I hate paying the XM bill, but I love the service!

Walt · #1 10-20-2011, 05:13 PM

Today while returning from a short flight I entered the pattern at 52F from the east side due to the TFR that comes within about a mile of the airport on the west side around Alliance Airport for this weekends airshow.

Just after I announce my turn to downwind I hear:

"Nxxx 3 miles south entering the downwind for 17 at Northwest Regional"

AFW tower- "Nxxx on downwind at Northwest Regional I need you to call me concerning a possible TFR violation, advise when ready to copy"

Now I may not like paying the subscription to XM every month, but I gotta be honest, sometimes when I'm just local I don't do all my homework. But the BIG RED CIRCLE on the 696 is hard to miss. It popped up last week as a yellow circle so I knew it was coming but nevertheless, without it I could have been "that poor guy"

XM just payed for itself... again!

L.Adamson · #2 10-20-2011, 05:59 PM

Same good experiences with TFRs & XM. During the summer, there has been plenty of popup TFRs do to mountain forest fires in the west. These TFRs would even change shape. Sure beats trying to find all this info from other means, especially when the flight plan is changed on the "fly", while airborne.

edit: an editorial....

And then there are those who say "leave the GPS home once and a while..... on your cross country trips, to keep up with basic navigation skills". I say BULL! Basic navigation never included up to date... real time information, such as we get from XM, let alone the exact coordinates of the TFRs on a moving map. I say a better prepared pilot, is one who uses the modern map GPS system.

L.Adamson ---696 & XM

Flyfalcons · #3 10-20-2011, 06:19 PM

Pilots have been getting briefings and avoiding TFRs well before the advent of XM.

It is a nice service, though.

jcaplins · #4 10-20-2011, 06:28 PM

Or perhaps a good reason to not use your tail number when making position reports at an uncontrolled airport.

L.Adamson · #5 10-20-2011, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcaplins

Or perhaps a good reason to not use your tail number when making position reports at an uncontrolled airport.

A lot of times they'll follow you with radar, and have airport personnel, open the hangar for verification if necessary.

ccrawford · #6 10-20-2011, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyfalcons

Pilots have been getting briefings and avoiding TFRs well before the advent of XM.

It is a nice service, though.

I haven't been flying that long, but would it be accurate to assume that TFRs these days are lot more frequent and last-minute than they ever use to be?

And, apparently, you still have to deal with all the hurrah for flying into a TFR that was established *after* you takeoff.

Geico266 · #7 10-20-2011, 07:45 PM

I was able to advice a couple of transient spray pilots of a TFR around the Lincoln, NE airport due to the Blue Angels. They were headed right for it and had no idea, nor were they talking to any one but 122.75. They said thank you!

Flyfalcons · #8 10-20-2011, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccrawford

I haven't been flying that long, but would it be accurate to assume that TFRs these days are lot more frequent and last-minute than they ever use to be?

And, apparently, you still have to deal with all the hurrah for flying into a TFR that was established *after* you takeoff.

It basically boils down to using an FAA-approved source for NOTAMs and weather before departure. Calling FSS and asking for a NOTAM/TFR check is one of the most important things a pilot needs to do before flight. Checking a portable GPS doesn't cut it.

I'm willing to bet this pilot wishes he had made a call to FSS before takeoff

:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...cbooms18m.html

What's really interesting to me is that FAA's own graphical TFR page ( http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html ) doesn't consider itself an official source.

L.Adamson · #9 10-20-2011, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyfalcons

It basically boils down to using an FAA-approved source for NOTAMs and weather before departure. Calling FSS and asking for a NOTAM/TFR check is one of the most important things a pilot needs to do before flight. Checking a portable GPS doesn't cut it.

And I'll certainly disagree with that statement.

In this day and age, Internet based weather, along with satellite inflight weather and advisories beats the "outdated" method of telephoning your local FSS by miles. It's time to step into the future. The old way was acceptable for it's day, but no more. Let's just say that those with inflight weather and up to date advisories are ahead of the game.

L.Adamson

Kyle Boatright · #10 10-20-2011, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L.Adamson

And I'll certainly disagree with that statement.

In this day and age, Internet based weather, along with satellite inflight weather and advisories beats the "outdated" method of telephoning your local FSS by miles. It's time to step into the future. The old way was acceptable for it's day, but no more. Let's just say that those with inflight weather and up to date advisories are ahead of the game.

L.Adamson

Larry, you're probably right from a practical standpoint, but I sure like having a voice record demonstrating that I got a TFR brief from the FAA before I go flying. That's essentially a bullet proof defense against enforcement action resulting from a pop-up TFR.