From the Scotsman September 18th 2019:
It was billed by Donald Trump as an “incredible” way to tour his golf resorts in the UK and Ireland, with well-heeled guests being whizzed back and forth across the Irish Sea and all around Scotland while revelling in the kind of opulence to which the US president has long been accustomed.But Mr Trump’s bold vision of bolstering business at three of his loss making courses by exporting one of his luxury helicopters across the Atlantic to woo wealthy golfers has failed to take off.The Scotsman can reveal that a little known subsidiary of the Trump Organisation tasked with overseeing a high-end helicopter charter service has quietly shipped back a multimillion pound Sikorsky helicopter to the US amid falling demand and “anger” at the Trump brand.According to multiple clients who booked the Sikorsky S-76B, the charges were “eye watering” even in the high-end world of luxury helicopter charters, with fees reaching as much as £15,000 for a “couple of hours.”Get a the latest news, analysis and expert opinion with an online subscription=center
Subscribe TodayDespite that, the Trump family firm, DT Connect Europe Limited, which is overseen by Mr Trump’s adult sons, Eric and Donald Jr, shows profit and loss reserves of nearly minus £1m.The director of a charter company which operated the helicopter on the Trump Organisation’s behalf told The Scotsman that custom suffered after Mr Trump became president.Richard Stubbs, a pilot and co-owner of Cardinal Helicopter Services, which had a contract with Mr Trump’s firm to fly the Sikorsky, said a decision was subsequently taken to offer wealthy clients - including US and Russian nationals - the option of flying without the ‘TRUMP’ insignia that had been prominently emblazoned on the aircraft’s tail boom.“In America, Trump is a brand,” he explained. “Obviously over here, it’s the focus of people’s anger, sometimes, so we operated with or without the name.”The decision to export the S-76B back to the US - where the rest of Mr Trump’s ageing air fleet is based - followed a short-lived stint during which the aircraft was primarily rented for use by an array of private clients who were not necessarily golfers. They included upmarket tourism firms who cater to rich clients from the US, Russia, and further afield.The director of such company said he never flew with the ‘TRUMP’ name visible, reasoning that it would have turned off potential customers.The Sikorsky, one of the world’s most sought after helicopters, is favoured by air forces around the world as well as celebrities who covet its executive travel credentials. Mr Trump owns three..One was shipped to Scotland via Liverpool’s Seaforth Docks in June 2014, just two months after Mr Trump’s purchase of Turnberry, the historic hotel and golf course.At the time, he promised the “incredible helicopter” would “connect the three dots” between his new flagship Scottish business in South Ayrshire, his inaugural resort in Scotland, Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, and Trump Doonbeg in Co Clare, which he purchased that February.