Letter: Current Teterboro Airport (KTEB) flight path still dangerous

A recent article about the noise, pollution and public safety issues involving Teterboro Airport omitted some important facts. Although the story accurately stated that a large crowd of area residents attended a Federal Aviation Administration recent hearing in Hackensack, it failed to hold FAA officials accountable for scrapping the trial of a much better and safer Alternative Flight Path than the current system in place.

The story left many readers believing that the alternate path had been given a fair trial by the FAA. This is completely false. Many residents believe the exact opposite – that it was set up to fail. Here’s why.

The vast majority of the jets that use Teterboro land with the help of a Flight Management System that guides them along the current flight path following a charted course. But pilots using the new alternate flight path had a much more difficult challenge. They couldn’t use their FMS without manually entering longitude/latitude coordinates because the FAA didn’t provide them. So these pilots had to land “on their own” without using their automated FMS equipment.

With an obstacle like that, no one should be surprised that just one quarter of one percent of the 90,000 flights in and out of Teterboro during this six-month “trial” actually tried the new alternate path. This is why many people believe this entire process was essentially a smokescreen to protect the status quo.

We do not accept the FAA explanation, nor the noise, pollution and flat out danger of the current flight path that brings about 500 planes dangerously close to high-rise buildings on Prospect Avenue and the ever-expanding Hackensack University Medical Center every single day. Imagine the carnage and loss of life that would result if a plane crashed into one of these tall buildings, just as one crashed into an empty smaller building a few weeks ago. We know there is a better, safer way and it deserves a fair trial by the FAA.

John Labrosse

Hackensack, June 19

Kathy Canestrino

Hackensack, June 19

The writers are the mayor and deputy mayor of the City of Hackensack.

http://www.northjersey.com/opinion