TFRs on PE

[rgrazian]

Hi PE staff,

What are the SOPs on PE with regards to TFRs? I flew VFR from KCNO to KAXV yesterday. I called up Socal to transition the John Wayne class Charlie (I was at 3000). No problem, transition approved. No mention was made of the TFR over Disneyland. I had to adjust my course to miss the TFR. I called the controller and advised I would be passing 3 miles NW of John Wayne to avoid the TFR, again it was approved. Cleary avoiding TFRs is pilot responsibility. However, we had two TFRs around the Dallas area on Saturday when I was flying the real plane. They both impacted traffic in and out of Addison. I heard one controller get pretty vocal with a guy that was going to bust it.

[Ryan B]

I think there was a thread back a few weeks ago where they said when on PE you can disregard them... I can't seem to find it

In real life, if you're being controlled by ATC they will alert you and or keep you clear of the TFR. We have mining blast TFR's all the time in northern MN where I work traffic... I'm not surprised the FT Worth controller got on that pilot for almost busting it. If you're not flying with ATC service, you are responsible to remain clear of them (notams).

[Keith Smith]

We don't generally enforce TFR's on PE. We were going to include that service, however, the majority of customers aren't expecting or even desiring that level of service based on feedback we received a while ago. It would also result in considerable administrative overhead on a daily basis to track that.

I also believe that it's a not perishable skill that pilots need to practice, so the value of implementing it here wouldn't outweigh its drawbacks.

[rgrazian]

I was just curious on the SOP and how you handled them. And it was cool to get Ryan's perspective as a r/w controller... As always, thanks for the quick response!!!

[Calvin Waterbury]

We don't generally enforce TFR's on PE. We were going to include that service, however, the majority of customers aren't expecting or even desiring that level of service based on feedback we received a while ago. It would also result in considerable administrative overhead on a daily basis to track that.

I also believe that it's a not perishable skill that pilots need to practice, so the value of implementing it here wouldn't outweigh its drawbacks.

I like the tone of this response. It allows for future possibilities. While the present PE may not benefit from including TFRs, I think it is reasonable to expect a real-world variable of this nature might be valuable to a future definition of Pilotedge.

It is always best to never close doors if one doesn't have to.