Knew Bill Fedishen (great guy, classic unforgettable character, who was a great foil for Ed. The two were classics of aviation.) Equally unforgetable was Ed Gorski who took my mom and older brother up in a JN-4 Jenny (or maybe a Waco?) in the old days. My first light plane ride, Cessna 172 (1962), first lesson (1964) through license (1969) being instructed by: Bill, Tony Farell (who, IIRC, did my license pre-check ride) and young Dave Brody (with whom did my last dual-cross country and my first & only spin). From Lincoln Park to 23 years in Naval Aviation.
Wow, cant believe I found this sight. I worked for Ed in the early 70's > I did everything from sweep the runway, to washing his car and loved every minute of it. Instructors were great. Arnold Kufta, Tony Farrel, Bill Reda, Bill Feddishon, Daine Sutton, and Chuck Smith. What a great bunch of guys. And their was Lucifer the cat. He used to catch mice in the field and bring them for Ed. Ed loved that damn cat !! Many good memories with Wayne W. hangin in the commander, breaking into the furnace room and buying those bottles of coke, and lets not forget driving the go carts down the runway on lousy weather days. Would love to hear info on any of them guy
Enjoyed reading about your Ed Gorski experiences ---I agree, good man!
I can see him again in the round concrete office saying "---hmm don't have enough money eh? --- ok build an airport symbol with a wind sock out there near the runway and we'll start teaching you to fly". That was in 1946 and I was back from 23 missions as flight engineer on B-24's in the South Pacific.
Ed's CFI Steve Bannister #33659 sat in the front of the Piper Cub puffing a cigar (no, really; blew smoke back over his shoulder in my face!) and we were off for "Familiarization, Climb, Glide, Turns, Coordinations" for 30 minutes. It's all right here in my log book that your fine write-up made me dig out -- Cub J3 -- 27056-- Cont 65 --- wonder if they are still renting it out.
After a later solo it was Ed that called me down in what you accurately described as a 'gruff' manner for flying over with rpm way too high!
On a later solo the engine died on final in one of his Cubs --- the telephone lines across the approach (since taken down) raised a question Bannister had not discussed with me --- over the wires or under the wires? --- I picked over and the wheels cleared by inches --- hmmm strange how the wheels get closer to those wires as the years go by.
Ed had worked with Amelia Earhardt at Teterboro and did big things in WWII according to a book on his life --- which is somewhere around the house here --- oh well.
Thanks for your memory stimulating words blueskyes.
This is the first time I have seen this website, and I am pleased to see the response from others about the airport.
Back in 1962 on my sixteenth birthday my grandfather paid for my first lesson.
The plane was a Piper PA-11, tail number 4549M. The instructor was H.T. Buckley.
The lesson was only thirty minutes but the memory lasted a lifetime. That day I was introduced to Ed Gorski and his wife, and other pilots were in the office on that day. After that first flight, I spent every dollar I earned going back for more, for I could not get enough of this new experience which completely changed my life. I remember after I had soloed once or twice Ed would ride in the back seat for the first couple of landings, to make sure I was able to handle the cross wind conditions, he always seemed to have a cigar in his mouth and yelling orders from the back seat about what I was doing wrong. When I fly today I can still hear his voice and it brings back back fond memories.
There is a lot more that I would l like to share about my experiences at the Lincoln Park airport but the website does not allow the space it would require. I thank you for the opportunity to share my experiences.
I'll keep it short, me and friend Garry Flipped a coin for the right seat on a ride, garry won and as we were flying gracious Ed asked if he knew something about flying, He said yes and Ed said take over and Garry gripped the control wheel then Ed asked for a turn and Garry quickly performed a split-S (which would have made an SBD pilot envious) and had me viewing the Totowa Drive-In parking lot thru the windscreen. Ed calmly cut the throttle and very gently recovered to straight and level. Cigar smoking Ed never lost it and just verbally said thats not how you do it.
Just a little 50s aviation trivia involving some past events. Garry went on to get his license many years later, and a 172.
