I flew to MD last weekend to an airport within the Washington DC TFR
(By now shouldn't the TFR be renamed? The "T" stands for temporary and it's been 10 years!)
I was rerouted a bit coming in but that was minor. Departure required a flight plan be opened, and after 5 phone calls for a void time I gave up and opened in the air over the field. Definately the way to go if it VFR.
My return had again a small reroute out of DC but that was minor. The trip home was to have me arriving during one of the many visits by the Commander-in-Chief. Fortunately I was not based at one of the four major airports in Columbus that were within the 10 mile no-fly zone so I was able to plan an IFR flight into KDLZ that was within the 30 mile restricted zone but accessible. Had I been based at Port Columbus, OSU, Bolton, or Rickenbacker I would have had to land elsewhere and wait - although commercial flights (you remember, like the planes that are the cause for the current concern) were still allowed in and out.
The situation is simple: the Fed wants to look like they are doing something, they dare not upset the very large constituency that flys commercial tin so instead they restrict private access to the skies. And as long as we get to and from our destinations most of the time, we grin and bear it. I do not expect that to change in my lifetime so I will not waste my time complaining 'cause it will not do any good and the stress could just cost me a medical!
Robert M. Simon
ES-P N301ES
AOPA member services sent an update on a TFR affecting my home airfield. It included a link to TFR operations, content as follows:
Requirements for flight in the outer area:
- Limited to arriving or departing local airfields
- *Transit operations may be authorized
- Must be on active VFR or IFR flight plan
- Squawk discrete code obtained from ATC
- Two-way communication with ATC
- No loitering
Operations not authorized:
My conclusion: It'd be pretty easy to comply with these rules if I really needed to fly today.