[Desert Rat]

Political VIP TFR's used to be 3nm radius and 3000' AGL.

After that kid took a shot at candidate trump from 150 yards away, our crackerjack secret service decided that it makes perfect sense to increase that to 5 miles and 5,000'.

The Blue Angels are going to be in Wichita for an airshow this weekend and we've got a TRF from 1300-1700 for 3 days that has a 7 mile radius and goes up to 17,000'. It will effectively lock down 3 airports, including flight test at the Beechcraft factory. (I find it ironic that all the T6 Texan II military trainers come out of the Beech factory and go through initial flight test off of that runway, but now we're shutting it down because of a military airshow).

A quick glance at sky vector shows upcoming TFR's in other parts of the country that vary from 3 mile 3,000' stadium TFRs to 30 mile 18,000' whoppers around political activities. There doesn't seem to be much logic to their dimensions.

I strongly encourage everyone to check for TFR's, even for a local flight out of some backwater airport where nothing ever happens. Especially between now and the election.

Rant over.

 

[PilotjohnS]

My RV is almost done with post Osh rework. I was hoping to fly into Santa Barbara Ca this weekend.
If you want to see a crazy TFR, check out Santa Barbara this weekend and next.

Crazy.

I am hoping they will be changing back shortly.

 

[ronrapp]

Yes it's bad and depending on where you live it may only get worse. I'm in SoCal and if the candidate from California wins, I expect a near permanent 35 mile TFR centered on west Los Angeles. That would shut down general aviation for the next 4 years. Really, with the cost of doing business here, it would obliterate all the little operators.

I've often wondered how the airports and aviation businesses in Delaware survive. Or how the ones near Palm Beach did before that. This isn't to get political, because I know that's (rightly) disallowed here at VAF, but the proliferation of flight restrictions is going to affect all of us. I get the ones for disaster relief and low altitude/high speed airshow acts, but the rest of them mystify me. There's a temporary flight restriction over Disneyland that is literally permanent. But none over Universal, Knott's, or Magic Mountain.

I hope they'll be changing back soon too, but after 9/11 I've learned that is unlikely.

--Ron