BEDMINSTER, NJ — Fighter jets using flares were deployed to intercept and stop aircrafts violating a Temporary Flight Restriction(TFR) over Bedminster on Saturday and Sunday.
A total of six general aviation aircraft violated the TFR including four on Sunday and two on Saturday.
One violation on Saturday required a North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) fighter aircraft to be deployed and use of flares to draw the pilot’s attention, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a TFR for VIP Movement for the Bedminster and Morristown area from Friday through Sunday as President Donald Trump was heading to his golf club in Bedminster for the weekend.
NORAD pointed to an excessive number of TFR violations earlier in July.
Travel impacts
There are two major impacts when a VIP TFR is issued. First, there is a no-fly zone issued for anything within a 10-mile radius of Trump’s National Golf Course in Bedminster.
This essentially shuts down airports such as Somerset Airport and Solberg-Hunterdon Airport in Whitehouse Station.
In April, Congressman Tom Kean Jr. advocated for the reimbursement of Somerset Airport and Solberg-Hunterdon Airport, which have been affected by TFRs during Trump’s visits to his home in Bedminster. Read More: Kean Advocates For Airports Impacted By President Trump’s Visits To Bedminster
The second part of the TFR is the second ring, which impacts a much larger radius of airports. The second ring encompasses a 30-mile radius which includes 17 other airports such as Princeton Airport, Old Bridge Airport and Central Jersey Regional Airport in Hillsborough.
Flights within the 30-mile radius can still have aircrafts fly out of the airport to somewhere outside the ring or land from outside the ring to an airport inside.
However, all other operations are prohibited such as flight training, aerobatics, hot air ballooning, helicopters, skydiving, biplane rides and technically even flying a model airplane.
