Business Owner Says He Has Lost $60,000 Per Day

Despite a plan that was supposed to help helicopter tour operators keep flying while President Obama prepared near Las Vegas for Wednesday night's debate in Denver, at least one of those operators said the disruption cost his business some $60,000 per day.

The President's visit for a campaign event and then three days of debate preparations caused a TFR to be put in place over Las Vegas. The tour operators were offered the opportunity to fly out of Jean Airport (0L7) south of the city, and the FAA staffed a temporary control tower at the field for the duration of the stay. Two companies were allowed to continue operating from McCarran airport for night tours over the Las Vegas Strip. GA airplanes were also allowed to operate from McCarran using specific flight patterns.

But at least one tour operator, Heli USA, chose to shut down its operations rather than operate from the small airport that does not routinely see a lot of traffic. Owner Nigel Turner cited safety considerations for making his decision, according to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Heli USA was one of the companies that was allowed to fly out of McCarran for tours of the Strip, but not for Grand Canyon tours. But he said additional security screening for those flights may have cut into that business as well.

The paper reported that the other seven companies continued their operations from Jean Airport, but had no indication as to how their business had fared during the President's stay. Given Nevada's status as a battleground state, it may not be the last time Las Vegas pilots see TFRs over the city before election day.

FMI: www.tsa.gov, www.faa.gov