AOPA Intervenes, Makes Bureaucrats See Sense

The show will go on in Temple, Texas, thanks to intercession by AOPA. President Bush's weekend visit to his Crawford, Texas, ranch and the corresponding 30-nautical-mile-radius temporary flight restriction (TFR) had threatened to shut down the Central Texas Airshow at Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport (TPL).

Airshow coordinators contacted AOPA as soon as they found out about this weekend's TFR. AOPA immediately contacted security officials, applied for a waiver, and offered suggestions to allow non-transponder-equipped aircraft to participate in the fly-in and airshow. The response was a cut-out for Draughon-Miller airport.

FAA will impose a 30-nm-radius TFR around the ranch but will leave a 5-nm radius cut-out centered on TPL. Security officials adopted AOPA's suggestion of arrival and departure paths for non-transponder-equipped aircraft, allowing homebuilts and other special aircraft to participate. Those aircraft must arrive from and depart to the south.

"We're pleased that security officials were willing to work with AOPA and the organizers to allow the cut-out for airshow participants," said Melissa Bailey, AOPA vice president of airspace policy. "Performers will still be able to awe the crowd and perform as they have every year for decades."

The TFR will expand P-49, the prohibited airspace around the Presidential ranch to a 30-nm radius (except for TPL) below 18,000 feet beginning at 1630 local on Friday, May 2, and continuing through 0840 local on Monday, May 5. Pilots are cautioned to check NOTAMs before flight.

All operations (except military, law enforcement, and medevac) are prohibited in the 0-10 nm ring below 18,000 feet. In the 10-30 nm ring, aircraft must be on an active IFR or VFR flight plan with a discrete transponder code assigned by air traffic control and must maintain radio contact with air traffic control. All such flights must be for ingress, egress, or transit only. No flight training, aerobatic, glider, parachute, hang gliding, ultralight, aerial application, or animal control operations are permitted. During the effective times of the NOTAM, practice instrument approaches are prohibited within the TFR.

FMI: www.aopa.org, http://www.ci.temple.tx.us/departments/airport/home.htm