December 17, 2003
Celebrate 100 years of flight . . .
. . . but I hope you aren't trying to fly to Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Because of "Increased Security" the POTUS travels with a 30NM flight restriction. In a stroke of genius, security officials created one for 50NM while POTUS is at the event.
Phil Boyer, president of AOPA has this to say:
If the original TFRs [Temporary Flight Resctrictions] were ironic, these updated times are outrageous. They begin before sunrise and slam the door on the two closest airports to virtually all Part 91 pilots. Certainly the President deserves protection when he travels. But because his security personnel continue to insist on demanding oversized TFRs, the inheritors of the Wright Brothers' legacy — America's pilots — are being penalized.
I would have to agree with those statements. The president used to travel with a 3-5nm ring--1/10th of the current TFR.
If you are trying to fly in, you'll have to drive (!) for about 50 miles as that is the closest airport outside of the TFR.
December 15, 2003
King Daley Rules Again
So it looks like Chicago Mayor Daley's "bluff" has been called. The Chicago Park District never had enough money to create a lakefront park in the place of Meigs Field (KCGX).
Brief History:
Under the cover of darkness on 2003-Mar-30 Daley ordered 6 "X"'s torn through the runway with bulldozers. More information at the AOPA website (www.aopa.org)
Current Events:
It looks like an organization called Friends of Meigs (www.friendsofmeigs.org) has proposed a plan to rebuild the airport and build a park on Northerly Island--all with federal dollars. The complete plan is on their website for those interested...