Sat, 15 Sep '07

Did Not Affect Thunderbirds Practice

It is somewhat reassuring to hear general aviation pilots aren't the only ones who occasionally run afoul of TFRs.

A temporary flight restriction set up for a practice performance by the US Air Force Thunderbirds Friday morning over Hawaii was violated... not by an errant Cessna, but a Marine Corps helicopter.

The Honolulu Advertiser reports the helicopter breached the TFR near Waikiki during the team's practice performance at 0900 local time Friday.

Ian Gregor, Western Regional spokesperson for the FAA, confirmed the Marine Corps helicopter "got into the practice area" -- along with a civilian chopper, whose pilot will have some explaining to do, as well.

"But the T-Bird pilots said they saw the helicopter and had him in sight all the time so there was no near mid-air collision," Gregor told the Advertiser.

The morning orientation flight -- watched by thousands of beachgoers near Fort DeRussy -- consisted of loose formation flying, and some tight maneuvering to acquaint pilots with local landmarks and reference points for the team's scheduled performance Friday afternoon.

It is the first appearance by the Thunderbirds in Waikiki in 10 years. The team was also scheduled to conduct a low flyover (at 700 feet AGL) of the Arizona Memorial.

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=4e1ae688-ce7b-4d47-9e00-77522985f089