Thor Solberg’s business is down — try practically nonexistent — at a time when it’s usually way up, and he has President Donald Trump to thank for it, according to an Associated Press story.
Solberg owns Solberg-Hunterdon Airport, one of two small airports in western New Jersey that are essentially closed down because they are within 10 miles of where Trump is spending 17 days this month at his Bedminster country club. More than a dozen other airports also face restrictions.
The article notes that the summer is “high season” for general aviation airports.
“Twenty percent of our annual business is affected by the president’s visits in the summertime because that’s how much of our business takes place on the weekends in the summertime,” Solberg told the AP.
The article notes that small airports and aviation-related businesses near Trump’s properties in Florida and New Jersey have lost out on hundreds of thousands of dollars in business already this year. And they have no recourse other than to appeal to the Secret Service, which oversees presidential security.
Read the full story here.
I can see we have a divided Country.
Forgive me, I’m used to military pilots that are mission driven and not the waste above.
Why can’t we work out a system that lets these airports operate via aircraft registration and flight plans or corridors will that may work in some areas? This would be worth it for airports affected on a regular basis, even if it means some sort of background check.
If the Secret Service saw things that way there would be no conflict. However, they don’t se it that way. Truth be told, pilots comprise less than 1/5 of 1% of the US population. People who have drivers licenses and who can drive Interstate 78 and local Lamington Road that run alongside the Bedminster golf course comprise about 99.5 % of the US population. Which of those two populations is easier to control? SS are cops. They don’t care. They don’t have to.
You are correct Bill. We all no cops just to what is easy for them, most do not work for “us” anymore.
But who are the congressmen for this piece of our country. Would not AOPA be able to get a plan and a word in here? AOPA might use their airport protection team for this.
Ray
“who are the congressmen for this piece of our country. ” I have spoken with them and they have written letters. As yet, they tell me there has been no response from the SS “Would not AOPA be able to get a plan and a word in here? AOPA might use their airport protection team for this.” I talked with a representative of AOPA Government Affairs at Oshkosh. They write letters to Congress and get virtually no constructive response. It seems that the Praetorian Guard is above elected representatives. That or those representatives are taking the easy way out, too, and giving us lip service.
Darn! Bill,
More of us will have to try.
Thanks.
(Now where is my ‘thumbs up’ emoticon?)
Not to mention the mess around Chicago every other weekend while he returned for marching orders!! Talk about short term memory!!!
Funny nobody remembers anything the messiah did. Used to destroy business in the SF Bay Area several times a year. Nothing since then!
This is the same problem pilots and businesses have at PBI in the winter. There should be some arrangement the Secret Service can make to help effected businesses. This is truly unfair…
Right on !
Make me wonder about the rest of the infos on this url
Obama shut down all Las Vegas GA when he played golf there. Odd you didn’t run those stories….the bias against Trump is everywhere. Sad.
And Trump is only in New Jersey due to WH remodeling work. The guy losing business is a whiner.
You are right on with your comment; couldn’t say it any better. Too bad the nation can’t unite behind the ELECTED president. -Oh, and do you remember Clinton’s haircut on the presidential 747?
Hmmm. I don’t recall Obama playing golf in Las Vegas for 17 days straight. In fact, Trump’s golfing and vacation days far outnumber Obama’s at this point in their respective presidencies. Kind of amazing for a guy who claimed he wouldn’t have time for either. That’s not bias. That’s fact.
BTW, Trump COULD go to Camp David, a resort the government already owns, if he cared about anyone else but himself. But no, he wants to pad his bank account.
Wrong. Obama had three four day golf outtings in Vegas that shut down GA. And Obama did it all over the country several times a year.
Trump has not taken a single vacation. In fact he is doing more in New Jersey than he could get done in DC while, again, the WH is being repainted and a new A/C unit is being installed.
When trump goes to Florida he is going to his own complex just as he is his own resort in New Jersey saving taxpayers millions.
Trump is also doing the job for $1. Did you see Obama take a pay cut? No. Obama doubled the debt that took 200 years to accrue. Laughing.
Trump has wasted more tax $ by magnitudes. You speak with no facts. (FYI folks, Geebigs argued (a lot) that flying “in rain” equals IMC. So, his words don’t hold much weight).
Laughably not true. Trump is doing the job for $1. He has cut staffing at the WH and in a half dozen agencies. His new budget in Sept makes major cuts to the size of government. He has slashed Obamas regs (900) of them and created over a million real jobs already. And all thats before the goons in congress are getting their part done.
I am not respsonible for your lack of knowledge over what IMC is…but let me help you by defining it specifically just in case you are a passenger on a flight where IMC is present.
IMC conditions exist when the outside view from an aircraft is restricted in such a way that aircraft control and navigation can only be carried out using special flight instruments. This can occur when clouds, rain, hail, smoke, snow or even thick dust is in the air.
Didn’t give nukes to Iran. Can play all the golf he wants in my book!
The two airports losing all business in NJ are privately owned public use airports that are paying exorbitant NJ property taxes, wages and salaries. They have some hangar revenue, but they are out of business because the ‘president’ has decided to park himself at his own property instead of Camp David – the established retreat for the President. The economic chaos that has been imposed on the 32 (THIRTY TWO) public use airports and heliports is profound. A good proportion of those airports are privately owned public use facilities that make their money doing flight training in the summer months. That activity is prohibited along with banner towing, sight seeing, ag spraying, pipeline patrol and take off and landing practice. Fuel sales at the affected airports are off 30 to 50 percent during the ;president’s’ vacation. Defend Trump all you want. This is unconscionable.
I’m not sure what you’re asking. Does anyone reasonably expect the POTUS to not travel?
The P-TFRs are a direct result of the 9-11 attacks. There’s nothing that can be done about them. If anything, I expect things to get worse.
We do expect POTUS to travel, we do expect him to be protected. We also expect that protection to be reasonable with consideration toward the disruption caused by that protection. If the government wants to shut down businesses for security, compensation is in order to the effected businesses. If the government has to pay out money, they will look for ways not to do it. The Secret Service is not properly motivated.