnson Controls Operations Manager Bill Thomas, National Distillers Director of Aviation Bill Mack, John Mendes of AIG, Frank Dalton of Hoffman-LaRoche, Don Baldwin of Texaco and Clark Gordon of Duncan Aviation, the new Teterboro Airport Delay Committee, later renamed the Teterboro Airport Air Traffic Committee, understood that success in business, as in life, is based upon relationships. They recognized the value of the business aviation community’s collective expertise and the power of speaking with one voice. Using the ultimate business tool, these leaders traveled in Joes’ Beechcraft King Air to Washington, DC to meet face-to-face with Director of Traffic Management Dave Hurley, and successfully persuaded him that, as tax payers, Teterboro’s users merited equity in airspace access. They established a protocol for monthly meetings at the FAA’s Eastern Region Headquarters of a new Capacity Enhancement Task Force to include all of the key players in ATC decision making, who would harness the subject matter expertise of Teterboro’s users and craft win/win solutions to benefit the business aviation and airline communities alike. Their crowning achievement was to effectively de-couple Teterboro’s operations from those of Newark and LaGuardia, with LaGuardia operating at 3500’, Newark at 2500’ and Teterboro at 1500’

Incorporated in 1992, the Teterboro Airport Users and Operators Association, aka the Teterboro Users Group, continues the mission of our founding fathers. Under the successive leadership of Joe Ritorto, Bill Mack and former Becton Dickinson Director of Global Aviation Peter Bellini, TUG has continued to build productive working relationships with key players within the FAA, PANYNJ, AvPorts, NBAA, flight planning service providers, flight training providers and industry partners to collaboratively fulfill our mutual objective: to enhance safety and efficiency at Teterboro and throughout the entire NY Metroplex.

Led by passionate fellow volunteers (Jim Dramis, Lisa Sasse, Joe Dickinson, Carlos Correa, Gary Charlton and Geoff Couture), and supported by paid members and a core group of businesses, to include Dassault Falcon Jet and the airport’s 4 FBOs, we harness the collective wisdom of the operator community in pursuit of safety and efficiency, and serve as the voice of business aviation at Teterboro. When the FAA, PANYNJ or NBAA need to communicate with Teterboro’s operators, they call TUG. When they need to understand the concerns, interests and capabilities of these same operators, they call TUG. And when pilots need to learn about the intricacies of operating at Teterboro, they call TUG. We’re proud to be acknowledged throughout the business aviation world as a model for aviation users groups.

In addition to advocacy, we serve an educational purpose, posting important operational information on our website and disseminating time-critical information via email. We meet every two months on the 3rd Wednesday in the Port Authority Conference Room at 90 Moonachie Ave, just around the corner, and our next meeting will take place on November 20th. These meetings are open to all, and feature world-class speakers addressing the full-spectrum of operational topics to include: ATC procedures, safety, fatigue management, security, international operations and a host of others. Our meetings, quite simply, represent one-stop shopping for everything an individual might want or need to know about operations at Teterboro Airport. You can learn more about us, and how to participate in our activities, by visiting our website: teterborousersgroup.org.

We’re honored to accept this award, and inspired to continue our mission to ensure that Teterboro Airport remains the safest and most efficient business aviation airport in the world.

Thank you.”

TUG Leaders Past and Present (l to r): Peter Bellini, Joe Ritorto, Bill Thomas, Dave Belastock and Bill Mack