Temporary Flight Restrictions

[patric]

Also known as "No-Fly Zones," seem to be increasing in use lately.

There is, of course, the one currently over Boston for a dragnet:

The FAA has restricted all civilian aircraft within 3,000 feet of the surface over an area that appears to include Watertown, Belmont and parts of Boston and Cambridge in Massachusetts, an FAA spokesman said. On the FAA's website, the reason listed for the restriction is "to provide a safer environment for law-enforcement activities," and the point of contact listed for the restriction is an FBI special agent. The FAA closed the airspace at about 6:30 a.m. local time and said it would remain closed until further notice.  (Wall Street Journal)

...but others seem more obscure (like the one over rescue operations at the Waco Fertilizer plant) or just plain ornery (like the Exxon pipeline oil spill in Arkansas).

MAYFLOWER (KATV) - The view from high above Mayflower shows the extent of a major oil spill and the early progress towards cleaning it up.  We wanted to bring you this sky-high perspective before today...but could not because the air space above the spill was closed by the FAA.
Monday afternoon a temporary flight restriction...or TFR...was requested. Exxon Mobil uses aircraft to monitor the progress of the clean-up and doesn't want to worry about a lot of air traffic over the spill site. Keeping the media grounded...they say...was a "mistake".

On Wednesday alone the FAA issued "no-fly-zones" over an iron mine in Minnesota, a gas leak in Texas, a search-and-rescue mission in California, both a wildfire and an air show in Arizona and for some VIP visiting Delaware.
The TFR issued in Arkansas on Monday was an A-1, meaning officials felt conditions were hazardous on the surface or in the air.
But residents were being told the air was safe.

This may be old hat to all the pilots here, but im guessing the average citizen doesn't realize how often these are issued now.
That, and it also seems more of those are being granted to prevent news helicopters from reporting embarrassing events.

You can check them on the FAA website:  http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr_map_ims/html/index.html

[Conan71]

Ostensibly it's to keep too many looky-loos from mid-air collisions when you have something sensational happening on the ground.  I recall when an F-15 or F-16 pilot punched out over Skiatook in 1995 or so there was a no fly around the Skiatook airport until the debris was removed.

[Townsend]

Ostensibly it's to keep too many looky-loos from mid-air collisions when you have something sensational happening on the ground.  I recall when an F-15 or F-16 pilot punched out over Skiatook in 1995 or so there was a no fly around the Skiatook airport until the debris was removed.

Was there a no-fly at 51st and Lewis when the Guard dropped a bomb on the apartments there a few years ago?

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=8015580

[Conan71]

Was there a no-fly at 51st and Lewis when the Guard dropped a bomb on the apartments there a few years ago?

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=8015580

Completely forgot about that incident.  Brings whole new meaning to "taking a dump"

[Townsend]

Completely forgot about that incident.  Brings whole new meaning to "taking a dump"

I would've.

[Callahan]

Maybe to avoid something like this?

[Vashta Nerada]

Ostensibly it's to keep too many looky-loos from mid-air collisions when you have something sensational happening on the ground.  I recall when an F-15 or F-16 pilot punched out over Skiatook in 1995 or so there was a no fly around the Skiatook airport until the debris was removed.

Prohibiting private pilots and news helicopters also means less eyes during search and rescues:

TV news helicopter finds missing 3-year-old boy safe
http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=31815

TV helicopter finds missing fishermen
http://www.hotheadlines.com.au/redirect.php?h=TV_helicopter_finds_missing_fishermen&artid=1605580

[Conan71]

Prohibiting private pilots and news helicopters also means less eyes during search and rescues:

There are cases where they are used as part of an SAR.  Otherwise, if they are simply there to follow the "white Bronco" they are a hazard.