My primary flight training back in 1969-71 was out of LGA. The school was the long extinct La Guardia Flying Service. LGA being what it is meant we flew elsewhere for practicing t&g's and full stop landings. Lincoln Park was probably my favorite airport since I could get an idea of what making a carrier landing was like. If I remember correctly, the runway was gravel in those days and much shorter. Can anyone confirm this?
my flight instruction took place at BeechEast over at TEB back in the 80's... the instructors there (some of best people on earth) seemed to enjoy bringing the cocky students (like myself) over to Lincoln Park for a lil bit of humility training (i mean, after all, we did pay for it, didn't we)... maybe it was that look of shock and fear in our eyes when we first sighted the runway... maybe they took some sadistic pleasure in casually announcing, 'ok there's the runway, go ahead and land', and then sitting back and gauging our reaction, knowing full well that all any person of rational sensibilities could see was this ribbon of what looked like half a roadway with numbers on the ends... surely that couldn't be the runway that he was asking me to land on... it was just too thin to be a runway for real airplanes...
or maybe it was the knowledge that after landing at Lincoln Park once or twice, the new, soon to be pilot would be confident of his or her abilities to take their charge into anything that the FAA allowed to be called an airport... regardless of the width of its runways... maybe these flight instuctors knew a thing or two... or three...
so nowadays... whenever i see tv news replays of those airliners making emergency landings... and the pilot puts it down right on the centerline... i can rest assured that that pilot probably landed at Licoln Park at least once during his/her early flying days...
i drove out to Lincoln Park once after that... i just had to get a feel for what looked like one of those idyllic small local airports... from a different perspective... i wasn't dissapointed...
is the lil viewing gallery at the north end of the field still there...
I worked at LP from 1975-1980. Ed always called me "junior". I hated it then but over the years it was fitting. Ed was pretty old then, but he did not lack anything. He was sharp as a tack and if he missed anything Jule would let him know so.
I guess I went to work for him after he had repossed the airport from the Eastern group. I was for the most part an aircraft fueler after school and on weekends, but I wound up doing so much more. Moving planes, cutting grass, cleaning the office and assisting the mechanic when needed. And hung up a lot of what I know now are to be historical pictures in the office.
Ed always asked, every pay day, "do you want half in pay and half in flight time"? I kick my self in the butt today. I could have been trained to fly by the same guy that helped Amelia Earhart fly the Atlantic, wow Ed! And that also would have included instruction by Tony Farrell.
But I at the time liked fast cars and the girls that came with it. I think I kept Ed and the other guys happy with all the teenage girls that showed up to watch me work. But Ed would always come out, "junior we need to get doc's plane out" or something. Meaning she had to go.
Ed loved the airport and always wanted it looking its best. He also gave a lot back, never missing the chance to buy me a lunch at the Pequannock sandwich shop. He kept me stuffed with salt tabs in the summer also. And when the day was slow I would go up to his house and mow the lawn.
Jules and Ed had a nice, cozy log cabin up in the hills. The road getting there was windy and tight. If you think flying in a plane with Ed was fun, you needed to ride in a car on the way to his house. The tree limbs would fly in the open window and slap you in the face if you let it. He was a daredevil in my book.
The first flight I had in an airplane was in his J-3 Cub. I never knew you could look over your shoulder at the runway on final approach. That's how Ed did it all the time! And just prior to the wheel hitting the ground he would snap the tail around and bam you were rolling down the runway.
He came out of the office one day to see me propping an aircraft. I guess I was lucky that the plane fired up and I wasn't injured. But Ed made sure that I got some instruction before doing it again. The first instruction was a lot of ear chewing. But that's how he was, you didn't do it unless you were going to do it right.
We had one guy, Bernie. He owned a Mooney, and every time he flew it was "swift". He was German and the plane was fast. Ed would wait for him to come in for a landing and then the chase was on. Bernie would taxi way to fast for Ed's liking and he would let him know it. Better yet almost every landing Bernie would ding his prop after porposing down the runway, Ed would stop him and say he couldn't fly till it was fixed.
We had only one crash during the time I worked there. The radio shops owner had a bell 47 helicopter, that crashed just short of me while I was cutting the grass. He took off and pulled up too soon causing the clutch to go. He attempted a auto rotation but hit tail first, which caused the chopper to spin and land on its side.
