With the U.S. presidential inauguration looming, TFR activity is expected to increase in Florida’s Palm Beach area for the foreseeable future, starting on January 20. The FAA has issued a presentation to refresh local stakeholders on the required procedures.
The agency noted that the implementation of presidential TFRs in Palm Beach, near President-elect Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, will be unpredictable in frequency and duration, and operators heading to and from the area should check notams before their flights because the VIP TFRs can shift location and time without warning.
When this presidential TFR is in effect, the 10 nm inner core will heavily impact operations at Palm Beach International Airport (KPBI) and Palm Beach County Park Airport (KLNA).
The FAA will again institute a local TFR flight request form process similar to the one in place from 2017 to 2020. Once approved by the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), flights in the outer ring of the TFR will be operated using a discrete transponder code. The form must be submitted 24 hours in advance and, if approved, a discrete beacon code will be issued on the morning of the flight by KPBI Tracon.
On January 16, the FAA has scheduled an informational meeting for local pilots at KPBI with representatives from the USSS, FAA Air Traffic Control, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Department of Airports (DOA), and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). The meeting will take place at 1 p.m. at Department of Airports Building 846, adjacent to the control tower, and due to the limited space, the FAA is requesting an RSVP and a limit of no more than two representatives per operator.
NBAA will have two representatives—senior v-p of safety, security, sustainability and international affairs Doug Carr and senior director of air traffic services and infrastructure Heidi Williams—at this mid-January meeting.