Presidential TFR

DesertNomad

DesertNomad

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DesertNomad
Obama is coming to Reno/Tahoe on Wednesday. There is a TFR and ramp freeze for much of the afternoon:

During the Ramp Freeze, no foot, vehicle or aircraft traffic will be allowed on the main terminal ramp, in or around the concourses or on the FBO ramps. SIDA doors, roll-up doors, vehicle gates, and GA hangar doors must remain closed during the freeze. Construction activities in the Airport Operations area must cease; equipment remains stationary and contractors may remain in their enclosure, indoors if possible.

I personally think we provide too much of a bubble for the President and am curious when this started. Were TFRs and ramp freezes in place for Reagan? Eisenhower? Did it start with 9/11?
 
There has always been a certain amount of security, but the TFR's and other excessively intrusive stuff didn't really start until 9/11.
 
In about 1973 I landed at San Antonio International and while I was taxing to one of the FBOs I passed within about 200 feet of Air Force One. I commented on it on the ground control frequency, but nobody made fuss.
 
I think the ramp freezes were around before 9/11. I remember being in a building that was essentially locked down while Bill Clinton's motorcade made it's way out of the airport.
 
This time the TFR is insanely large. I'm glad I'm not heading that way this week!
 
In 1969 I believe, I waved at Richard Nixon once at Ellington AFB as the motorcade drove by. He waved back but he was just waving to the crowd in general.
 
He's landing at Reno, then driving to South Lake Tahoe for a short speech and then returning to Reno. I am flying tomorrow and normally come back the next day to clean the plane, but I won't be at the airport on Wednesday - way too much hassle. I imagine they can't land the 747 at KTVL and they aren't willing to fly anything smaller or just stay in Washington.

It is ridiculous... the TFR covers an area 100 miles N/S and 64 miles E/W.
 
What's your point?? Nobody likes it, but it's the way it is.... Thanks to a few nut jobs out there.
 
DesertNomad said:
He's landing at Reno, then driving to South Lake Tahoe for a short speech and then returning to Reno. I am flying tomorrow and normally come back the next day to clean the plane, but I won't be at the airport on Wednesday - way too much hassle. I imagine they can't land the 747 at KTVL and they aren't willing to fly anything smaller or just stay in Washington.

It is ridiculous... the TFR covers an area 100 miles N/S and 64 miles E/W.
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Nope. He is landing in Reno then taking a helicopter to Tahoe (KTVL). Actually five helicopters, his, two decoys and two Blackhawk's. He messed up my flying plans too, I agree with the OP, over time these TFR's have gotten out of hand.

PS: unfortunately I will be attending the Tahoe Summit, will see POTUS first hand:(
 
mtuomi said:
Any examples of these "nutjobs" causing actual threat?
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There are some... The guy running through the White House with a knife comes to mind. I'm sure there are others.
 
Any reason to believe the published succession rules wouldn't work properly if said nut actually got to one of these worthless politicians? I'm thinking they would work fine. Haha.
 
denverpilot said:
Any reason to believe the published succession rules wouldn't work properly if said nut actually got to one of these worthless politicians? I'm thinking they would work fine. Haha.
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Hmm, President Paul Ryan? Well, I guess he'd only hold that title for a couple months.
 
CMongoose said:
I think the ramp freezes were around before 9/11. I remember being in a building that was essentially locked down while Bill Clinton's motorcade made it's way out of the airport.
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Maybe the ramp might have been frozen, but Clinton came through work several times, and none of the buildings were locked down. The motorcade route was closed for a few minutes right before he went by, and that was about it, on the ground. Bush Jr locked the site down for hours. Obama, not so disruptive on the ground, but it's more than it used to be.
 
coach said:
Nope. He is landing in Reno then taking a helicopter to Tahoe (KTVL). Actually five helicopters, his, two decoys and two Blackhawk's. He messed up my flying plans too, I agree with the OP, over time these TFR's have gotten out of hand.
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That makes more sense, but the airport authority here (I am a hangar tenant) told us that the ramp freeze lasts until his motorcade leaves the airport.

"The arrival RAMP FREEZE will commence 15 minutes prior to his arrival, approximately 12:15 PM, and extends until he departs the airfield via motorcade."

"The departure RAMP FREEZE will commence 15 minutes prior to the motorcade arriving, at approximately 2:50 PM, and extends until the aircraft departs."
 
Agreed, stuuuupid.

Who cares, they all just do what special interests want anyway, they all just crave power, if one got killed simply put another in his place, they are all interchangeable.

Frankly I have more respect for the poor bastards who have the honor to put their bacon on the line to save the sorry SOB, especially when the person who they are protecting doesn't even salute them 80% of the time.

