Hawaii Prepares for Presidential Visit; FAA Restrictions Issued

By Wendy Osher

President Obama is scheduled to depart for Hawaii, but not before a news conference scheduled to take place this afternoon in Washington. His planned trip to Hawaii comes as Congress wraps up business for its lame-duck session, and days after the First Lady and their children already arrived in the islands.

Click to enlarge image. FAA Temporary Flight Restrictions are in effect from 10 p.m. Dec. 22 to 11 p.m. Jan 2, 2011.

The Federal Aviation Administration today imposed a temporary flight restriction for Hawaii because of the anticipated VIP movement.  The restriction goes into effect at 10 p.m. tonight, December 22, 2010 and remains in effect through 11 p.m. on January 2, 2011.

During a White House Press Briefing this morning, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, “I think the President is… as much as anything, anxious to spend time where he grew up with his family and to see his sister, to see his niece — nieces, I should say.  I should get a rundown of which childhood friends. Normally a bunch of them usually come back and it’s an opportunity for the President to spend some time with them.  I think that’s what he’s most looking forward to,” said Gibbs.

When asked what type of work if any the President will bring along with him while in Hawaii, Gibbs said,  ”I anticipate that he’ll take a number of things with him and that he’ll read a good amount of stuff.  He’ll have, obviously, his daily intelligence briefing as well as probably a novel or two,” said Gibbs.