Lengthy TFR set for Bedminster area
Pilots urged to spread the word, help reduce incursions
A temporary flight restriction will be in effect Aug. 9 to 18 in the Bedminster and Morristown area of New Jersey, where President Donald Trump owns a golf resort, a week after several TFR incursions in the same airspace scrambled interceptors and attracted news media attention.
As always when a TFR is in the works, AOPA strongly urges pilots to check notices to airmen frequently before and during flight, and to note any changes to active TFR times or the configuration of the affected airspace.
According to local news reports, North American Aerospace Defense Command aircraft intercepted two single-engine airplanes for violating Bedminster airspace under an active TFR the evening of Aug. 2. A third aircraft was chased out on Aug. 3.
None of the aircraft were communicating with air traffic control. All departed the area “without incident” upon interception, according to one report.
Security officials are reaching out to airports from which some offending aircraft departed to discuss avoiding a recurrence, said Nobuyo Reinsch, AOPA director of aviation security.
Several days ahead of the TFR’s active date, the FAA circulated an alert bulletin that cautioned pilots to expect multiple notams and summarized procedures of “a typical Security TFR,” noting that any individual TFR may have “unique procedures.”
Pilots should begin their preflight planning well in advance of the proposed flight time by checking the FAA’s website where a list of active and upcoming TFRs can be studied. A thorough preflight briefing should be conducted immediately prior to departure.
It is also recommended for VFR flights to request radar flight following, and to check TFR status en route—but remember that pilots are ultimately responsible for their own navigation and avoiding restricted airspace.