Ed and Jules have since gone and I miss those hot New Jersey days at the airport. I'm glad to see that they have gone down in the history of aviation in NJ, and that they left us with so much. May LP airport continue to prosper.
I was hired to work as a flight instructor in April 1972 by Ed Gorski, minutes after we met.
I had graduated from Embry-Riddle and headed to NJ to pursue my aviation career. No jobs were available at all, except a FEW instructor jobs! Ed Gorski was somewhat gruff, but a real nice person. I had 3 other offers for FI positions, and I ended up taking a job at Linden Airport, NJ for a lot less money ($3/hour) than Ed offered ($15/hour), however, more students and more opportunities at LDJ. I stayed at LDJ for 16 months and moved on to a Cessna 421B job at North Philadelphia, which lasted for about 18 months.
Long Story Short, I ended up getting hired at Lincoln Park in early 1975 by a group of individuals as a Flight Instructor. An Eastern Airlines Crowd of pilots, who hired a puppet manager to follow their directives, hired me. Ed had sold the Captain Jack Faes/George Kershaw, Eastern groupof pilots, the airport, in good faith, and they concentrated their collections of Pitts Aircraft throughout 1975. What a racket these guys had. Maybe I was envious, as I was trying to break into a business that had no opportunities available at the time. This crowd took advantage of everything that they could get their hands on.
I left the job in August 1975 as I had seen enough, and one of the Eastern bunch (Jack Faes) needed a job for his son, who had lost his job at Wien Airlines in Alaska, so I was the junior flight instuctor and had to leave.
What a difference from this BUNCH to Ed Gorski. Well, the Captain Jack Faes and Eastern Airlines' crowd eventually overstayed their agreement with Ed, with the hangars filled with their Pitts Special toys. They never paid their local taxes ($75,000) to Lincoln Park Township while they managed the airport, and good old Ed Gorski was contacted for a default of the real estate taxes due. I guess Ed Gorski had to throw the puppet manager Bill out on his ass, and then the Faes Eastern crowd. Then Ed took possession of his beloved airport, and I assume ran it himself for many more years.
God bless Ed Gorski, he was a straight forward honest guy, not like the low lives that had infiltrated Lincoln Park from 1975-1977. I wish Ed was still around. With respect to Eastern Airlines Captain Jack Faes, he kicked me in the ass in August 1975, and then further attempted to trash my aviation career with unfounded bad references, however, I managed a successful career in corporate aviation as a manager/chief pilot from 1979-1998, operating several Falcon 50s, Gulfstream III/IV, Lear 55, Citation VII for over twenty (20) years, all based in New Jersey. I am now a B747-400 Captain for the last ten (10) years.
I'll never forget my conversations with Ed Gorski. A straight an honest man, who always treated me with respect and kindness. I am delighted that Ed took his airport back from that bunch of Eastern Airlines pilots who had abused their stay and stacked the hangars with their toys, and abused the employees!
Wherever you are Ed, I will always remember you fondly. And as far as that Eastern Airline Bunch, they got their due, eventually, in more ways than one!
I was hired to work as a flight instructor in April 1972 by Ed Gorski, minutes after we met. I had graduated from Embry-Riddle and headed to NJ to pursue my aviation career. Ed Gorski was somewhat gruff, but a real nice person. I had 3 other offers for FI positions, and I ended up taking a job at Linden Airport, NJ for alot less money than Ed offered, however, more students and more opportunities at LDJ. I stayed at LDJ for 16 months and moved on to a Cessna 421B job at North Philadelphia, which lasted for about 18 months.
