It’s nice to own a fleet of aircraft if you’re running for president. Sure, it’s expensive, but so is chartering planes to go everywhere.
Donald Trump is down one aircraft Wednesday after he agreed to ground the twin engine Cessna 750 Citation X that he uses to puddle hop into smaller airports that can’t handle anything the size of his big plane, the dark-blue, red and white, $100 million Boeing 757 with his name emblazoned in big gold letters on the side.
The Cessna had been flitting around the country with the candidate on board, despite that fact that its registration expired Jan. 31. Somebody in the Trump organization — perhaps an apprentice who will get fired? — didn’t take note with the Federal Aviation Administration set out a notice on Dec. 1 that the Cessna’s registration was about to expire in two months. And somebody also didn’t act on a second FAA notice sent when the plane should have turned into a pumpkin.
But after calls from reporters this week, Trump apparently got the word.
The FAA sent out a statement Wednesday afternoon that said: “FAA inspectors have contacted the chief pilot of N725DT about the aircraft’s expired registration. The aircraft owner is currently working with the FAA’s Aircraft Registry and will re-register the aircraft before further flight.”