Aeroflex-Andover Airport, New Jersey

Nestled in a valley with small lakes at each end of the runway, it’s a field many consider one of the prettiest airports in the East. A pilot’s first landing on Andover’s modest-length runway seems more challenging than it really is, especially for pilots who are not accustomed to flying low over water on final approach. With lakes at both ends, pilots often say it’s like landing on an aircraft carrier.

Aeroflex-Andover Airport (12N) is located two miles from Andover in Sussex County, New Jersey. The airport is owned by the New Jersey Forest Fire Service as a base for aerial firefighting, so you’ll often see their Bell UH–1 Huey helicopters parked on the ramp. The runway (3/21) is 1,981 feet by 50 feet of asphalt with a parallel grass strip for tailwheel aircraft. There may be space for transient aircraft in a communal hangar, but don’t count on it, although there’s always tiedown space on the grass. The airport has 100LL fuel and restrooms, but no other on-site facilities, so perhaps bring your lunch or fishing pole.

The airport lies within Kittatinny Valley State Park, which offers numerous hiking and mountain biking trails for pilots to exercise their legs after a long flight. Fishermen and paddlers can launch small boats on the park’s lakes and ponds, which are stocked with trout. If you’d like to stay overnight, there are campsites, picnic tables, and grills. Hunting is even permitted in some parts of the park. Bring what you need, because there are no shops closer than 1.5 miles.

It’s a friendly airport community, with a high percentage of tailwheel airplane owners who share the hangars. On a busy flying day, it’s likely you could find a ride into Andover for lunch or antique shopping, for which the town is known.

Aeroflex-Andover Airport is the place in the East for tailwheel training. Nationally known instructor Damian DelGaizo has been training pilots in the art of flying tailwheel aircraft there since 1987. Pilots come from all over the world. Airline pilots with stopovers at Newark Liberty International or John F. Kennedy International will often drive out to fly with DelGaizo. On those rare Jersey winter days when the snow is right, DelGaizo bolts on the skis and trains pilots in ski flying.

You can earn your tailwheel endorsement in a classic, hand-propped Piper J–3 Cub, in which you’ll fly from the back seat, or a modified Super Cub that is also used to teach bush flying and ski flying techniques. Blow your hair back with a flight in a classic 1943 Stearman biplane, in which you can take advanced tailwheel training, aerobatic and spin training, or just go for a scenic ride. As one pilot said, “you always learn something new every time you fly with Damian.”

Before scheduling flight time, view one of DelGaizo’s instructional DVDs, Tailwheel 101, Tailwheel 201, or Ski Flying 101, available from Amazon.com.