Long Story Short, I ended up getting hired at Lincoln Park in early 1975 by a group of individuals as a FI. An Eastern Airlines Crowd of pilots, managed by a pupet manager who followed their directives, hired me. Ed had sold the Captain Jack Faes/George Kershaw, Eastern group, the airport, in good faith, and they concentrated their collections of Pitts Aircraft throughout 1975. What a racket these guys had. Maybe I was envious, as I was trying to break into a business that had no opportuinites available, but this crowd took advantage of everything that they could get their hands on. I left the job in August 1975 as I had seen enough, and one of the Eastern bunch needed a job for his son, who had lost his job at Wein , so I was the junior guy and had to leave. What a difference from this BUNCH to Ed Gorski. Well, the Jack Faes (Larry Faes) Eastern Airlines' crowd eventually overstayed their agreement, with the hangars filled with their toys. They never paid their local taxes to Lincoln Park, and good old ed Gorski was contacted. I guess had to throw the manager out on his ass, and then the Faes crowd. Then Ed took posession of his beloved airport. God bless Ed Gorski, he was a straight forward honest guy, not like the low lives that had infiltrated Lincol Park from 1975-1977. I wish Ed was still around. With respect to Captain Jack Faes kick in my ass in August 1975, and then his attempt to trash my career with bad references, I managed a sucessful career in corporate aviation as a manager/chief pilot operating a Falcon 50, Gulfstream III/IV, Lear 55, Citation VII for over twenty (20) years, all based in New Jersey. I am now a B747-400 Captain for the last ten (10) years.
I'll never forget my conversations with Ed Gorski. A straight an honest man, who always treated me with respect and kindness. I am delighted that Ed took his airport back from that bunch of Eastern Airlines pilots who had abused their stay and stacked the hangars with their toys, and abused the employees!
hi and i must know you because bill fedishen is my father please contact me iam james darwin fedishen my email is hime_661@hotmail.com id love chat about my father
Remember riding my bike to LP Airport in 1946. Too young to drive, I had a wad of money earned during the week as an auto mechanic (yes I was doing engine overhauls at that age and being paid the magnificent sum of something like $20.00 a week during summer vacation ).
My thought was to take a ride. When I asked the pilot signing off someone's log book how old you had to be to take lessons I was rocked to my ACE Sneakers when he said "no age limit". "You mean I could take a lesson?" the answer yes, brought the next logical question, "How much?" Think it was something like $14.00 an hour, maybe a half hour, that's what I wound up buying anyway.
"Hold on though" says the FI, "you can't just hop in and start flying" "You have to know all about aeroplanes"
"Oh, I do!" (I spent my nights and weekends building balsa models)
"OK" he smiled "Go over to that yellow plane over there (a J-3) and I'll be over to see what you know"
I passed the test so my first ride in an airplane was my first lesson in piloting.
When we landed he told me I needed a logbook available from the front office. That was when I met Mr. Gorski a fine looking older man whose friendly smile never let you forget that flying was important and serious.
There was another young pilot back than a year or two older who also soloed on his 16th birthday. His name was Breeziano or something like that we all called him Breezy. We became kind of friends but kind of competitors too. He certainly built better models than me, but I think I had the edge on Stick and Rudder.
It would be wonderful if the Gorskis were still alive they were the best of an age before the `white knuckles' took over.
As a boy I lived across the street from this airport and it's part of my earliest memories. I "hung out" there nearly every free moment from the time I was 6 years old or so until I left for the USAF in 1965. Got my private there in 1964. Lincoln Park is notable as the long-time business interest of Ed and Jue Gorski (see NJ Aviation Hall of Fame). Other CFI's there who helped shape my life were Johnnie Schump, Charlie Stephan, Lenny Landers, Tony Farrell and William (Wild Bill) Fedishen. Still an active and well-run little operation, close in to the NY Metro area.
N07 comments
Latest comments
Lincoln Park and folks fondly remembered
🔗 Tue, 13 Mar 2012
— Anonymous Flyer at Lincoln Park Airport, United States Reply
Knew Bill Fedishen (great guy, classic unforgettable character, who was a great foil for Ed. The two were classics of aviation.) Equally unforgetable was Ed Gorski who took my mom and older brother up in a JN-4 Jenny (or maybe a Waco?) in the old days. My first light plane ride, Cessna 172 (1962), first lesson (1964) through license (1969) being instructed by: Bill, Tony Farell (who, IIRC, did my license pre-check ride) and young Dave Brody (with whom did my last dual-cross country and my first & only spin). From Lincoln Park to 23 years in Naval Aviation.
