Two upcoming runway visit opportunities in NYC

Hanging out at ground level at an airport isn’t something generally available. The coming month has a couple opportunities in to do just that in the New York City area, situations I hope to take advantage of. And one of them is free!

First up, this coming Saturday, Newark is having an open house/kid’s day. It is mostly focused on kids but there will be aircraft – commercial and GA – available to tour. Some snow clearing equipment and construction gear on hand, too. United Airlines is one of the sponsors so there’s a pretty good chance they’ll have a couple planes on display. Possibly some other carriers, too. I’m probably going in the morning but not certain yet. The event is free and open to everyone; park at or take the AirTrain to P4 and hop on the shuttle bus to the event.

And, for those looking to get a bit more exercise as part of their runway experience, there is a 5K run at LaGuardia on Sunday, October 14th. The event is similar to the one at JFK earlier in the year and proceeds will benefit the Wounded Warrior project. This one costs $25 for registration now and comes with at T-shirt and the opportunity to be on the active runway and taxiway areas at LGA, though obviously not active while you’re running. I’m also quite likely to sign up for this one, though voluntarily running is a choice I rarely see as rational.