Donald Trump’s second term as president means the return of TFRs over Palm Beach International Airport (KPBI) and South Florida.
The VIP TFRs include a 10 nautical mile (nm) inner core and 30 nm outer core, both extending from the surface up to FL180, when the president visits his Mar-a-Lago resort, according to officials with the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA).
Pilots flying to KPBI while the TFR is active must register for gateway screening at one of five designated airports: White Plains (KHPN), Teterboro (KTEB), Dulles (IAD), Orlando International (MCO) and Fort Lauderdale (KFLL) at least 24 hours before departure.
In a new development, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will use its eSecure Flight program to vet passengers and pilots for arrivals to KPBI, as well as for flights departing through KPBI’s four FBOs.
TSA officials told NBAA officials that submission of pilot and passenger information via the agency’s eSecure Flight portal should reduce processing time during gateway screening operations.
Another change requires all flights to be on an active IFR or VFR flight plan, in addition to maintaining radio contact with ATC. Pilots will be assigned a discrete transponder code that must be squawked upon start-up, during all ground operations, and while inflight.
Most other operations, such as banner towing, inspections, and flight training will not be authorized while the TFR is in effect.
What hasn’t changed is the “significant impact” the TFRs have on pilots based at KPBI and surrounding airports, noted NBAA Senior Vice President, Safety, Security, Sustainability and International Operations Doug Carr.
“We are working to minimize operational impacts as much as possible, but it’s difficult to mitigate and abet the effects from presidential travel in a material fashion,” he said. “This is never a simple process and it’s something our entire industry needs to properly manage.”
The “Temporary” Flight Restrictions around Disney World and Washington DC have been in effect for about 25 years now. But then again, what’s ever “permanent” in the aviation world?
The Secret Service has a one-metric scorecard. Literally their ONLY concern is securing the President. They’ll keep pushing for more restrictive TFRs until the President tells them to stop. They are not concerned with whether their restrictions are necessary or reasonable, nor with the costs they impose on anyone else. I don’t mean to suggest they’re bad people for not being concerned with these things: it’s their literal job to not be concerned with these things.
And, up to now, Presidents of both parties have been happy to make TFRs big and restrictive. And why not? It shows how important they are. And we need to realize that we – all of us, individually or as a group – are really not important at all.
Standard procedure for airports around Presidents, I’d imagine. In a world of
evil nutjobs, these things are necessary.