Solberg–Hunterdon Airport

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Solberg–Hunterdon Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic use
OwnerSolberg Aviation Company
OperatorSolberg/Nagle family
ServesReadington Township, New Jersey
LocationHunterdon County, New Jersey
Elevation AMSL195 ft / 59.4 m
Coordinates40°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
Websitehttp://www.solbergairport.com/
Map
5N1 is located in New Jersey
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 operations21,486
Based aircraft97

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 4/22 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's son and namesake, Thor Solberg Jr., died Dec 16, 2017. The airport is currently run by two generations of Thor Solberg's heirs. His children, Lorraine Solberg and Suzy Solberg Nagle, maintain day-to-day operations with the help of four grand-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]

Presidential temporary flight restrictions (TFRs)[]

Solberg Airport is within a 10-mile radius of the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. During the former presidency of Donald Trump, the airport was subject to FAA flight restrictions whenever Trump was in Bedminster.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c FAA Airport Form 5010 for N51 PDF, effective 2014-09-18
  2. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "Quick Chek Festival of Ballooning celebrates 25th year with three days of family entertainment". Independent Press. 2007-05-23. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. 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.

External links[]

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