Aviation Safety: Temporary Flight Restrictions TFR's #1
by JP
(Bloomington)
Aviation Safety: Temporary Flight Restrictions
Aviation Safety: Temporary Flight Restrictions TFR's
"Almost 3 out of every 1,000 active general aviation pilots in the US was intercepted over the last 2 years."
I just received a package from the AOPA promoting the Aviation Safety magazine.
I get so much mail and promotions my wife has gotten in the habit of throwing these away without me ever seeing them.
As I was putting my Mountain dew can in the trash I saw the letter and opened up! Lucky me!
The first topic in the letter was regarding temporary flight restrictions TRF's and general aviation intercepts.
I found the numbers staggering and it gave me a wake up call.
"Over the last 2 years the reports show that 1700 GA aircraft have been intercepted. The Air force says those numbers are much higher."
To put that in perspective: There are 652,000 active GA Pilots in the US which means that almost 3 out of every 1,000 pilots has violated a TFR and been intercepted.
**That is using the conservative 1700 intercepts in the reports and assuming that no pilot has been intercepted more than once.
I would think that it only takes one time of looking out your window and seeing and F-16 Fighter or F-15 Fighter Jet and knowing that there is another one on your tail in "kill shot" position to make sure that you don't violate a TFR the second time.
I took a few minutes to imagine a typical flight and run through the scenario:
It's a perfect cool clear day. The day that every pilot dreams about... My family and I are clipping along in a Piper Saratoga playing the "passenger game" seeing who can spot the landmarks first and any aircraft in the sky when my 6 year old yells " Dad, dad, I see one it's a fighter and he's right next to us!" this would prompt my 3 year old to also dart to that window and Yell at the pilot and wave to him - after all how cool to have an F-16 right next to you!
I can even see the look on my wife's face when she figures out, by the look on my face and the fact that I am not sharing my children's exuberance at this encounter, that this is not some pre-arranged bonus meeting or a nicety arranged by the military for the benefit of our children.
So, here I am in the thick of it.
Children overjoyed at the very cool fighter on our left and trying to look out the other window to get glimpse of the second one on my tail.
Being the coolest thing they have ever seen of course the boys are are waving and yelling at our new friend on the left and explaining to me how great it is to see a fighter that close, a wife who is more than impressed with my pilotage and is ever so thankful that I have us in this position, a newborn baby that was awakened by the all the excitement who is crying at the top of her lungs, an F-16 out my window with a trained fighter pilot who is trying to communicate with me via hand signals and wing motions and another on my tail has locked on for the kill shot...
** I couldn't bring myself to run the same scenario in in climate weather, IFR or throw in ATC blowing up my head set.
After running through the real life scenario in my head and realizing that I never want to be in that situation I took the time to run through my personal habits on briefings and pre-flight routine.
And changed my mindset from "this won't happen to me " to "what can I do to make sure this doesn't happen to me!" and also reviewed the "basic intercept procedures" just in case.
Here are the weaknesses I found and steps that I am instituting in my personal flight habits:
Based on the Tricks and Traps in Coping with TFR's from Aviation Safety.
1. Pay close attention to (and get)briefings on local flights. I can say that local flights become so routine that I am sure I did give us much due diligence as needed.
2. READ the NOTAMS instead of becoming impatient and skimming.
3. Use flight following when possible. (Don't count on ATC to keep me out of trouble.)
4. Make a last minute call to FSS before takeoff to see if any NEW TFR's have popped up. This is big!
5. I NOW carry a Basic Intercept Procedures Card with me in my knee board.
One of the first things that we learn as pilots is that most BAD things happen because of a CHAIN of bad decisions - If I have already gotten into the position NOW is a good time to break that chain.
The last thing I want to do is not know how to communicate with the brave men and women of our armed forces if they are kind enough to pay me a visit.
If you do not have the Basic intercept procedures card or the Sources for current TFR's they are available at AOPA as a free PDF file that you can print out. I recommend laminating it and considering it as a must have in your flight bag.
With any luck, some extra care on my part and my new awareness: When my kids see an Fighter jet I will be on the ground with them "Yelling and Waving!"
Keep The Blue Side UP!