Ed Gorski
🔗 Mon, 05 Apr 2010
— Anonymous Flyer at Lincoln Park Airport, United States Reply
Wow, cant believe I found this sight. I worked for Ed in the early 70's > I did everything from sweep the runway, to washing his car and loved every minute of it. Instructors were great. Arnold Kufta, Tony Farrel, Bill Reda, Bill Feddishon, Daine Sutton, and Chuck Smith. What a great bunch of guys. And their was Lucifer the cat. He used to catch mice in the field and bring them for Ed. Ed loved that damn cat !! Many good memories with Wayne W. hangin in the commander, breaking into the furnace room and buying those bottles of coke, and lets not forget driving the go carts down the runway on lousy weather days. Would love to hear info on any of them guy
re: Where it all began- ED GORSKI- Great GUY
🔗 Fri, 09 Oct 2009
— @Flyboy13th at Lincoln Park Airport, United States Reply
Reply to @blueskyes:
Enjoyed reading about your Ed Gorski experiences ---I agree, good man!
I can see him again in the round concrete office saying "---hmm don't have enough money eh? --- ok build an airport symbol with a wind sock out there near the runway and we'll start teaching you to fly". That was in 1946 and I was back from 23 missions as flight engineer on B-24's in the South Pacific.
Ed's CFI Steve Bannister #33659 sat in the front of the Piper Cub puffing a cigar (no, really; blew smoke back over his shoulder in my face!) and we were off for "Familiarization, Climb, Glide, Turns, Coordinations" for 30 minutes. It's all right here in my log book that your fine write-up made me dig out -- Cub J3 -- 27056-- Cont 65 --- wonder if they are still renting it out.
After a later solo it was Ed that called me down in what you accurately described as a 'gruff' manner for flying over with rpm way too high!
On a later solo the engine died on final in one of his Cubs --- the telephone lines across the approach (since taken down) raised a question Bannister had not discussed with me --- over the wires or under the wires? --- I picked over and the wheels cleared by inches --- hmmm strange how the wheels get closer to those wires as the years go by.
Ed had worked with Amelia Earhardt at Teterboro and did big things in WWII according to a book on his life --- which is somewhere around the house here --- oh well.
Thanks for your memory stimulating words blueskyes.
Former student at Lincoln Park Airport
🔗 Tue, 14 Jul 2009
— Anonymous Flyer at Lincoln Park Airport, United States Reply
This is the first time I have seen this website, and I am pleased to see the response from others about the airport.
Back in 1962 on my sixteenth birthday my grandfather paid for my first lesson.
The plane was a Piper PA-11, tail number 4549M. The instructor was H.T. Buckley.
The lesson was only thirty minutes but the memory lasted a lifetime. That day I was introduced to Ed Gorski and his wife, and other pilots were in the office on that day. After that first flight, I spent every dollar I earned going back for more, for I could not get enough of this new experience which completely changed my life. I remember after I had soloed once or twice Ed would ride in the back seat for the first couple of landings, to make sure I was able to handle the cross wind conditions, he always seemed to have a cigar in his mouth and yelling orders from the back seat about what I was doing wrong. When I fly today I can still hear his voice and it brings back back fond memories.
There is a lot more that I would l like to share about my experiences at the Lincoln Park airport but the website does not allow the space it would require. I thank you for the opportunity to share my experiences.
Robert J. Ruck sales@class1tool.com
Ride with Ed in 1954 (Tri_Pacer)
🔗 Tue, 16 Jun 2009
— Anonymous Flyer at Lincoln Park Airport, United States Reply
I'll keep it short, me and friend Garry Flipped a coin for the right seat on a ride, garry won and as we were flying gracious Ed asked if he knew something about flying, He said yes and Ed said take over and Garry gripped the control wheel then Ed asked for a turn and Garry quickly performed a split-S (which would have made an SBD pilot envious) and had me viewing the Totowa Drive-In parking lot thru the windscreen. Ed calmly cut the throttle and very gently recovered to straight and level. Cigar smoking Ed never lost it and just verbally said thats not how you do it.
Just a little 50s aviation trivia involving some past events. Garry went on to get his license many years later, and a 172.
Rich S.
re: Harrowing And Fond Memories
🔗 Thu, 12 Feb 2009
— @distar97 at Lincoln Park Airport, United States Reply
My primary flight training back in 1969-71 was out of LGA. The school was the long extinct La Guardia Flying Service. LGA being what it is meant we flew elsewhere for practicing t&g's and full stop landings. Lincoln Park was probably my favorite airport since I could get an idea of what making a carrier landing was like. If I remember correctly, the runway was gravel in those days and much shorter. Can anyone confirm this?
