Let them fly coach: Hochul commandeers Power Authority jet, leaves energy agency to fly commercial
Gov. Kathy Hochul effectively commandeered a plane serving the New York Power Authority, leaving the energy agency to fly coach while she sky-hops across the state, The Post has learned.
Power Authority employees have been stuck flying commercial or driving for hours to far-flung worksites across New York since May while Hochul rides their Beechcraft King Air 350 airplane, sources said.
“There is a lot of grumbling all over the agency about this,” a source close to the Power Authority told The Post Monday.
“People have to fly coach,” the source added.
NYPA staff had used the dual prop airplane since 2007 to reach distant places like the North Country and Western New York to help maintain an energy portfolio that includes 16 power plants and more than 1,400 miles of transmission lines.
“Apparently Gov. Hochul’s political schedule and her ability to meet voters takes priority over the professionals doing actual work for the people of New York,” said Assembly Minority Leader William Barclay (R-Oswego).
But that changed in January when State Police Superintendent Kevin Bruen where he requested his agency get the airplane at no cost as NYPA considered acquiring a new aircraft, state records show.
“Given various public safety events impacting New York State and changes in crime and public safety trends, the [state police] continues to be relied upon to respond by moving personnel, including executive transports, and equipment across the state,” Bruen wrote in a Jan. 22 email to Justin Driscoll, interim president and CEO of NYPA.
NYPA officials approved the transfer by the end of the month.
“NYPA finalized plans to purchase a new plane in Dec. 2021 and set in motion the transfer of its existing plane to the New York State Police, ultimately completing the transfer in May,” NYPA spokesman Paul DeMichele said in an email.
A state police spokesman, William Duffy, denied that the request from Bruen came at the urging of the Governor’s Office.
The King Air 350 is now one of five aircraft designated for use by the governor along with an aging Bell helicopter, two older, King Air 200 planes and a Sikorsky 76D chopper that is her go-to vehicle for short flights.
Hochul has flown in the King Air 350 five times since state police formally acquired the airplane in late May, according to Duffy.
That represents just a fraction of the overall flights Hochul has taken as governor, which included more than 140 flights by helicopter or airplane in the first seven months after she replaced disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who also attracted controversy for his use of state aircraft.
Records show trips by Hochul included overnight flights from New York City by airplane to her hometown of Buffalo – including a September jaunt to see the home opener of her beloved Buffalo Bills.
“At the end of the day, a governor is allowed to go home. Buffalo is my home,” Hochul told reporters last week following criticism by Republicans and some everyday New Yorkers.
The Beechcraft King Air 350 airplane has become one of her go-to vehicles in recent months as she runs for a full term in office against Republican nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin of Long Island.
“The more that we learn about ‘Air Hochul,’ the more offensive it becomes. This exactly is the kind of waste and abuse that taxpayers don’t need, especially when they’re sacrificing so much trying to deal with the worst inflation in 40 years,” Barclay, who has endorsed Zeldin, said in the statement.
State police and the Hochul administration have justified the transfer of the King Air 350 by noting the age of other aircraft previously used by Hochul.
“Our current King Air 200 planes are 46 and 34 years old, and are increasingly expensive to repair, maintain, and keep in service. Acquiring the King Air 350 from NYPA at no cost to taxpayers was easily the most responsible route for upgrading our aging fleet,” Duffy said in an email.
The King Air 200 model aircraft have experienced “mechanical issues ranging from landing gear failure due to inoperable doors and other moving parts have been an issue in recent months,” Duffy said in a previous email.
A King Air 350 also offers passengers a more luxurious experience than the 200 model, according to industry watchers.
“The 350 is the biggest King Air with a cabin nearly three feet longer than the model 200. That provides room for a spacious dual club seating arrangement, plus a large and private lavatory in the rear,” trade publication Flying gushed in a 2007 review.
Increased safety, speed and convenience for the governor has come at a cost for NYPA engineers and staff who continue to face the choice about whether to drive, fly commercial or delay trips to distant worksites they were once able to reach on a weekly basis via the King Air 350 now used by the governor.
A spokeswoman for Hochul, Hazel Crampton-Hays, did not directly respond to a question from The Post Monday about whether the governor or her administration were involved in encouraging NYPA to transfer the King Air 350 to state troopers.
But Crampton-Hays said in an email that the transfer followed established protocols while ensuring the governor could travel without “costly maintenance, increased mechanical issues including landing gear failures, and increased safety risks” from other aircraft at her disposal.
“Governor Hochul works around the clock, visits all 62 counties every year, and travels across the state by car, train, and plane to deliver for New Yorkers because it’s her job. The State Police make determinations regarding the Governor’s transportation, including type of aircraft, depending on factors such as the length of the trip and the weather,” Crampton-Hays said.
Her critics, however, say the latest revelation about her flying habits, which she says were cleared by her legal advisors, adds to ongoing questions about flights that experts say cost taxpayers approximately $1,300 per hour in the air.
“This is more proof that these flights have nothing to do with what’s best for the state and taxpayers and everything to do with what’s best for Hochul’s luxury lifestyle and fundraising schedule. There needs to be a top to bottom investigation,” state GOP Party Chair Nick Langworthy said in a statement.
