Solberg–Hunterdon Airport

Solberg–Hunterdon Airport
Summary
Airport type Public use
Owner Solberg Aviation Company
Operator Solberg/Nagle family
Serves Readington Township, New Jersey
Location Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Elevation AMSL 195 ft / 59.4 m
Coordinates 40°34′49″N 74°44′08″W / 40.5802°N 74.7355°W / 40.5802; -74.7355Coordinates: 40°34′49″N 74°44′08″W / 40.5802°N 74.7355°W / 40.5802; -74.7355
Website http://www.solbergairport.com/
Map
5N1
5N1

Location of airport in New Jersey / United States

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
4/22 3,735 1,138 Asphalt/Turf
13/31 3,442 1,049 Turf
Statistics (2009)
Aircraft operations 21,486
Based aircraft 97

Solberg–Hunterdon Airport (FAA LID: N51), also known as Solberg Airport is located in Readington Township, New Jersey, United States.

History

Founded in 1941 by Norwegian-born and -raised aviation pioneer Thor Solberg, Solberg Airport is a small general aviation airport located in central New Jersey. In 1985 Thor Solberg was inducted into the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame.[2] Solberg is also considered a major aviation pioneer in his native country Norway and Norway's oldest airport Jarlsberg is dedicated to his memory and today operates as a major general aviation airport and parachute center near the Norwegian ancient city of Tønsberg in southeastern Norway.[3]

Facilities and aircraft

Solberg Airport is situated on 725 wide open acres in Readington, NJ, and contains two runways. The primary runway is 22/4 measuring 3,735 x 50 ft (1,138 x 15 m). 3,000 ft (914 m) of this runway is paved with asphalt, and 735 ft (224 m) is turf reserved as a displaced threshold. The second runway, 13/31, is turf measuring 3,442 x 200 ft (1,049 x 61 m).[1]

For the 12-month period ending September 3, 2011, the airport had 21,486 aircraft operations, an average of 59 per day: 65% local general aviation and 35% transient general aviation. At that time there were 97 aircraft based at this airport: 82% single-engine, 9% multi-engine, 6% jet aircraft, and 2% helicopters.[1]

Solberg Airport is currently run by two generations of Thor Solberg's heirs. His children: Thor Solberg Jr., Lorraine Solberg and Suzy Solberg Nagle maintain day-to-day operations with the help of their four children.[2]

Balloon festival

The Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2007.[4] In 2007, the event was the largest summertime hot air balloon festival in North America[5] and it was run by Howard Freidman and Sally Mazzochi.[5]

2017 Presidential temporary flight restrictions

Solberg Airport is within a 10 mile radius of the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, and thereby subject to FAA flight restrictions whenever President Trump is in Bedminster. Thus, the airport is shut down from August 4 - 20, 2017 while Trump resides in Bedminster.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 FAA Airport Master Record for N51 (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2014-09-18
  2. 1 2 "Airport History". Solberg Airport Website. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  3. ↑ "Jarlsberg flyplass" (in Norwegian). 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
  4. ↑ Seidel, Bobbi. "Up, up and away", Asbury Park Press, June 13, 2007. Accessed June 15, 2007. "The Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, in association with PNC Bank, is offering the free balloon ride and a bottle of champagne as part of the festival's celebration of its 25th birthday."
  5. 1 2 "Quick Chek Festival of Ballooning celebrates 25th year with three days of family entertainment". Independent Press. 2007-05-23. Retrieved 2007-06-15. Today, the Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning in association with PNC Bank is the largest summertime hot air balloon and music festival in North America, attracting upwards of 175,000 people over the three-day weekend.
  6. ↑ FAA regulations for Bedminster area, August 2, 2017
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