If I had my way, I'd offer POTUS netjets and a rental minivan, and if the GDP dropped below XX I'd even bill that out of his salary.
 
James331 said:
Agreed, stuuuupid.

Who cares, they all just do what special interests want anyway, they all just crave power, if one got killed simply put another in his place, they are all interchangeable.

Frankly I have more respect for the poor bastards who have the honor to put their bacon on the line to save the sorry SOB, especially when the person who they are protecting doesn't even salute them 80% of the time.

If I had my way, I'd offer POTUS netjets and a rental minivan, and if the GDP dropped below XX I'd even bill that out of his salary.
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The other problem I have with all of this is how a president can campaign (not just for their own re-election, but that of their party) using this taxpayer funded dog and pony show, and affecting thousands of citizens' work commutes and daily lives. While paying for it, no less.
 
So many people consider Abe Lincoln to be the greatest president of all time. If this is true, why should any other president have more security than he had? Does not seem equitable.
 
SkyDog58 said:
So many people consider Abe Lincoln to be the greatest president of all time. If this is true, why should any other president have more security than he had? Does not seem equitable.
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It's about risk, not equity.

Leaving aside whether Lincoln was the "greatest" president (debatable at best), his security was obviously insufficient.

As for him being "replaceable," his successor was terrible.
 
The whole point of the VP is a backup to the President. They are not supposed to be Gods. I think it is ridiculous to inconvenience thousands of people so he can go give a short speech 2,500 miles from home. Not to mention the bizarre notion of flying multiple aircraft to an environmental conference. He should ride his bike to Tahoe. :)
 
Years ago W (while still president) made a speech at a building next to my office. It was amusing to see where they centered the TFR (the lat lon given in the NOTAM was about four blocks away). They made us move all our cars from one side of the building (except for one of our employees who parked there while on travel and wasn't around to move...they brought the bomb sniffing dogs out to check that one). We watched to proceedings from our office windows. Got a good shot of him going from the limo into the back door of the other building.
 
flyingron said:
Years ago W (while still president) made a speech at a building next to my office. It was amusing to see where they centered the TFR (the lat lon given in the NOTAM was about four blocks away). They made us move all our cars from one side of the building (except for one of our employees who parked there while on travel and wasn't around to move...they brought the bomb sniffing dogs out to check that one). We watched to proceedings from our office windows. Got a good shot of him going from the limo into the back door of the other building.
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In 1994 I stood about 30 feet from both the leaders of the UAE and Oman on a grassy lawn in Muscat and nobody ever asked me who I was. They has several "secret service-like" guys there, but it was all very relaxed. I have also been within 100 feet of the leaders of Bahrain, Portugal, Romania and Georgia (not all at the same time!), with little security. The size and scope of the bubble around the US President is absurd.
 
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MAKG1 said:
It's about risk, not equity.

Leaving aside whether Lincoln was the "greatest" president (debatable at best), his security was obviously insufficient.

As for him being "replaceable," his successor was terrible.
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Risk? When is a country's leader more at risk than when the country is engaged in a civil war of historic proportions?
 
flyingron said:
We watched to proceedings from our office windows. Got a good shot of him going from the limo into the back door of the other building.
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Bet that was before 2011...post 2011 no more open air arrivals/departures whenever possible. All done under a tent now for Limo entrance/exit usually surrounded by buses and/or trucks.

While it may seem overkill compared to "back in the day"...but I would argue that technology and even availability of potential threat creating techniques has increased over time hence security measures increased.

And none of this has anything to do with politics...does not matter which party's butt is sitting in that chair.
 
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Wow. Saw this TFR.... those overlapping TFRs suck... that's a large friggin' area for no reason.

Just have an F-15 escort the 747 and stop with the TFRs.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Risk? When is a country's leader more at risk than when the country is engaged in a civil war of historic proportions?
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Are there civil wars that aren't of historic proportions?

Technically, by the legal votes taken, he wasn't "the leader" of a number of States anyway. Jefferson Davis was.
 
ircphoenix said:
Wow. Saw this TFR.... those overlapping TFRs suck... that's a large friggin' area for no reason.

Just have an F-15 escort the 747 and stop with the TFRs.
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42 minutes flying time for me to fly in North to South. Just asinine. Stuff like this is why I vote Libertarian, though I never expect them to win.
 
Shawn said:
Bet that was before 2011...post 2011 no more open air arrivals/departures whenever possible. All done under a tent now for Limo entrance/exit usually surrounded by buses and/or trucks.
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Negative. Was definitely post 911.
 
Ooops...well definitely pre-2011 (W left office in 2009).
 
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