Aviation Businesses Facing Serious Issues Due To Frequent Visits By President Trump

Members of the Palm Beach County Airport Board plan to continue to push for an easing of flight restrictions at Lantana Airport when President Donald Trump visits his Mar-a-Lago residence.

The TFRs imposed when Trump is at his Florida home are severely restricting the ability of aviation businesses at the airport to operate when the President is in town, which has been frequently during his first two months in office. The Palm Beach Post reports that the Secret Service has told airport officials that there is no room for negotiations concerning the TFRs, but Airport Director Bruce Pelly said that he feels there  may be room for some adjustments as federal officials "become more familiar with the area."

Pelly said at a recent Airport Board meeting that, in his view, "there has been clear indication from the very beginning that over time flexibility comes into the picture when they get more comfortable and understand what is going on and get less and less violations during his visits here. We still have an opportunity to get that facility open in some form or fashion when he is here."

In the meantime, Pelly said that it is very important for local pilots to check NOTAMS and be very conscious of the TFRs when they are in place. There were at least 27 violations of the TFRs over three weekends in February, and "that didn't help us at all," Pelly said.

(Image from file)

FMI: http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html