AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2013 - 32

BRIEFING

FLY-OUTS
Fly-outs made possible by ENTERPRISE RENT-A-CAR

A great place to relax

NEW YORK
Montauk

Beachside airport has past, uncertain future
BY JIM MOORE
HELEN GIL CAN SPIN A GOOD YARN. She’ll tell you
all about the time musician Ray Charles stopped
by; or about the old fire truck once kept handy
to give rides to and from the end of the runway,
where a short trail through dunes topped with
beach plums and blueberry bushes leads to a
white sand beach. Visitors would hoist a flag to
alert the airport staff they were ready for pickup.
Today, a cell phone gets you the same result: a
ride down the taxiway that parallels Montauk
Airport’s 3,400-foot runway. You might wait a
few minutes if it’s busy, but the ride will come.
There are still showers to be had in the tiny terminal with wood-shingle siding on the outside,
and scores of photos on the inside taken in days
gone by—all by Gil, the airport manager now as
much a part of this airport as anyone.
There are four seafood restaurants within
half a mile; on a late-season visit, The Inlet,
owned by six of the many commercial fishermen
that ply the waters off of Montauk on New York’s
Long Island is the last one still open for the year.
The fish is as good as you might expect, and as
fresh as can be: Montauk is the easternmost
point of land in New York and the state’s busiest fishing port, according to real estate agent
Timothy J. Griffin of Prudential Douglas Elliman
Real Estate, who gave a tour and talked up the
many virtues of an airport that has drawn pilots
since 1957—but may be nearing the end of its run.

32 | AOPA PILOT May 2013

Griffin said recently that efforts to publicize the airport—all 37 acres of it, listed for $18
million—have yet to draw an offer, and the owners are exploring subdivision. Montauk has had
federally funded improvements, including a
resurfaced runway in 2009, so it must remain
an airport until at least 2019.
Meanwhile, a short cab ride will get you into
town, where any number of shops, restaurants,
and other attractions await. A little farther out,
the historic Montauk Point Lighthouse has a visitor’s center in season and breathtaking views any
time. There are vineyards, horseback riding, and
other things to see and do nearby.
“It’s a great little fishing community, still,”
Gil said. “Even though we’ve kind of been
Hamptonized this year. We’re not a Hampton.”
The airport has no fuel—the tanks had to
come out years ago—and no repair services available. A $17 landing fee (bring cash) gets you a spot
on a ramp that Gil must sweep frequently to clear
off the shells dropped by seagulls using the convenient expanse of asphalt to open their lunch.
Jeff Melagrano, a pilot who has made regular visits since 1978, said he is among those hoping that
somehow, some way, it will remain an airport in
decades to come. “It’s just a great place to relax,
do nothing, and watch the ocean,” he said.
EMAIL james.moore@aopa.org

IF YOU GO
Montauk Airport (MTP)
Montauk, New York
631-668-3738
Airport has no gas and no
repair services. $17 cash
landing fee.
Rental cars: www.aopa.org/
cars
866-315-9155

VIDEO EXTRA Travel

with Jim Moore
to Montauk, Long
Island, New York.

http://www.aopa.org/cars http://www.aopa.org/cars

AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - May 2013