Some bigwigs are grounding their $15 million helicopters and taking seaplanes to Southampton because traffic will be so messed up this week by the US Open tournament at Shinnecock Hills.
Since the Southampton heliport is on the ocean on the other side of the village, the drive to the golf course will take 30 to 45 minutes, more than the flight from Manhattan itself.
So Blade, in partnership with PrimeSport, is landing seaplanes on Peconic Bay right by Shinnecock Hills. Lexus, a tournament sponsor, is shuttling passengers to and from the course.
So many golf fans will be jumping off plane pontoons onto the damp sand, said one aviation source, that “it’s going to look like the beaches of Normandy.”