Mercer County, NJ · Training at KPNE
Flight Lessons for Mercer County, NJ
From Trenton, Hamilton, Ewing, Lawrence and Princeton, Northeast Philadelphia Airport (KPNE) is a drive down US 1, about 20 miles from Trenton. Lessons at Merlin Flight Training are one-on-one, in a light-sport trainer with glass displays.
The drive from Mercer County
- Trenton
- Hamilton
- Ewing
- Lawrence
- Princeton
- Pennington
- Hopewell
- Robbinsville
- West Windsor
Every lesson starts and ends at KPNE in Northeast Philadelphia; we don't have a New Jersey location. It's about a 20-mile drive from Trenton, 23 miles from Ewing, 26 to 28 miles from Hamilton Square depending on the route, 27 miles from Lawrenceville and 32 miles from Princeton by US 1.
Two ways across the Delaware
- US 1: from Trenton, Hamilton and Princeton, take US 1 south over the Trenton-Morrisville Toll Bridge and stay on it through Bucks County. In Northeast Philadelphia it becomes Roosevelt Boulevard. Turn left on Grant Avenue, then onto Ashton Road.
- I-295: from Ewing, Lawrence and Pennington, take I-295 over the Scudder Falls Toll Bridge to the US 1 exit in Bucks County. Follow US 1 south to Grant Avenue the same way.
- Tolls: both bridges charge a toll heading into Pennsylvania only. The drive home to New Jersey has no bridge toll.
Mercer County has a towered airport too
Mercer County’s public-use airports are Trenton-Mercer (KTTN) in Ewing, which has a control tower, and Trenton-Robbinsville (N87), which doesn’t. Princeton Airport (39N), just over the line in Somerset County, has no tower either.
So you can learn to talk to a tower close to home, and from every town listed above Trenton-Mercer is the shorter drive. What KPNE adds is different:
- Philadelphia’s Class B airspace. KPNE is about 16 nautical miles from Philadelphia International and sits beneath part of its Class B. Trenton-Mercer is about 31 nautical miles out, beyond it. At KPNE you learn to read the Class B shelves on the chart and stay beneath them from your first lesson.
- Tower landings at home. A private pilot certificate in a single-engine airplane takes three solo takeoffs and three full-stop landings at an airport with an operating control tower (14 CFR 61.109(a)(5)(iii)). Here you do them at your home field. That is true at Trenton-Mercer as well.
- One-on-one lessons. Your lessons are planned and flown with your own instructor.
- The airplane. N159G is a Direct Fly Alto, a two-seat light-sport airplane with a Rotax 912 engine and a Dynon SkyView glass panel.
Who the drive makes sense for
A drive of 20 miles or more each way adds up over a full course. Take a discovery flight first and make the drive at the time of day you would fly.
- You already drive US 1 or I-295 into Bucks County or Northeast Philadelphia for work, so the airport is on your way.
- You want to learn around Philadelphia’s airspace because that is where you plan to fly.
- You can fly early mornings or Saturdays. Both are common lesson times here, and lessons are by appointment.
Where you start
- Discovery flight: an introductory flight lesson. You handle the controls, with an instructor in the other seat.
- Private Pilot certificate: the next step if you want to keep going. Hourly rates for the airplane and the instructor are listed below.
- Anything else: see the training options page, or ask at your discovery flight.
Rates
- Discovery flight: $249, your first lesson on the controls
- Airplane: $185 an hour · Instruction: $75 an hour
- Start with a $1,000 training deposit or a prepaid block of 10, 20 or 40 hours (from $2,600), and lessons come off your balance
- 10-hour block: $2,600 plus $50 of free credit · 20-hour package: $5,200 plus $200 of free credit · 40-hour package: $10,000 plus $1,000 of free credit
Getting here
Northeast Philadelphia Airport (KPNE), 9800 Ashton Rd, Hangar E3, Philadelphia, PA 19114. Lessons are by appointment. We text you the exact meeting point and gate instructions before your first visit.
Common questions
Do you fly out of Trenton-Mercer or anywhere else in New Jersey?
No. Every lesson is at Northeast Philadelphia Airport (KPNE), 9800 Ashton Rd, Hangar E3, Philadelphia, PA 19114, about 20 miles from Trenton by US 1.
Is there a bridge toll?
Yes, one way. The US 1 Trenton-Morrisville bridge and the I-295 Scudder Falls bridge both charge a toll heading into Pennsylvania. Neither charges one heading back to New Jersey.
Isn’t Trenton-Mercer Airport closer?
Yes, from everywhere in Mercer County, and it has a control tower too. The reasons to drive to KPNE are one-on-one lessons in the Alto and flying beneath Philadelphia’s Class B airspace from your first lesson.
How much is a discovery flight?
A discovery flight is $249: a $100 deposit when you book online and $149 at the airport. Your discovery flight is free with a training block: when you buy your first training block (10, 20 or 40 hours), we credit the $249 back to your account.
What is the minimum age?
You have to be at least 16 to train with us, and anyone under 18 needs a consent form signed by a parent or guardian.
Do I need to know anything before the discovery flight?
No. It is a first lesson. Your instructor briefs you on the ground, then you fly the airplane with the instructor beside you.
Start with a discovery flight
You fly the airplane with an instructor beside you, then we talk through what training would look like for you. Questions first? Call or text (445) 456-3599.
Book a discovery flight