Trump, Russian billionaire say theyve never met, but their jets did in Charlotte
Source: Charlotte Observer
Five days before the November election, a Russian billionaires jet wheeled to a stop at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Less than 90 minutes later, Donald Trumps campaign jet arrived on the same tarmac for an afternoon campaign rally in nearby Concord.
Who was aboard Dmitry Rybolovlevs luxurious jet and whether the planes near-simultaneous arrival facilitated another previously undisclosed Russian contact with Trump, his family or campaign associates remain unanswered questions.
snip...
Trump and Rybolovlev, however, agree on this: They say they have never met, although Trump sold a Palm Beach mansion to the Russian fertilizer magnate for $95 million eight years earlier. Rybolovlev recently bulldozed the mansion and is selling the oceanfront property.
The proximity of their intersecting flights, coupled with evidence that Rybolovlevs plane was also in Las Vegas briefly on the same day as Trump, Oct. 30, has fueled internet plots.
Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article136940273.html
scscholar
(2,902 posts)so we should just expect the worst.
wildeyed
(11,243 posts)That makes no sense. I live in NC, BTW, and don't think it is horrible. Just thought this was a good story from my local paper that people here might find interesting.
Red Mountain
(1,735 posts)Horrible?
Where would you rank NC on your 'horrible' scale compared to the other states?
For damn sure Democrats will never regain a majority anywhere with that sort of blanket condemnation. Not helpful. Not a bit.
scscholar
(2,902 posts)have been thrown in the trash since 2008. How is that anything but horrible?
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,757 posts)scscholar
(2,902 posts)Argue with this"
http://imgur.com/a/zxwvp
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,757 posts)littlemissmartypants
(22,697 posts)rockfordfile
(8,704 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,757 posts)littlemissmartypants
(22,697 posts)North Carolina is horrible?
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)I often allows my bias to dissuade me from discussing the relevant as well.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,757 posts)It can be tracked on FlightAware, https://flightaware.com. Will it appear in the Palm Beach area?
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,013 posts)Codeine
(25,586 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(49,013 posts)BlueEye
(449 posts)M-KATE, an A319 with a gorgeous paint job. I saw it while we were taxing past the remote ramp at Newark (EWR). I think it was Saturday 2/18. Never would have guessed all this scandal behind it!
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,757 posts)If you're a Russian oligarch I suppose you can afford to have your plane done up nicely.
NBachers
(17,125 posts)Red Mountain
(1,735 posts)I wouldn't expect much useful intel.
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,330 posts)Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)republicans are selling america out to the russians
disgusting
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)A coincidence?
mopinko
(70,140 posts)guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)a similar motivation for everyone. It normalizes their behavior.
rockfordfile
(8,704 posts)Sunlei
(22,651 posts)The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,757 posts)Somehow, when Dmitry lost his position in Uralkali, it seems that he was rather attached to these jets, so apparently he bought them back (effectively buying Sophar Property Holding at the value of the two aircraft). If this is so, then he can travel around in either of them.
The three overnight visits of M-KATE to Geneva this year have been on 15/16 March, 20/21 March and 28/29 April. Data from an aircraft tracking web site appears to show that this last visit came from Zurich and then went to Nice. Not exactly long flights from an aircraft which is said to have installed extra long-range fuel tanks.
Mr Rybolovlev appears to be another of the eastern European rich people who like to acquire Football clubs in Europe: he was at the head of a consortium which bought a controlling interest im Monaco FC last year. Another Russion, Roman Abramovich, has long owned Chelsea FC, and will have a prime seat for the European Champions League final shortly. Other East European adventurers have been less successful, including in Switzerland (Neuchatel Xamax!).
http://aviationanecdotes.blog.tdg.ch/archive/2012/04/30/m-kate-not-the-british-royal-family.html
randr
(12,412 posts)They had shots of the plane at several Trump campaign rallies in one day and again in Fla the day the Japanese visit. I thought they identified the owner in the report as well , a known Russian billionaire.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,757 posts)Leghorn21
(13,524 posts)Rachel did her MKATE show (whenever the Sam Hill that was!!) (sorry, too old to rewite this all again!) - yes, I'm quoting myself here (?!):
"I first found her 3 (?) weeks ago via a Malcolm Nance tweet, and omg omg - this wild woman's going on and on and ON about this "MKATE" and the Ryboloyev (SP!) guy, and others were tweeting that the press corps was holed up in a blacked-out room in the mansion, clueless that DFT and Flynn and Rybolobelv (SP!) and Abe were out there golfing and - well, I've never been quite the same after that night!
She was getting tweeted tonight about Rachel's MKATE, which she was recording for later, and she tweeted the following...so, whoever "AceInCharlotte" is, Louise would like HER to get props for her work on MKATE!:
Louise Mensch
@LouiseMensch
that's not fair, @Maddow - @AceInCharlotte should be on your show. If it's MKATE she and she alone found it
twitter.com/Inspired_Grace
6:56 PM - 3 Mar 2017"
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,757 posts)Every country has a registration code. In the US, all registration numbers start with N. M is apparently the ID for the Isle of Man, where this aircraft is registered. The rest of the code identifies a particular aircraft. That's what M-KATE means.
Leghorn21
(13,524 posts)the numbers on the tailgate and was looking for pilots and other pros amd checking flight data to find info - my eyes crossed trying understand any of it!! - and I still don't! But her search was dogged and far-reaching...her ability to focus and pursue her "targets" is spectacular -
Don't know if you'd be interested, but here's a google link to her one million M-KATE mentions...
louise mensch twitter mkate
on edit: Nevermind! Obviously I have not produced a real link, but when I googled the aforementioned 4 key words, tons of her M-KATE tweets appeared. ,
mahatmakanejeeves
(57,516 posts){Yes, I know I can look this up.} Is the Isle of Man part of the UK or GB, or whatever that is supposed to be called? Don't British registrations start with "G"?
Enquiring minds.
Full disclosure: I used to be a plane spotter, but I gave up when jets came in.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,757 posts)Botany
(70,524 posts)Nothing to see here move along nothing to see here.
wordpix
(18,652 posts)you WILL win the WH with our help. Now what we need you to do is .... Donald, there will never be such a president as you. You will be a modern czar."
March 4th
(80 posts)Big deal. Any private jet owner will tell you the little bastards are always flying off to meet each other!
wildeyed
(11,243 posts)Here are the 10 best things to do in Concord: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g49049-Activities-Concord_North_Carolina.html
There is no reasonable explanation for why a Russian oligarch would be there, ever, much less at the exact time Trump's plane was there for a campaign stop. They met later in Charlotte too, but that is a hub, so there could be some explanation there. But I doubt it.
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)wildeyed
(11,243 posts)Too many coincidences, too many lies for there to not be a huge story.