Obamas Come Home

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Feb 13, 2009 4:20PM

Today, the First Family makes their first trip home to Chicago since President Obama was inaugurated. It's been a rough week for the President, who's dealt with the ongoing drama over the economic stimulus package and, subsequently, the withdrawal of Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) from consideration for Commerce Secretary. The Obamas will spend the long weekend in Chicago, celebrating Valentine's Day and Presidents Day, at their Hyde Park home. Meanwhile, the Obamas visit means certain flight restrictions will be in place over the weekend. While the Secret Service insists commercial flights will not be affected, small planes will be.

Private aircraft will still be able to use Midway Airport, but the rules require significant advanced planning and security provisions that general aviation pilots typically have not had to follow until now, aviation officials said.

"You can get into Midway, which is about 2 miles inside the no-fly zone. But it will take a lot of work to make that happen," said Chris Dancy, spokesman for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

A no-fly zone with a 10-mile radius will be in place, with exceptions allowed for commercial service as well as law enforcement, military and air ambulance flights.

The weekend will also serve as an evaluation period for the Secret Service to see what kind of changes need to be made to the restrictions for future visits by the Obamas.

AP Photo/Kelly J. Huff