Sunday my family and I went to Harris Ranch from Palo Alto airport. Whew! was it hot there, but the flight was beautiful, I never get sick of looking at this area from the sky. We originally were going to Halfmoon Bay but the weather was just about to get better but not quite not completely VFR yet S so we went with plan B. On our way back from Harris Ranch we noticed a fire and saw on the news it was the Henry Coe Park area.
Monday on the way to work I wondered if there was a TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction)in effect and when I checked there was one. It had just been published so only the text was available, I had to take the 'ole plotter out and draw it out. It was near South County but far enough east that it did not effect the pattern.
Tuesday I had another lesson , the smoke was obviously worse so I looked up the TFR and it was the same UNTIL 1019am. The updated TFR was now instead of being a radius of 7NM of the 97radial from SJC 21.9 nm it was a square area. I , with another friend, plotted it out on a sectional it was basically the same area but even further still east than the first TFR.
The point ... well, there are several. First is that the text is published on the FAA site first with out the graphic, then later in the day the graphic. If it will effect your flight take your plotter out and plot it don't rely on the service you subscribe to. If you notice on the bottom of those private company published TFRS, it has a disclaimer saying they only update it certain hours AND refer to the FAA for up to the minute information. Second, you are PIC check all available information regarding your flight FAR 91.3 and 91.108 reinforce that fact. Third??can't think of a third but I said there were several points, guess not.
http://airspace.nifc.gov/mapping/nifc/index.cfm Here is another way I found to look up TFRs
Monday on the way to work I wondered if there was a TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction)in effect and when I checked there was one. It had just been published so only the text was available, I had to take the 'ole plotter out and draw it out. It was near South County but far enough east that it did not effect the pattern.
Tuesday I had another lesson , the smoke was obviously worse so I looked up the TFR and it was the same UNTIL 1019am. The updated TFR was now instead of being a radius of 7NM of the 97radial from SJC 21.9 nm it was a square area. I , with another friend, plotted it out on a sectional it was basically the same area but even further still east than the first TFR.
The point ... well, there are several. First is that the text is published on the FAA site first with out the graphic, then later in the day the graphic. If it will effect your flight take your plotter out and plot it don't rely on the service you subscribe to. If you notice on the bottom of those private company published TFRS, it has a disclaimer saying they only update it certain hours AND refer to the FAA for up to the minute information. Second, you are PIC check all available information regarding your flight FAR 91.3 and 91.108 reinforce that fact. Third??can't think of a third but I said there were several points, guess not.
http://airspace.nifc.gov/mapping/nifc/index.cfm Here is another way I found to look up TFRs
