A presidential TFR surrounding Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, would create a no-fly zone within a 10-nm radius, effectively shutting down all GA traffic in the immediate area.[Credit: FAA/ file photo]
Key Takeaways:
Presidential Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) establish a moving bubble of restricted airspace around the President/VIPs, typically encompassing a 30nm outer ring and a 10nm inner ring.
These TFRs severely impact general aviation (GA) flights, often prohibiting operations below 18,000 feet and potentially closing airports within the affected areas.
Pilots are required to check NOTAMs for VIP TFRs before all flights, as they are dynamic, typically announced 1-2 days in advance, and can shift in location and time, though exceptions for screened flights or specific IFR operations may exist.
“When the president comes to town, we stay on the ground.”
This witticism is often written on the whiteboard in the lobby of FBOs whenever the president of the United States or another VIP comes to town, because the president and VIPs travel in a moving bubble of protective airspace commonly known as a temporary flight restriction (TFR).
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
