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 and VIP Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) establish moving protective airspace bubbles around the President, typically comprising a 30 nm outer ring and a 10 nm inner ring.
These TFRs significantly impact general aviation (GA) operations, often grounding flights or closing airports within the restricted airspace below 18,000 feet.
Pilots are responsible for checking NOTAMs for these dynamic TFRs and may need to follow specific procedures, like submitting advance forms for approval and obtaining discrete transponder codes, for "gateway" airport access.
“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.
