NORAD has scrambled “more than a dozen” times to intercept wayward aircraft in the New York and New Jersey area in the first 11 days of June and the top brass would like a break. In an unusual news release on Thursday, the RCAF Maj. Gen. David Moar, head of operations for the joint U.S.-Canada defense unit, implored pilots to check NOTAMs and TFRs before every flight. “Most TFR violations are preventable and can be avoided through thorough preflight planning,” said Royal Canadian Air Force Major-General David Moar, Director of NORAD Operations. “Reviewing NOTAMs and checking for active TFRs before every flight are essential responsibilities for all pilots. Increased awareness across the general aviation community helps enhance aviation safety and reduces the need for NORAD response activities.”
President Donald Trump has spent more time than usual in the New York area in the last week. He was at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club last weekend and attended an NBA playoff game in the Big Apple earlier this week. Moar didn’t provide details of the intercepts but rather was letting the media know he’d be happy to talk about it in whatever form they’ll transmit the message. It’s clear he mostly wants to talk to GA pilots. “General aviation pilots play a critical role in maintaining the safety and integrity of the NAS by understanding airspace restrictions and ensuring compliance with all applicable flight restrictions,” the news release says.
It just ain’t that hard:
Preflight briefings.Onboard ADS-B-in gear.Flight following.Monitor 121.5 whenever possible.And yet, this keeps happening. So why don’t we pilots do these simple things? As Walt Kelly (speaking in the voice of Pogo) said more than 55 years ago, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”
And even if you’re already doing these things, are you also encouraging the pilots you know to do the same?
Not that easy, either. If it were, we wouldn’t have so many cases. There is no way that that many pilots are just simply incompetent.
The truth is more complicated than that. It’s time to start pushing back on the lateral, vertical, temporal size and frequency, especially in locations where airspace is very crowded.
It’s not making anyone safer.
Some are incompetent (I’ve given more than 6000 hours of flight instruction to the good, the bad, and the ugly) but I think it’s more often just not understanding the importance of doing what I suggested.
Anyone who thinks these TFR’s are there for safety reasons doesn’t understand their purpose. It’s a security issue as perceived by Federal security organizations starting with the US Secret Service. These organizations get no reward for improving aviation safety or facilitating air transportation, and their only goal is minimizing the chance that some bad actor deliberately causes death, injury, or damage.
I never thought they were about safety.
But the time has come to start rolling back some of the security theatre nonsense that we have come to accept, apparently. Just because some “Federal security organization” says we have to do it, doesn’t mean that it is actually rational, does it?
Time for more democracy, and less trusting the Treasury department. I propose abolishing vip TFRs permanently. The republic will not fall.
I bet some of the same experts overruled actual FAA safety experts to plant the seeds of the 67 killed over the Potomac.
I am in favor of security if and only if it is reasonable.
Several pilots reported last week that the NY TFR’s were not rendering on Foreflight, which resulted in multiple unintended intrusions.
Maybe, just maybe, the size and scope of the TFRs are a part of the problem.
And perhaps also the NUMBER of them could be reduced somehow. I appreciate that a big basketball game is a big deal, but maybe leaders could be persuaded to participate remotely, in the name of security, the economy, traffic flow, family values and sanity….
In the past, that was the way it worked. “Leaders” really avoided making trips into such congested areas, gridlocking traffic, paralysing the airspace and annoying the locals.
Obama did this early in his first term (took his wife to see a Broadway show, a campaign promise), and never heard the end of it. He only did it one more time, near the end of the second term, with his daughters. Bush only traveled on official business (11 Sept anniversary, UN General Assembly, Republican Convention, etc.). Same with Biden.
None of the previous US presidents made many private trips to the NYC area.
The TFR displays this past weekend were awful, first it showed him being in Bedminster and the proposed TFR aound the NY Bravo on Monday, then all the TFRs disappeared from the various online sources. a few hours later a single TFR was placed over Bedminster but it only showed the outter ring, no inner ring was displayed. The TFR that extended to the lateral limits of the NY Bravo was supposed to be on Monday completely disappeared and was never put back up.
I actually received an email at 2am on June 9th from “faasafety.gov” simply saying the NY TFR was active today (I deleted the email other wise I’d post the exact wording) but no graphic. At this point Trump had long left NY and was in DC.
I still agree that you need to check for TFRs but it doesn’t become difficult when all the usual sources to verify that the TFR is active don’t show it. Many people just assumed something was going on with Iran and Trump needed to get back to DC which is why all the online sites no longer showed the TFR. Even the “tfr.faa.gov” wasn’t showing any graphic for any presidential TFRs.
Last weekend I blame the FAA for screwing up the TFR notification system, yes the pilots are also at fault but the FAA needs to share some of the blame for last weekend.
