AOPA warns Texas pilots of large TFR over Crawford ranch beginning today

The FAA has issued notam 3/1491 establishing a large temporary flight restriction (TFR) around President Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, beginning at noon Thursday and extending through the weekend.

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 1200 local on February 20, 2003, through 1215 local on February 23, 2003. However, the FAA has provided a cut-out to allow operations at Killeen Municipal Airport located at the southern perimeter of the expanded TFR.

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 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. Pilots must proceed directly to or from their departure or destination airports.

AOPA warns pilots that this restricted airspace will be actively enforced by the military, and violators will be intercepted and forced down.

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