Dennis Harper
Harrowing And Fond Memories
🔗 Wed, 19 Nov 2008
— @RedOcktober at Lincoln Park Airport, United States Reply
my flight instruction took place at BeechEast over at TEB back in the 80's... the instructors there (some of best people on earth) seemed to enjoy bringing the cocky students (like myself) over to Lincoln Park for a lil bit of humility training (i mean, after all, we did pay for it, didn't we)... maybe it was that look of shock and fear in our eyes when we first sighted the runway... maybe they took some sadistic pleasure in casually announcing, 'ok there's the runway, go ahead and land', and then sitting back and gauging our reaction, knowing full well that all any person of rational sensibilities could see was this ribbon of what looked like half a roadway with numbers on the ends... surely that couldn't be the runway that he was asking me to land on... it was just too thin to be a runway for real airplanes...
or maybe it was the knowledge that after landing at Lincoln Park once or twice, the new, soon to be pilot would be confident of his or her abilities to take their charge into anything that the FAA allowed to be called an airport... regardless of the width of its runways... maybe these flight instuctors knew a thing or two... or three...
so nowadays... whenever i see tv news replays of those airliners making emergency landings... and the pilot puts it down right on the centerline... i can rest assured that that pilot probably landed at Licoln Park at least once during his/her early flying days...
i drove out to Lincoln Park once after that... i just had to get a feel for what looked like one of those idyllic small local airports... from a different perspective... i wasn't dissapointed...
is the lil viewing gallery at the north end of the field still there...
--Mike Hense
Lincoln Park
🔗 Fri, 08 Aug 2008
— @Wayne at Lincoln Park Airport, United States Reply
I worked at LP from 1975-1980. Ed always called me "junior". I hated it then but over the years it was fitting. Ed was pretty old then, but he did not lack anything. He was sharp as a tack and if he missed anything Jule would let him know so.
I guess I went to work for him after he had repossed the airport from the Eastern group. I was for the most part an aircraft fueler after school and on weekends, but I wound up doing so much more. Moving planes, cutting grass, cleaning the office and assisting the mechanic when needed. And hung up a lot of what I know now are to be historical pictures in the office.
Ed always asked, every pay day, "do you want half in pay and half in flight time"? I kick my self in the butt today. I could have been trained to fly by the same guy that helped Amelia Earhart fly the Atlantic, wow Ed! And that also would have included instruction by Tony Farrell.
But I at the time liked fast cars and the girls that came with it. I think I kept Ed and the other guys happy with all the teenage girls that showed up to watch me work. But Ed would always come out, "junior we need to get doc's plane out" or something. Meaning she had to go.
Ed loved the airport and always wanted it looking its best. He also gave a lot back, never missing the chance to buy me a lunch at the Pequannock sandwich shop. He kept me stuffed with salt tabs in the summer also. And when the day was slow I would go up to his house and mow the lawn.
Jules and Ed had a nice, cozy log cabin up in the hills. The road getting there was windy and tight. If you think flying in a plane with Ed was fun, you needed to ride in a car on the way to his house. The tree limbs would fly in the open window and slap you in the face if you let it. He was a daredevil in my book.
The first flight I had in an airplane was in his J-3 Cub. I never knew you could look over your shoulder at the runway on final approach. That's how Ed did it all the time! And just prior to the wheel hitting the ground he would snap the tail around and bam you were rolling down the runway.
He came out of the office one day to see me propping an aircraft. I guess I was lucky that the plane fired up and I wasn't injured. But Ed made sure that I got some instruction before doing it again. The first instruction was a lot of ear chewing. But that's how he was, you didn't do it unless you were going to do it right.
We had one guy, Bernie. He owned a Mooney, and every time he flew it was "swift". He was German and the plane was fast. Ed would wait for him to come in for a landing and then the chase was on. Bernie would taxi way to fast for Ed's liking and he would let him know it. Better yet almost every landing Bernie would ding his prop after porposing down the runway, Ed would stop him and say he couldn't fly till it was fixed.
