Kitfox pilot gets lucky

[courierguy]

A Long Island Kitfox pilot had a rare opportunity to practice some close formation flying with a F-15. http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?secti ... id=8763916

[phorine]

I bet that guy now checks the TFRs every time he flies...

[dirtstrip]

They forgot to add that the F-15 the Kitfox and the third plane did not file flight plans.

[Av8r3400]

When will the aviation community (and the rest of the brainless sheeple) finally say enough of this tyrannical manure forced on us by our government?

[Fisherman]

When will the aviation community (and the rest of the brainless sheeple) finally say enough of this tyrannical manure forced on us by our government?

Wondering that myself. Seems people think that the revolution and struggle for freedom are just cute stories and none of this stuff concerns or affects them. God help us!

[hotrod150]

When will the aviation community (and the rest of the brainless sheeple) finally say enough of this tyrannical manure forced on us by our government?

Wondering that myself. Seems people think that the revolution and struggle for freedom are just cute stories and none of this stuff concerns or affects them. God help us!

Do you guys really feel that way? Seems like you're making the TFR issue bigger than it is. Now the big, long-lived TFR's that came into being after 9/11, I'll agree that those were an infringement on our "freedom of flight". But these little VIP TFR's don't really seem like that big a deal to me, kinda like when they block off a street for a parade, or for some sort of ribbon-cutting political function-- temporarily inconvenient & annoying, but not a real violation of my civil rights. After all, it's not like they're refusing to let us eat in the whites-only diner or keeping us from voting.
You want "revolution and struggle for freedom", look to the middle east, Africa, south & central Asia, etc -- not the skies over Connecticut.

[Av8r3400]

I hope you never get escorted in by a flight of our Airforce's finest for busting an unannounced campaign fundraiser...

Your tune would probably change.

More information from the pilot himself here: http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=3847

[hotrod150]

Whenever I hear that the president or the VP is in my area (Seattle), I'm pretty careful to find out about TFR's. Of course I don't know all the facts, even after reading the teamkitfox link, but I can't believe that there was a news blackout on the president's being in the area. If indeed the TFR was not published on the FAA's webiste, I think the pilot has a valid defense. But if he knew the prez was in town, a call to flight service on the ground or to ATC after aloft might have kpot him out of trouble.
I would indeed change my tune if it was me in the news, no doubt, but I still feel that it is something of an isolated incident & not the beginning of the end of our aviation civil liberties.

[phorine]

Wow. That's an interesting read. It sounds like he claims to have checked the tfrs online before the flight, and they apparently didn't list the one he busted. Hmm.

There really does seem to be a serious issue in ga with being held accountable for knowing information as soon as it's available without having any surefire way to get it. The examiner that did my practical when I got my private asked me how I know that a plane is legal to fly. I spouted off all the typical paperwork and inspections that we are taught are required. He came back and said, "You don't really know". Then he went into at least a half hour talk about the run around he had gotten from the feds when some renters smacked up his 150. Apparently, there was some dispute about whether or not his pane needed to comply with some ad that he and his mechanic claim shouldn't. I guess the ad searches they had done indicated that it didn't apply to his serial number or something. The feds apparently told him that you can't rely on the federal AD web site because it's not always current. Then he talked about an ad that came out the night before for the 210, which he discovered because someone emailed him about it. At the end of the sidetrack, he basically said that in his opinion, you never know for sure if you are legal, because you can be held accountable for crap that the feds haven't even published. It was an interesting practical, to say the least. I felt like I was being tested, but I also got the impression that he felt that I should come out of the experience with at least some of the knowledge that he had picked up over the years. He was one of the locals who had known and worked with Mama Bird, so I got to hear some good stories about her as well. Definitely a neat guy. I am going to call him when I take my instrument ride.

[c130moose]

Let’s just say TFR’s are just a nuisance.

What practical purpose do they serve? How big of a threat is GA to the security of this nation? How big of a threat to.?., let’s say Air Force One. When it does it slow down, it’s still moving pretty fast. 200KIAS at flaps 5. I don’t know any suicide bomber type of pilots, especially with something fast enough to even threaten Air Force One.

The TFR’s came into play as an alternative to not flying at all.

Nobody would want to drink a cup of urine, but mixed with koolaid it ain’t all that bad.

[c130moose]

Not to mention how complicated TFR's are becoming, 9 parts to a TFR for Denver in Aug. I couldn't figure out if I was legal or not.

[Cary]

I find it a bit annoying that I need to call the FSS everytime I fly, even if it's just to do some pattern practice, exclusively to ask if there are any TFRs in the area. When I come out of the mountains after a fly-in weekend, the first thing I do is to check with ATC to see if there are any TFRs that have popped up while I was camping. It used to be that I only called FSS to check weather and file and close flight plans. The easiest way to not bust a TFR is don't fly, and that's not always possible, even for recreational pilots.

Cary

Cary

[jrollf]

You know it's bad when the FAA's own TFR website has a disclaimer saying the information can not be used for planning purposes and may be out of date.

[GumpAir]

This is why I gladly pay that $30 a month for XM Weather on the Garmin 396.

Gump

[58Skylane]

This is why I gladly pay that $30 a month for XM Weather on the Garmin 396.

Gump

Except for fires, I don't think there are too many TFR's in NV, ID and eastern OR anyway

[GumpAir]

You seen Obama's Nevada schedule? He in Reno or Las Vegas every week.

And, tons of military TFR's all the time.

Gump

[58Skylane]

You seen Obama's Nevada schedule? He in Reno or Las Vegas every week.

And, tons of military TFR's all the time.

Gump

My bad, I meant to say "northeast NV"

[Av8r3400]

This is why I gladly pay that $30 a month for XM Weather on the Garmin 396.

Gump

Who guarantees it's accuracy? If it's wrong and you bust a TFR, will they pay your fines or legal defense?

[GumpAir]

No, but it's certainly more info than I have without it. Especially if I'm camped out in the boonies and have no other viable means of pre-flight briefings. And for the big stuff (read that VIP TFR) I'm betting it's right on accurate.

Gump

[Zzz]

You know it's bad when the FAA's own TFR website has a disclaimer saying the information can not be used for planning purposes and may be out of date.

Ha! Yep, that's pretty bad.