The Aviation Hall of Fame Museum at Teterboro

On a recent trip to New York I decided to make the journey into New Jersey to visit the Aviation Hall of Fame Museum at Teterboro Airport.

Whilst I knew that this was a small aviation museum, it had two airframes which were of particular interest to me, and I was also interested to see Teterboro while I was there.

Getting There

From Manhattan it is surprisingly easy to get to Teterboro and the museum.

I happened to be staying next to the Port Authority Bus Station, a couple of blocks from Times Square, which is where all of the major bus routes emanate from.

To get to Teterboro, you need to take bus #161. You can buy a ticket from the machines throughout the bus station – make sure you buy a return if you plan on coming back the same day, as there are no ticket machines at the bus stop.

Your ticket and the departure screens will tell you where your bus departs from. On my visit this was upstairs, and it seems the bus runs every hour.

When boarding, show your ticket to the driver, but retain it for your return journey.

The route takes you under Hudson through the Lincoln Tunnel and into New Jersey. It takes around 40 minutes, and helps if you have data on your phone to keep an eye on your location. You need to alight on the corner of Rt 46 and Huyler St.

Sadly, the next bit requires you to cross the street and walk along the road to the museum (which has no pavements). The museum is at the end.

The address if you’re driving is 400 Fred Wehran Road, Teterboro NJ 07608.

The Museum

This is a small museum which celebrates the interesting history of aviation in New Jersey and at the historic Teterboro Airport. An introductory video reveals a surprising number of events which have taken place in the state, and names which have been linked with aviation events here.

There is a room dedicated to the many people – the Hall of Fame itself.

Other exhibits inside the building include airline memorabilia, a couple of prototype light aircraft, displays on spaceflight and the history of Newark Airport.

Outside Collection

In the yard of the museum are the main aircraft exhibits. There are also two aircraft in front of the museum – a Coast Guard HH-52 helicopter and Aermacchi AL.60.

The exhibits include a Grumman OV-1 Mohawk, Bell 47, Bell 209, and two civil aircraft which were the reason for my visit.

The first is the cockpit of Convair 880 N803TW, now preserved in the colours of TWA. It is not generally open to the public, apart from on the museum’s open cockpit days, but looks superb.

The second is the incredibly rare Martin 2-0-2 airliner, which is complete apart from the outer wings. It wears the faded Allegheny Airlines livery, and would have been a regular at Newark Airport in the 1960s.

You can go inside this airliner to see the cabin and cockpit.

Summary

This is a small museum, and some of its displays are perhaps a little outdated or looking shabby. But it is a collection put together by people passionate about the history of aviation in New Jersey, and the Martin 2-0-2 is a very rare aircraft. So it’s definitely worth stopping by, especially if you’re visiting Teterboro.

You can find out more about the Aviation Hall of Fame Museum on their website, www.njahof.org