I posted this on other aviation forums, but felt sharing here was appropiate, even if this forum caters more to the European/International side of aviation.
One of the biggest concerns that I have always had as an air traffic controller with 2 decades+ worth of working at the NY Tracon is VFR aircraft floating around just a hair under the class bravo, and not talking to anyone. This last week alone I witnessed 3 different very close calls that thankfully didn't end in tragedy. This latest 3 incidents involved one aircraft going at 2900 right in front, and directly below a heavy A340 coming in for landing at EWR. Now, I realize that GA aircraft need to have a way to go in, and out of all the different airports in our area, but come on..... have some common sense, and know where you are flying. If you know you're going to fly under the final of one of the busiest International airports in the NE, don't do it 100 feet under the Bravo just "because its legal"
The 2 other incidents involved aircraft flying at 2000 right across the TEB ILS RWY 19 localizer at 6 to 7 miles out, so they were under the NY Bravo, and outside the TEB delta. Perfectly legal, yet if you ask the 2 arrivals that had the misfortune of being at 2000 on the localizer right in direct conflict with them, they'll tell a different story. One of the arrivals had to abort landing because the conflict happened just outside of TUGGZ (FAF), and the TCAS resolution advisory took him to 2500 (which btw resulted in an almost loss of separation with a EWR arrival at 3000 above).
I have no idea how we have avoided a real tragedy involving something like this up to this point, but I fear that someday fate will put 2 together. Why does it have to take an actual tragedy, and have blood spilled before potential safety hazards get fixed? An obvious solution would be to extend the Bravo airspace out another 5 miles or so, and maybe lower the floor to 1500, so that there is less of a chance to have those close calls with traffic on the ILS 19 loc, but still give the GA flying public a way in and out of the local airports.
When the Bravo was designed, they only considered the "big 3", and TEB, MMU final approach courses were left out of the equation. Even the EWR final has issues with that 3000 feet floor sometimes.
For those of you that fly in and out of this area, and are familiar with the airspace, how do you feel about this? have any of you ever experienced a close call with one of those 1200 VFR's while coming in for landing at EWR, TEB, MMU, CDW, LDJ, or N07? What do you think of expanding the Bravo a bit farther out, and lower? Does anyone have any other ideas that could fix this safety issue?