FAA announces TFR over NYC for upcoming U.N. General Assembly celebration

FAA announces TFR over NYC for upcoming U.N. General Assembly celebration

President Bush and leaders from around the world will be in New York City from September 14 to 28 to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly. As part of a larger effort to secure the city on the ground and in the air, the government has announced that it will establish temporary flight restrictions (TFRs). An air defense identification zone (ADIZ) with an inner flight restricted zone (FRZ) similar to the one over Washington, D.C., will be in effect September 14 to 16.

"While we don't like TFRs, special event security restrictions have become part of the government's post-9/11 security response," said Andy Cebula, AOPA senior vice president of government and technical affairs. "However, GA should never be singled out, and the restrictions should be limited to the duration of the event. We don't want another Washington, D.C., ADIZ."

New York airspace serves 16 airports and has more than 1.7 million GA operations annually.

According to the FAA's Flight Advisory, the TFRs will include a New York Flight Restricted Zone, which will establish a 7-nautical-mile-radius GA no-fly zone over New York City with a 2-nm-radius cutout for Teterboro Airport.

A New York Air Defense Identification Zone will extend outward from the NY FRZ to the surrounding Class B area around La Guardia, John F. Kennedy International, and Newark Liberty International. The NY FRZ and ADIZ will extend from the ground up to Flight Level 180.

Aircraft entering or exiting the NY ADIZ will have to be on an active IFR or VFR flight plan, have an ATC-assigned discrete transponder code, and remain in two-way radio contact with ATC. VFR and IFR arrivals and departures inside the ADIZ will be authorized for Teterboro Airport, Farmingdale Republic, and Westchester County.

A special TFR will allow arrivals and departures without flight plans at Morristown Airport, as long as the flights are from the boundary of the New York Class B airspace to Morristown and no farther.

The Transportation Security Administration will be conducting helicopter operations screenings at Linden Airport and Farmingdale Republic.

Also, there will be a 2-nm-radius TFR centered over the United Nations, extending from the surface up to 12,500 feet, from September 17 to 28. However, these TFRs likely will be modified for President Bush's arrival, stay, and departure. It is imperative that pilots obtain a preflight briefing and check notams for these changing restrictions.

For those who haven't flown inside an ADIZ, take AOPA's ADIZ online course to gain a better understanding of the demands and communication requirements placed on pilots in that airspace. It teaches how to file an ADIZ flight plan, get a clearance, talk to controllers, and set the transponder.

Updated: August 30, 2005, 3:58 p.m. EDT