A plane approaching from out over the ocean banks north over 37 Broad Street in Red Bank on its approach to JFK airport in November. (Photo by Brian Donohue)
Ever wonder why some days there’s so many airplanes flying low over Red Bank and on other days, well, hardly any?
It has to do with wind direction, traffic levels at John F. Kennedy International Airport and an aviation maneuver called the Canarsie Approach.
It was all in effect Tuesday evening as a steady parade of jetliners made their way over Red Bank, one every few minutes or so, before it all ended around 9:30 pm.
An animation of planes from the flight tracker site FlightRadar24 shortly after 8 pm Tuesday night shows the steady stream of planes turning north over Red Bank as they descend to JFK airport via the sharp-angled Canarsie Approach.
redbankgreen went on a deep nerd dive into Reddit pilot forums after seeing this in effect last fall (when the photos for this post were taken) and Wednesday morning interviewed longtime airline pilot Michael Lauro of Little Silver to get the lowdown.
Here’s what’s going on.
When winds are out of the east, JFK airport generally utilizes runway 13L for landings.
This requires pilots to approach from the southwest (right where Red Bank sits), then, using visual guides, make a 90-degree low altitude, right-hand turn over Queens called the Canarsie Approach.
Pilots posting online alternately describe it as one of the most difficult and most fun landings in the world. The famous Canarsie Approach is made necessary because of JFK’s proximity to LaGuardia Airport. The skies are crowded in these parts.
A pilot gets ready for the Canarsie approach over the old Red Bank Register building at 40 Broad Street last November. (Photo by Brian Donohue)
Generally, planes approaching the East Coast from the east will turn north over the coast between Long Branch and Sandy Hook and go straight up the coast. (This is when we’ve noticed long lines of planes appear to be stationary over the ocean and corresponding Facebook posts about drones over the ocean pop up a few hours later.)
Lauro noted that when JFK traffic is heavy or backed up, those planes will be directed slightly farther inland and turn north over the peninsula, Red Bank and Middletown.
