Presidential TFR will tie up Crawford, Texas, airspace during Thanksgiving

The FAA has issued a notice to airmen (notam) establishing a large TFR around President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, for the Thanksgiving holiday. As with the previous restriction, the TFR will have a radius of 30 nautical miles and extend from the surface up to 18,000 feet. It will be in place from 1 p.m. local on November 27 through 3 p.m. local on December 1.

The Crawford notam expands the existing P-49 prohibited area to a 10-nm radius. Between 10 and 30 nm of Crawford ranch, the notam requires that pilots must be on an active VFR or IFR flight plan with a discrete ATC-assigned transponder code and must be communicating with ATC. In addition, the only flights permitted within this area will be for the purposes of ingress and egress. Aircraft must proceed directly to and from the airports. AOPA warns pilots that this restricted airspace will be actively enforced by the military, and violators will be intercepted and forced down. Fourteen public-use and more than 20 private airports are impacted by the Crawford TFR.

"AOPA continues to actively oppose large flight restrictions such as this one over Crawford, but it's imperative that pilots avoid violating the TFR," remarked Melissa Bailey, AOPA vice president of air traffic, regulatory, and certification policy.

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