We had only one crash during the time I worked there. The radio shops owner had a bell 47 helicopter, that crashed just short of me while I was cutting the grass. He took off and pulled up too soon causing the clutch to go. He attempted a auto rotation but hit tail first, which caused the chopper to spin and land on its side.
Ed and Jules have since gone and I miss those hot New Jersey days at the airport. I'm glad to see that they have gone down in the history of aviation in NJ, and that they left us with so much. May LP airport continue to prosper.
re: Where it all began- ED GORSKI- Great GUY
🔗 Fri, 21 Mar 2008
— @blueskyes at Lincoln Park Airport, United States Reply
I was hired to work as a flight instructor in April 1972 by Ed Gorski, minutes after we met.
I had graduated from Embry-Riddle and headed to NJ to pursue my aviation career. No jobs were available at all, except a FEW instructor jobs! Ed Gorski was somewhat gruff, but a real nice person. I had 3 other offers for FI positions, and I ended up taking a job at Linden Airport, NJ for a lot less money ($3/hour) than Ed offered ($15/hour), however, more students and more opportunities at LDJ. I stayed at LDJ for 16 months and moved on to a Cessna 421B job at North Philadelphia, which lasted for about 18 months.
Long Story Short, I ended up getting hired at Lincoln Park in early 1975 by a group of individuals as a Flight Instructor. An Eastern Airlines Crowd of pilots, who hired a puppet manager to follow their directives, hired me. Ed had sold the Captain Jack Faes/George Kershaw, Eastern groupof pilots, the airport, in good faith, and they concentrated their collections of Pitts Aircraft throughout 1975. What a racket these guys had. Maybe I was envious, as I was trying to break into a business that had no opportunities available at the time. This crowd took advantage of everything that they could get their hands on.
I left the job in August 1975 as I had seen enough, and one of the Eastern bunch (Jack Faes) needed a job for his son, who had lost his job at Wien Airlines in Alaska, so I was the junior flight instuctor and had to leave.
What a difference from this BUNCH to Ed Gorski. Well, the Captain Jack Faes and Eastern Airlines' crowd eventually overstayed their agreement with Ed, with the hangars filled with their Pitts Special toys. They never paid their local taxes ($75,000) to Lincoln Park Township while they managed the airport, and good old Ed Gorski was contacted for a default of the real estate taxes due. I guess Ed Gorski had to throw the puppet manager Bill out on his ass, and then the Faes Eastern crowd. Then Ed took possession of his beloved airport, and I assume ran it himself for many more years.
God bless Ed Gorski, he was a straight forward honest guy, not like the low lives that had infiltrated Lincoln Park from 1975-1977. I wish Ed was still around. With respect to Eastern Airlines Captain Jack Faes, he kicked me in the ass in August 1975, and then further attempted to trash my aviation career with unfounded bad references, however, I managed a successful career in corporate aviation as a manager/chief pilot from 1979-1998, operating several Falcon 50s, Gulfstream III/IV, Lear 55, Citation VII for over twenty (20) years, all based in New Jersey. I am now a B747-400 Captain for the last ten (10) years.
I'll never forget my conversations with Ed Gorski. A straight an honest man, who always treated me with respect and kindness. I am delighted that Ed took his airport back from that bunch of Eastern Airlines pilots who had abused their stay and stacked the hangars with their toys, and abused the employees!
Wherever you are Ed, I will always remember you fondly. And as far as that Eastern Airline Bunch, they got their due, eventually, in more ways than one!
re: Where it all began- ED GORSKI- Great GUY
🔗 Fri, 21 Mar 2008
— @blueskyes at Lincoln Park Airport, United States Reply
I was hired to work as a flight instructor in April 1972 by Ed Gorski, minutes after we met. I had graduated from Embry-Riddle and headed to NJ to pursue my aviation career. Ed Gorski was somewhat gruff, but a real nice person. I had 3 other offers for FI positions, and I ended up taking a job at Linden Airport, NJ for alot less money than Ed offered, however, more students and more opportunities at LDJ. I stayed at LDJ for 16 months and moved on to a Cessna 421B job at North Philadelphia, which lasted for about 18 months.
