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Grounded! Model airplane flights halted while President Obama visits San Francisco

Posted by Chris Anderson on May 25, 2010 at 6:00pm

The FAA routinely issues "NOTAMs" restricting aviation where top government officials are. This week it was San Francisco, where President Obama is visiting today and tomorrow. From the AMA alert:


"A new FDC NOTAM/TFR has been issued for San Francisco, CA and the San Francisco Bay area beginning at 5:01p on Tuesday, 5/25, until 12:30p PDT on Wednesday, 5/26. The TFR is issued for security purposes to cover VIP movement in this area. Model aircraft operations are prohibited in this area during the specific times of the TFR. Please note that TFRs are subject to change with very short notice. Check back often for the most current NOTAM/TFR information.

Timely alerts are also available on the web or on you cell phone at: Twitter.com/amagov.

See the link to the TFR below for more detailed information regarding the restrictions:

  • Area 1 (5/25, 5:01p - 6:15p PDT)
    (30nm radius from Latitude: 37º37'09"N, Longitude: 122º22'31"W)
  • Area 2 (5/25, 5:01p - 6:15p PDT)
    (10nm radius from Latitude: 37º37'09"N, Longitude: 122º22'31"W)
  • Area 3 (5/25, 5:30p - 5/26, 10:00a PDT)
    (30nm radius from Latitude: 37º47'44"N, Longitude: 122º25'24"W)
  • Area 4 (5/25, 5:30p - 5/26, 10:00a PDT)
    (9nm radius from Latitude: 37º47'44"N, Longitude: 122º25'24"W)
  • Area 5 (5/26, 9:15a - 12:00p PDT)
    (30nm radius from Latitude: 37º29'00"N, Longitude: 121º56'09"W)
  • Area 6 (5/26, 9:15a - 12:00p PDT)
    (10nm radius from Latitude: 37º29'00"N, Longitude: 121º56'09"W)
  • Area 7 (5/26, 11:15a - 12:30p PDT)
    (30nm radius from Latitude: 37º37'09"N, Longitude: 122º22'31"W)
  • Area 8 (5/26, 11:15a - 12:30p PDT)
    (10nm radius from Latitude: 37º37'09"N, Longitude: 122º22'31"W)

TFR - 0/1817

Map View of the Affected Area "

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Comments

  • Brad Smith December 6, 2010 at 11:36pm
    i think for our safety they should stay in DC so we don,t get hit by a stray deadly easystar with a lawn dart in the nose
  • Developer
    Doug Weibel May 27, 2010 at 2:44pm
    This is nothing new. I think the RC (and UAV) community is just becoming more aware of rules that have impacted us for the past several years. It was a lot worse during the pre-election season when candidates were travelling all over. And it is not restriced to government officials' travel. There are routinely NOTAMs in place for events where large numbers of people are gathered, such as NFL games and NASCAR races. We have a NOTAM in place locally on Monday (which is a holiday in the US) because there is a very popular 10Km running race that will draw more than 20000 people.
  • Craig Palmer May 26, 2010 at 3:28pm
    when will they ban ALL travel?I dare say it starts and will just get worse. Defend your freedoms
  • MarcS May 26, 2010 at 3:08pm
    I am in no way challenging the fact that security for some people is a major concern.
    I was just interested if there is an official statement WHY certain things are not allowed. That question should be allowed...
  • DrJeseuss May 26, 2010 at 12:33pm
    My scenarios were certainly outlandish and quite unlikey (or are they), but my point is the same. Someone had to make a decision and put his job (and other's lives) at risk based on his call. So he played it safe considering possibilities others consider to be overkill. Many VIP movements have plans around them that consider MANY unlikely events few if any would ever even think of. And for the things they don't consider, things can go badly. No harm done grounding RCs for a day.
  • Simon Rok May 26, 2010 at 10:35am
    "he would launch it anyway", yea he would, but then they would shoot it down. The TFR just thins out the targets out there for them to potentially snipe. You wouldn't want to loose your plane because of a quick decision some security personnel had to make.
  • Michael Schreiber May 26, 2010 at 9:25am
    Its a good thing that bad weather has us grounded anyway, otherwise id be pissed. I just got my model runing again after the accident
  • MarcS May 26, 2010 at 6:30am
    Hi,
    I disagree that it is that simple. If a person would have an RC aircraft with explosives (or any other mad plan), he would launch it anyway (I suppose, because the fact he is violating flying rules will perhaps not be a big problem for him...)
    The hangglider situation is so unlikely there will be a much higher risk of a bird strike...

    I still think it is either intention to have a big free airspace for own operations (which would be understandable if communicated) or it is the fear of some people of something they don´t actually know, so they shut it down. If the second fact is true, it is an unnecessary limitation which should also be communicated (by AMA/us, whoever).
  • DrJeseuss May 26, 2010 at 5:57am
    It's quite simple really... It's possible (albiet unlikely) that a person could have an RC aircraft with extended range carrying a damaging amount of explosive. This isn't a good situation. Another example would be a hang glider catching thermals to remain aloft for an extended period and travel a considerable distance, then disrupting the flight path of a plane, causing it to (potentially) adjust course in a manner that could cause a crash. These scenarios sound like they're from the movies, but would you want to be head of security and take that chance?
  • MarcS May 26, 2010 at 1:57am
    Ok, so the same in US as in Europe...
    We were grounded because of a meeting in a distance of 50km...

    The thing I´m wondering about is why they are grounding everything?
    Manned GA Aircraft? Ok, I get the point.
    A model airplane flying at a field 30 km away should not really be a problem. It likely does not even have the range of flying there. Or a hangglider on a slope this distance away?

    So I can think about several reasons why they would ground anything:
    -No one shall have privileges.. (Ok unlikely..)
    -If someone is in the air he is evil, because all others should be on the ground. (But in reality he is more likely unknowing..)
    -They want to have the airspace for themselves, free for radar and UAV operations.

    Does anyone know a statement where a reason is given?
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