The Masters of the Universe — who usually shuttle by helicopter between the Hamptons and Manhattan — will make a desperate plea Thursday for a temporary restraining order to prevent restrictions from going into effect at the East Hampton Airport.
Helicopters will be limited to one flight a week to or from the East Hampton Airport under new rules imposed after a three-year campaign by neighbors infuriated by the nonstop noise. But chopper fans are having a meltdown.
The biggest impact will be on billionaire Ira Rennert, who owns two choppers: a Sikorsky S-92 that can seat 19 people and a Sikorsky S-76 that can seat 12.
“Rennert runs them both as a shuttle, back and forth every day,” Frank Dalene, head of Quiet Skies Coalition, told me.
Goldman Sachs chief Lloyd Blankfein, art dealer Larry Gagosian and Jets owner Woody Johnson are said to be other frequent fliers.
It was reported that “Today” show host Matt Lauer, who has a 40-acre horse farm in Water Mill, regularly choppers into Rockefeller Center, but network sources said he doesn’t use helicopters any more than ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, who had a house in East Hampton for several years, used to. “Matt drives,” said an insider.
“It’s high noon on Thursday,” said one aviation supporter. “If we don’t get the TRO it will be chaos.”
The restrictions are expected to push more traffic to the helipad in Southampton on Meadow Lane, near Calvin Klein’s house.
“It will be like ‘Apocalypse Now,’” said one Hamptonite. “But it’s not the end of the world. Seaplanes can still land in East Hampton. Everybody will be taken care of. It’s rich people’s problems.”
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