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Pecking Order Fried Chickens Bridgit Stone-Budd welcomes Vice President Mike Pence to Sanibel Island, Fla., on Saturday with an invite for fried chicken, waffles and fried pickles on the house. Patricia Borns/news-press.com

The plane (Air Force Two) of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence lands Saturday at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida. Pence is believed to be visiting Sanibel Island over the weekend.(Photo: Kinfay Moroti/news-press.com)Buy Photo

It hasnt been officially confirmed.

However, circumstances point to Vice President Mike Pence returning to Southwest Florida and his presumed vacation shortly after 6 p.m., following a day trip to Washington, D.C.

This was more than an hour past the window of time listed in an FAA "Notice to Airmen" for a temporary restriction on air space use near Southwest Florida International Airport.

And, the plane that a handful of people saw land from a nearby observation lot wasnt the huge 747 jet Pence arrived in on Saturday.

Instead, it was a much-smaller Air Force Gulfstream jet, said Daniel Felton. Hes a commercial pilot who lives nearby, and thought he might catch a glimpse of the arrival from the observation lot on the airfields north side.

Vice President Mike Pence, wife start Sunday at Sanibel church

Why is Felton convinced that indeed was the jet carrying Pence? Besides the plane'smarkings, Felton sawthe cars lined up on Chamberlin Parkway and Air Cargo Lane, stopped by law enforcement officers shortly after the Gulfstream landed and a small motorcade sped from Private Sky Aviation Services toward Daniels Parkway.

Also, there was the ear-piercing siren blast that sounded before and after its landing.

That, Felton said, signaled a ground stop of all aircraft operations, which is probably very usual when youre dealing with VIPs such as the president or the vice president.

Felton also noted that aircraft size does not make a particular plane Air Force Two. A vice president of the United States traveling aboard makes it Air Force Two.

If Monday's motorcade indeed carried Pence, he would have returned to Sanibel in time for one of its belovedwaterfront sunsets.

Pence arrived in Southwest Florida on Saturday, and rode in a motorcade to Sanibel Island.

On Sunday morning, he attended the 8 a.m. service at Sanibel Community Church.

Based on aNotice to Airmen posted concerning a temporary restriction on air space use, it appeared that Air Force Twowould return to RSW sometime between 3:30 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.

That time window passed before the Air Force Gulfstream was sighted. And as of 5:30 p.m. Monday, no new notice had been posted on the FAA website.

Connect with this reporter @Alvascribe (Twitter) and LauraPatrickRuane (Facebook).

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VP Mike Pence commuting from Sanibel for Gorsuch ceremony? - The News-Press