Gosh, who knew that NBAA had playoff games. Gulfstream vs Bombardier vs Dassault? Would be exciting. 😉
Competition is fierce. It’s fixed
I noticed there were no TFR’s issued for the World Cup soccer game in my home area, unlike the ones in place during Major League Baseball or NFL games. Just shows how political TFR’s have become. The entire TFR system would be a joke if it didn’t snare so many innocent pilots and no persons who have bad intent.
The FAA is advising pilots that World Cup TFR’s may not be announced more than a few hours in advance. That might explain why you haven’t seen them in your area yet.
Feel free to disregard the following if you’ve never seen a tfr…
I share the assessment of last weekend’s cluster-f!?& of tfr notifications, having lived/flown vfr mid-atlantic for 20 yrs around DC ADIZ/SFRA/freeze, last 2 potus’ habit of skeding, cancelling, moving up, moving back, all in areas I fly, I share the “enough!”…and for anyone paying attention the ONLY “official” source is an FSS call, all websites/emails (including those from FAA) are advisory, and if you still missed one after FSS call you are responsible for gathering “all available” info…try asking FSS for stadium tfrs! but at least your voice will be on tape.
Recently all the above is not helped by UAS tfrs mixed in with manned tfrs with both written by lawyers/law enforcement with all the threats, citations up front that buries the actual info about 20 lines in… when/how long, where/how big.
How about somebody who actually flies vfr writes or at least reviews the tfr notices?
…and does each center really need to put out their duplicate tfr notams (NY, DC) of the same tfr? how about one master tfr for each tfr
“Process” is often quoted, but “process” works best when the easiest option is the one you’re trying to direct…water (and other things) flows downhill, only with much effort will it flow uphill, and then only as long as the force is applied!
If you live far from all the above, your opinion is noted, but as useful as C172 pilot input on carrier traps.
…and special bonus in mid atlantic is tfrs butting up against dense 24×7 restricted airspace and Class B’s, funneling traffic into narrow, vertically constrained corridors or 100 mile wide barriers that gets even more entertaining when you add sub-vfr and convection. (e.g. when Biden 60 mile diameter (30 radius) ILG tfr + APG 24x7Restricted+ Potomac B+ Philly B + summer convection or Trump Bedminster tfr + NYC arrival tfr+ NY B)
The oft quoted solution is a VFR fltpln transit that is “workload permitting” and given previous para, “unable” from ATC means some serious, potentially dangerous, backtracking
They keep trying to assinate him but none none have been in a TFR , all eyewash not making anything safer in fact just the opposite, telling the world where they can intercept him stupidly at its fines!
It would help if the TFRs didn’t disappear from the third party applications, like ForeFlight. That Bedminster TFR was gone for the last 2 days…
All attempts on VIPs have been up close and personal without aircraft. This has been an over reaction since 9-11-2001.
Exactly. I’ll believe it’s about “security” when USSS goes around arresting and suspending the licenses of anyone who dared operate a motor vehicle within a mile of the president.
I’m not aware of any other free country that treats its own citizens like threats simply for coming within 30 miles of the Dear Leader, or casually disrupts an entire city at rush hour, snarling traffic for hours, and blocking roads with armed helicopters to let the motorcade through for a danged campaign stop.
A little more humility might do our national leadership some good.
GA pleads with NORAD to plead with those in power (those same folks who engineered the Potomac disaster) to mind the size and frequency of TFRs.
Maybe someone could write the article with the above headline.
Wouldn’t do any good. They get no reward for making it easier for GA to fly, only punishment if something bad happens on their watch.
TFRs are beyond NORAD/FAA control of when/where/how often, potus/staff control that. However there are areas of mutual benefit for NORAD/FAA/GA worth exploring…simplify TFR notice with when/where upfront, no duplicate notams by adjoining Centers, relax 24/7 Restricted airspace if no reason to be “hot” during TFR, separate UAS from manned tfrs (UAS are usually tiny/low compared to manned tfrs). If FSS call only official source, then plus up FSS staffing or redefine “official” source to include FAA websites/email/etc
Have TFR writers specialize by area, same team writes same TFRs, some of recent confusion looks like different writers redefined, reworded or sent out differently for same intent…and when a recurrent TFR IS different, highlight the fact it is different and why.
Potus will do what potus does, can’t change that one, and not likely an election issue. NORAD/FAA can change if they really want to make their (and GA) life easier, but only happens with a constructive outreach from all parties, and no guarantee they will see the point over enforcement/finger pointing.
They won’t reform. They probably can’t.
Abolition is the only way. No more VIP TFRs. They are unnecessary and destructive.
Russ, I don’t think the Canadians do this. Do you? And your sovereignty has not in any way been threatened. Well, not by GA aircraft, anyway….
We need to insist (and vote) that Congress eliminate TFRs completely. The original rationale for implementing them no longer applies. They serve no real purpose and are just another example of security theater.