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TFR Trouble

Russell Munson
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The author inadvertently violated a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) during a local flight due to multiple oversights, including missing the TFR notice and having an expired medical certificate, which resulted in an FAA enforcement action and a 90-day commercial certificate suspension.
  • The experience highlighted the severe penalties for TFR incursions and underscored critical lessons: immediately consult legal counsel, limit direct communication with the FAA, and file a NASA ASRS report within 10 days of an incident.
  • The article critiques the punitive approach to VIP TFR enforcement as counterproductive to safety education and emphasizes the absolute necessity of diligently checking for TFRs before every flight, even local ones.
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(February 2011) — Joe Biden came to visit last Memorial Day weekend. I wish he had called first so I could have invited him for an airplane ride.

Sunday morning, May 30, was beautiful on eastern Long Island. You could almost see Ireland, and it was as calm as a lobster on lithium. On days like this pilots take to the air like hawks at mealtime. I did a quick weather check on the computer then drove to East Hampton airport, where my Husky lives. The plan was to fly along the beach around Southampton to check on erosion from the heavy spring storms, but mainly I was simply eager to roam the sky on such a day. Biden would have enjoyed it too, because I would be flying right near where he was staying, as it turned out.

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