ComPilots Aviation News Portal - The Dreaded TFR / Rose Marie Kern

Temporary Flight Restrictions, or TFRs are becoming the most dreaded portion of a pilot briefing. Frequently a pilot will call and say that the only thing he wants to know is if there are any TFRs between his departure and his destination.

If that is the only thing you call for – GOOD! These days busting a TFR can get you either a heavy fine or a suspended license. Trust me, ATC will do all it can to make sure you know where not to fly.

TFRs can be issued to protect airspace over airshows, major sporting events, volcanoes, forest fires, aircraft accident sites or anywhere else it is deemed unwise for aircraft to fly either for their own protection, or for security reasons.

Any TFR restricts certain aircraft from flying within specific areas. These areas are defined both geographically and by altitude. For instance, a TFR that is issued for a forest fire may restrict all aircraft from flying within a 10 mile radius of a navaid, such as a VORTAC, or Latitude/Longitude (L/L) point or if the area is particularly large, a series of radial/DMEs or L/L points may be used to define it. The TFR will also contain an altitude from the surface upwards which may be defined as either MSL or AGL.. Aircraft must fly over it or around it.

The TFRs are issued according to specifications in the Code of Federal Regulations. If you look it up, find 14 CFR. Each type of TFR relates to a different section of that document. Some of them have exceptions to the rule, as with a forest fire TFR where the pilot’s home base is within the restricted area, but you have to thoroughly read the section of 14 CFR that is specified in the TFR to determine if it allows any exceptions.

A Presidential TFR, also known as a VIP TFR is more complicated and pilots in those areas are monitored intensely. It is issued several days in advance and effective throughout the Presidential visit.

Shortly after the events of September 11, 2001, the Secret Service requested larger TFRs, limiting the ability of aircraft to fly in any airspace over or near wherever the President happens to be.

Prior to this time, if the President landed at any airport, no other aircraft were allowed to takeoff, land, or taxi until he physically departed the airport grounds, this is still the case. However, once he left, the airport’s traffic flow returned to normal.

This is no longer true. Several days prior to a Presidential visit, the FAA issues a VIP Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) which is transmitted to all Air Traffic Control facilities and online to those websites that serve the aviation community. The TFR describes concentric circles around wherever the President is planning to be. Typically, the outer circle may be a radius from 10 to 30 miles wherein all aircraft flying below 18,000 feet must be in contact with Air Traffic Control and identified on radar. Aircraft can still land and depart from airports located in that area. You must be on a VFR or IFR flight plan, and a transponder code is required.

The inner circle is usually a 10 mile radius wherein only specific aircraft are allowed to fly at all, usually military, police and emergency medical flights, and scheduled air carriers . The bad part about this is that any airports that exist within that 10 mile radius cannot have any activity at all for the duration of the TFR, which can be from a few hours to several days. This means no landings and no departures by civilian aircraft, with the exception of those involved in emergency operations and law enforcement.

In other words, if you are flying on an airline, your landing or departure will be delayed while the president is physically at the airport, but once he leaves you will be allowed to continue.

However, say you wanted to hop into your private plane and get your currency, or fly up to Aunt Mabel’s place, until the TFR is lifted you will not be allowed to leave or arrive at that airport – or any other airport within the 10 mile boundary. This also applies to part 135 air taxis and package haulers.

For example, let us assume Air Force One were to land at Phoenix International, and then the President was driven to a hotel 5 miles east where he was to stay during the course of his visit. For whatever length of time he was there, no unauthorized aircraft would be allowed to land or depart from the airports located at Mesa, Stellar, Williams or Chandler airports, as well as Phoenix itself.

Many times the fact that the President is planning a visit to a community is published in the local newspapers even before a TFR is issued as the TFR may only come out a few days in advance. TFR’s are also issued for the Vice-President, but they are much smaller, usually a 3 NMR below 3,000 AGL.

If you are planning any future flights you can access all the TFR information throughWWW.TFR.FAA.GOV. The information is arranged by the city and state closest to the TFR and the type of TFR it is.

Presidential TFRs are listed under VIP. If you click on a listing, the computer will bring up a map and dialogue concerning when and where pilots are not allowed to fly. If you access the list, you can limit the list by clicking on TYPE and then selecting VIP from the dropdown list. Under the map there is a link called “sectional chart” which shows the boundaries in more detail including what airports will be affected. The information concerning Time periods in a Presidential TFR are written in both Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) and in local time using a 24 hour clock.

All TFRs are an inconvenience, but a necessary one. If you look outside and it is a beautiful day to fly, we still encourage you to call for a brief, even if your only question is “Are there any TFRs today?

Rose Marie Kern has worked in ATC for over 25 years. If you’d like to ask Rose a question send her an email at author@rosemariekern.com.