Long Story Short, I ended up getting hired at Lincoln Park in early 1975 by a group of individuals as a FI. An Eastern Airlines Crowd of pilots, managed by a pupet manager who followed their directives, hired me. Ed had sold the Captain Jack Faes/George Kershaw, Eastern group, the airport, in good faith, and they concentrated their collections of Pitts Aircraft throughout 1975. What a racket these guys had. Maybe I was envious, as I was trying to break into a business that had no opportuinites available, but this crowd took advantage of everything that they could get their hands on. I left the job in August 1975 as I had seen enough, and one of the Eastern bunch needed a job for his son, who had lost his job at Wein , so I was the junior guy and had to leave. What a difference from this BUNCH to Ed Gorski. Well, the Jack Faes (Larry Faes) Eastern Airlines' crowd eventually overstayed their agreement, with the hangars filled with their toys. They never paid their local taxes to Lincoln Park, and good old ed Gorski was contacted. I guess had to throw the manager out on his ass, and then the Faes crowd. Then Ed took posession of his beloved airport. God bless Ed Gorski, he was a straight forward honest guy, not like the low lives that had infiltrated Lincol Park from 1975-1977. I wish Ed was still around. With respect to Captain Jack Faes kick in my ass in August 1975, and then his attempt to trash my career with bad references, I managed a sucessful career in corporate aviation as a manager/chief pilot operating a Falcon 50, Gulfstream III/IV, Lear 55, Citation VII for over twenty (20) years, all based in New Jersey. I am now a B747-400 Captain for the last ten (10) years.
I'll never forget my conversations with Ed Gorski. A straight an honest man, who always treated me with respect and kindness. I am delighted that Ed took his airport back from that bunch of Eastern Airlines pilots who had abused their stay and stacked the hangars with their toys, and abused the employees!
re: Where it all began
🔗 Sat, 26 Jan 2008
— @jimmyfed at Lincoln Park Airport, United States Reply
hi and i must know you because bill fedishen is my father please contact me iam james darwin fedishen my email is hime_661@hotmail.com id love chat about my father
For me too, only further back in time
🔗 Tue, 31 Jul 2007
— Anonymous Flyer at Lincoln Park Airport, United States Reply
Remember riding my bike to LP Airport in 1946. Too young to drive, I had a wad of money earned during the week as an auto mechanic (yes I was doing engine overhauls at that age and being paid the magnificent sum of something like $20.00 a week during summer vacation ).
My thought was to take a ride. When I asked the pilot signing off someone's log book how old you had to be to take lessons I was rocked to my ACE Sneakers when he said "no age limit". "You mean I could take a lesson?" the answer yes, brought the next logical question, "How much?" Think it was something like $14.00 an hour, maybe a half hour, that's what I wound up buying anyway.
"Hold on though" says the FI, "you can't just hop in and start flying" "You have to know all about aeroplanes"
"Oh, I do!" (I spent my nights and weekends building balsa models)
"OK" he smiled "Go over to that yellow plane over there (a J-3) and I'll be over to see what you know"
I passed the test so my first ride in an airplane was my first lesson in piloting.
When we landed he told me I needed a logbook available from the front office. That was when I met Mr. Gorski a fine looking older man whose friendly smile never let you forget that flying was important and serious.
There was another young pilot back than a year or two older who also soloed on his 16th birthday. His name was Breeziano or something like that we all called him Breezy. We became kind of friends but kind of competitors too. He certainly built better models than me, but I think I had the edge on Stick and Rudder.
It would be wonderful if the Gorskis were still alive they were the best of an age before the `white knuckles' took over.
Where it all began
🔗 Tue, 17 Jul 2007
— @XingR at Lincoln Park Airport, United States Reply
As a boy I lived across the street from this airport and it's part of my earliest memories. I "hung out" there nearly every free moment from the time I was 6 years old or so until I left for the USAF in 1965. Got my private there in 1964. Lincoln Park is notable as the long-time business interest of Ed and Jue Gorski (see NJ Aviation Hall of Fame). Other CFI's there who helped shape my life were Johnnie Schump, Charlie Stephan, Lenny Landers, Tony Farrell and William (Wild Bill) Fedishen. Still an active and well-run little operation, close in to the NY Metro area.